"keep close to nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. wash your spirit clean."

you might just want to settle in for this post...there's certainly an over-abudance of photos.

a plethora.

i did, contrary to what you might suspect, leave out most of my images,

and tried to keep it short.

if you want to see the entire slide show,

come on over,

and i'll do my best, most authentic monotone voice

to describe our yosemite visit in its entirity.

i know you've already seen the falls, but i have to tell you about how it sounds, how it feels, how it smells.

its rushing has more than one rythym. there is the constant background rushing. and then there is the random, yet consistent, booming of an extra heavy load of water that comes crashing down onto the rocks below.

it feels like a tropical rain mist, and the trail that falls in the mist is a little jungle unlike the rest of the granite & pine trail.

it smells, well, like the fresh out of doors. some day i'll be able to describe it to you. it just makes your insides feel clean and healthy. it makes you alert and alive. that smell is priceless.

all of the trees in the area have lost their branches waterfall-side. that wind and water can be terrible and ruthless indeed. i overheard a park ranger saying that someone had asked him if they could put their head under the waterfall...can you imagine the pounding that boy would have suffered?!

this waterfall. so beautiful. so terrible.

my favorite combination.

ceej with the new lens on the graflex.

can't wait to see the images.

near the very top, things get narrow, and the drop-offs are great.

i held on. tight.

this rushing river is what launches of the face of the cliff
and soars to the earth below.

on our way down.

it was one of those days where

i was happy i saw what i saw,

felt what i felt,

heard what i heard...

and was very anxious for dinner and to take off my boots!