Yosemite – Hetch Hetchy

Posted by Karen on 09-Nov-2008

(Click photo for all 66 photos)

The morning is foggy and it lends a quiet feel to the valley.  As we head out, we stop again at the beautiful Valley View scenic spot and enjoy the river and the mountains once again.  We then choose to leave Yosemite National Park via Highway 120 even though we see a sign cautioning that snow chains are required 5 miles ahead.  Time to test our luck and the 4 wheel drive if need be. We head out this direction because we want to stop by the gorgeous Cascade Falls on the way out and see how they are flowing.  The waterfall was flowing nicely, those storms really do wonders for the waterfalls.  As we continue on, we enter a winter wonderland and find snow on the ground and in the trees–very pretty and calm.  We stop for some pictures and a coyote pops up on the other side of the road.  Luckily the snow didn’t get bad and we didn’t have to turn around for lack of tire chains.  We take a side trip to Hetch Hetchy to view the O’Shaughnessy Dam and the reservoir.  The water is still low in the reservoir, but it’s still pretty.  And we’re all happy that I leave today better off then when I broke my ankle here last year… YAY!