Solar array: the camp Host at the Datil Spring Campground had his own 3 x 6 ft solar array; it cost $300, on sale. It generates about 400 watt-hours of power in a day (he has to get up once an hour and re-aim the array at the sun); it runs his lights at night. (But the average house uses 20-30 kilowatt-hours. By my figures, you'd need to cover your entire roof and most of your yard with solar arrays. And that's if yoyu live in New Mexico, with sunshine every day.)
Now we're in California; South of Yosemite is Kings Canyon (Not King's; it was named the Canyon des Tres Reyes by a Spanish explorer) - a beautiful place and not nearly as crowded as Yosemite.
The biggest cone is that of the sugarcone pine.
Zumwalt Meadow, at the upstream end. John Muir used to bring groups of friends up here, and would deliver pep-talks about the wilderness frfom this rock.
A twister hit this area and knocked absolutely every tree down .
The Sugarcone Pine Express - was an old logging railroad, now a tourist trap. Gave us dinner with western songs by some of the staff, then a moonlight ride. Fun.
Then, on to Yosemite...
Very crowded. Half-hour traffic jam getting out. If you come, try to make it the off-season.
Dave and Barb.
Lower Bridal Veil Falls 
Bridal Veil Fallas, uppere and lower, from Glacier Point, on the other side of the Yosemite River Valley
El Capitan Falls - even higher.
El Capitan mountain.
Half Dome. People climb up this vertical face, tho we couldn't see anybody doing it at the time.
Half Dome from Glacier Point - a side view. It is literally a half-dome. It was on the edge of the valley when a glacier come through and very neatly cut one-half of it off. Note that the Yosemite valley, to the left of the mountain, is sort of U-shaped. Interesting business: Rivers cut V-shaped valleys, glaciers cut U-shaped ones. That is also responsible for 'Hanging Valleys' of tributaries on the side of the valley, such as the falls shown above.
Camping - in the snow, on May 27. It wasn't really that cold, but really deep drifts protected by shade can least a long time.
They had a lot of stuff from early days,k before the place became a National Park. An Indian v bark hut. Early white settlers used these too; pretty warm.
Sweat Lodge - mostly underground. Indians still use these, some places - basically a sauna, with praying and meditation.
An Artist's cabin; in the early days, one of the best ways to bring these places to the attention of Easterners was from paintings. And of course, that's how enough interest gets built up to make them National Parks. (Many of the locals often would prefer to own the place themselves, so they can build a whole lot of hotels, or maybe just farm.)
The Wells-Fargo office.
Old farm implements.
A McGurk buckboard.
A station wagon - used to bring guests from the RR station to the hotels.
...and still in use.
A covered bridge. It turns out that the timbers last a lot longer if they are under cover. Less slippery in rain or snow, too.
A dune buggy. The long antenna is so they can be seen behind the dunes.
Sunset.
Just after sunset. Sunset can last a long time after the sun has gone behind a mountain (air pollution helps too, by scattering the sunlight).
Camping - in the snow, on May 27. It wasn't really that cold, but really deep drifts protected by shade can least a long time.
They had a lot of stuff from early days,k before the place became a National Park. An Indian v bark hut. Early white settlers used these too; pretty warm.
Sweat Lodge - mostly underground. Indians still use these, some places - basically a sauna, with praying and meditation.
An Artist's cabin; in the early days, one of the best ways to bring these places to the attention of Easterners was from paintings. And of course, that's how enough interest gets built up to make them National Parks. (Many of the locals often would prefer to own the place themselves, so they can build a whole lot of hotels, or maybe just farm.)
The Wells-Fargo office.
Old farm implements.
A McGurk buckboard.
A station wagon - used to bring guests from the RR station to the hotels.
...and still in use.
A covered bridge. It turns out that the timbers last a lot longer if they are under cover. Less slippery in rain or snow, too.
A dune buggy. The long antenna is so they can be seen behind the dunes.
Sunset.
Just after sunset. Sunset can last a long time after the sun has gone behind a mountain (air pollution helps too, by scattering the sunlight).
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