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Last week brought what looked like a promising weather forecast for Yosemite. The first report had an 80% chance of precipitation and a snow level of 6,000 feet.  By Friday morning, the forecast had changed to 100% chance of precipitation and a 5,000 foot snow level. Yosemite valley is just a touch over 4,000 feet so snow in the valley was still a long shot but at least there would be some interesting weather. All of this could only mean one thing: road trip!

(As I often do on short notice I made a reservation at Curry Village for Friday night. Since Curry village consists almost entirely of unheated tent cabins there are often rooms available in winter. While cots and blankets are provided, the trick to staying at Curry is to bring a warm sleeping bag.  If you visit the park often, Curry is a great way to save some money as long as you can handle the no frills accommodations.)

Friday afternoon, clouds started to roll in but the storm never really materialized. Sunrise on Saturday morning greeted us with bright blue skies without a cloud for miles. There had been some rain over night but only patchy snow at the higher elevations. I knew that it was a gamble but I also knew that there was a 100% chance that I wouldn’t see snow if I’d stayed home. All in all, any day spent in Yosemite beats working around the house.

I snapped this shot of some black oaks on our way out of the park. This trip was the maiden voyage for my  Canon 7D but I ended taking only a couple dozen shots. There will be other opportunities and I’m pretty sure that I’ll get to see more blank blue skies in Yosemite.

Cheers