Make sure you have the speakers turned onto for the thunder rolling through Yosemite Valley from the afternoon thunderstorm. Then check out the Azalea Garden in Yosemite Valley and you would not believe how good it smells.

The only problem with trying to capture the natural sounds in Yosemite is the noise from the Harley Davidson motorcycles. You can hear them for miles, ought to be a LAW! You have to always wait for the Harley's to roll by and be done with their noise

Today dawned cloudy and thunderstorms are in the forecast. Yesterday saw scattered showers but it never really got that wet in Yosemite Valley. Up on the Tioga Pass Road it was a different story with heavy rain and hail in the Yosemite Creek area.

The waterfalls and river are still really going but are on the wane as the peak was last week.

Most services are open in Yosemite Valley with the exception of rafting as the river is still to high. Look for opening in 2 weeks.

Up in Tuolumne Meadows the crews are setting services up with the Tuolumne Meadows Store now open. Other opening dates are, Lodge> 6/12, Grill and Mtn School>6/5, Stables>6/12 and no set dates for the Vsitor Center or Campground, probaly later in the month. There is still plenty of snow drifts on hiking trails and LOTS of mosquitoes.

Yosemite, CA -- Thunderstorms have been traveling across portions of the Sierra Nevada the past few days and are expected to continue into the weekend.

Two new lightning fires were started in Yosemite National Park on Tuesday.

The Dark Hole Fire is near the Yosemite Creek Campground access road, and the Pit Fire is located by the Snow Creek Trail, approximately one mile southwest of Tioga Rd. Both are estimated to be 1/10th of an acre.

“When we get fires associated with wet thunderstorms, there is often a lot of what we call ‘sleepers,’” says Gary Wuchner, Fire Information Officer. “They are fires that hit a tree, but are so obscure that it has to warm up to see the visible smoke. They can cook along for a few days before we realize there is another fire.”

Also burning at a slow rate of spread is the Mono Fire which started on May 18 and is located within the Illilouette Basin and Yosemite's wilderness. The 96 acre Cottonwood Fire that started on the same day is now contained.

National Weather Service spotters have reported pea size hail and cloud to ground lightning across portions of the Sierra Nevada. Anyone who comes upon a thunderstorm is urged to seek shelter.

Yosemite by Bike

You'll be much happier navigating Yosemite Valley on two wheels, not four.
Photo: nps.gov

by Brook Wilkinson

Apparently a truck towing a trailer went off the road on Hwy 41 this morning around 8am and caught fire. Not sure about injuries but heard that they were not critical. It was very impressive from Hwy 120 as it sent up a dark plume of smoke and they sent the helicopter in to drop water.

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130th anniversary of Yosemite Valley Chapel to be celebrated on June 7

YOSEMITE — The Yosemite Valley Chapel will celebrate its 130th anniversary on Sun., June 7, with a day of presentations and tours in the chapel at Yosemite National Park.

Among the presenters is Melinda Pillsbury-Foster, granddaughter of Arthur C. Pillsbury, one of the most renowned photographers of Yosemite Valley and the mentor of Ansel Adams.

Pillsbury-Foster manages a foundation dedicated to her grandfather’s work and his life mission.  She has also written a book, "A Tour of Old Yosemite," which she will be available to autograph.

Arthur C. Pillsbury’s accomplishments include having shot the first nature movie in history which he premiered in 1909 at his “Studio of the Three Arrows” in Yosemite.

Pillsbury also built the first lapse-time camera and shot the first-lapse time photography of a flower blooming in Yosemite in 1912.  In 1927 he built the first microscopic motion picture camera.

Pillsbury-Foster will present her lecture on the work of her grandfather in the Yosemite Chapel at 2 p.m. and lead a tour of old Yosemite immediately after.

Yosemite's giant trees disappear

No place for old trees (J. A. Lutz)

The oldest and largest trees within California's world famous Yosemite National Park are disappearing.

Climate change appears to be a major cause of the loss.

The revelation comes from an analysis of data collected over 60 years by forest ecologists.

They say one worrying aspect of the decline is that it is happening within one of most protected forests within the US, suggesting that even more large trees may be dying off elsewhere.

They are calling for scattered thunderstorms through the week end with temperatures in the 80's, perfect. Yesterday saw some big buildup mostly over the crest and the rain never made it past Half Dome out to Yosemite Valley.There were no reports on lightning.

Be aware that there are several small fires burning in Yosemite from last weeks thunderstorm. They are out in the back country and the only real threat is the small amount of smoke they are putting out.

Yosemite Valley 5/22/09

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As part of a collaborative study of the Tuolumne River downstream of O’Shaughnessy Dam, the National Park Service and
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission are conducting an experimental “pulse flow” release of water to simulate a
typical pre-dam spring runoff condition. The Tuolumne River downstream of the dam is presently running at about 3,400
cubic feet per second, but is expected to rise to about 6,000 cubic feet per second by Tuesday, May 19. This high flow will
continue through May 20, then slowly reduce to about 2,500 cubic feet per second by Friday, May 22. Visitors to areas
downstream of O’Shaughnessy Dam (for example, Poopenaut Valley) should expect high and variable flows during that
time period.

O’Shaughnessy Dam, 5/21/09

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The weather is perfect although a little on the hot side with temps in the high 80's in the sun. The waterfalls and river are really cranking so one can find coolness by hiking to a waterfall.

Come early to avoid the lines at the entrance gates which are really bad from 9am to about 11am. Most services are open although rafting in Yosemite Valley is closed right now due to the high water. One can find rafting down on Hwy 140 just 14 miles from Yosemite Valley with one of the many rafting companies on the Lower Merced River.

Yosemite Valley, 5/20/09

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