Yosemite National Park - Yosemite Valley

After Coit Tower, we crossed over the Bay Bridge and then headed east through Oakland. The next part of the honeymoon trip was taken to visit a rarely visited park, one that has hardly had any photographs taken of it. Or no, we were going to Yosemite. It's a place that we both really wanted to visit. And as someone who particularly enjoys photography, it seemed like a perfect place to go.

We drove east, eventually heading out of the city and into the country. It was a nice break after being in a crowded city like San Francisco. It only took a few hours driving to reach the park (we stayed at a lodge just outside of the park entrance). This was an old barn along the way there.



We were really worried that we wouldn't be able to make the trip. We were there about a week or so after the end of the federal government shutdown. Luckily everything was sorted out, finally, and we were able to enjoy the park. It's an amazingly beautiful place. The pictures don't do it justice.

The first stop was the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. We didn't do the hike into the grove, which I regret. A winter storm had passed through there a few days prior, and there was a few inches of snow on the ground. It was pretty, the tall trees and the white snow. We got a few pictures in the parking lot before heading out. Yosemite is so beautiful it's hard to see all that you want to see.



We got into the rental car and headed deeper into the park. This is an overlook just before we entered Yosemite Valley.



We didn't have the best weather there (for photos, at least). I had hoped for a few clearing winter storms, but it was just sunny. We went through the tunnel and saw the whole valley laid out below us. We drove down and stopped at Bridalveil Fall. Before heading out, I heard that most of the waterfalls at Yosemite would be dry. But luckily a few were running. The recent snows had melted enough to get some of the falls running.



Bridalveil Fall is 617 feet tall, and I tried to scurry over the rocks to get close to the base.



We got back in the car and decided to stop somewhere for a little picnic lunch. We ended up at the picnic area for Sentinel Beach. I walked down to the Merced River and was amazed to see this view...



The fall colors in the valley were amazing, right at peak.





We got back into the car, and stopped at the Swinging Bridge. Upper Yosemite Falls was completely dry, but the view was still amazing.





The shadows started to creep across the valley as the day got later.





And the view of the valley, taken at the Valley View overlook.



And a view of Half Dome, from the Stoneman Bridge.



I tried to not get run over as I ran across the bridge to get this view of the mountains towering over the Merced River.



And then we headed up to Tunnel View, which may be the most viewed and photographed place in the park. I set up my camera, like the millions of photographers who have tried to follow in Ansel Adam's footsteps. Sunset came and went, and I took a bunch of pictures...



We headed back to the lodge, ready to head back to Yosemite the next day...

San Francisco - Coit Tower

Before leaving San Francisco the next morning, we made a quick stop at Coit Tower. The 210-foot tall tower sits in Pioneer Park, atop Telegraph Hill.



The views from the top were great, although we were looking into the sun for most of the view (which made taking pictures a tad bit difficult). This is the view from one of the windows, which had a thick layer of plexiglass on it. Somehow people have managed to get coins through the narrow gap and onto the ledge.



Here's the view looking towards the Bay Bridge:



And looking towards downtown...



It's amazing to see the city from above, since it helps to show just how dense everything is there.





The shadow of the Tower with Alcatraz in the distance...



And one last view from the Tower. From here we would head out of the city and travel east to a place in California that has long been on our list of places to visit...

San Francisco - Marin Headlands

Hope you haven't grown tired of seeing pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge yet, since our next stop was a pretty awesome overlook of the bridge. But first, in order to get there it meant actually driving across the bridge. Which was pretty neat...



We went across the bridge to a little visitor center, and took a few pictures from the parking lot. There was a nice view of the city (which was a better view than what you see from the bridge, I thought).





From there we drove up to the Marin Headlands, a hilly area just across the bay from San Francisco. It's part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and includes several amazing overlooks of San Francisco and the Bay. We went to an overlook by Battery Spencer, which was an old military battery established way back in 1897. It was quiet up there, except for the wind rushing in from the west, and the people getting pictures of the view looking down on the Golden Gate Bridge.



And the view of San Francisco, from Battery Spencer.



We stayed up there as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean...



And finally, a view of the bridge as dusk settled in over the bay...

San Francisco - Day 2

I've fallen behind on getting out the posts about the honeymoon, so I'm going to try to rush through these...

On our second day in San Francisco, Mrs. Cormack and I headed out in the morning to do a bit more sightseeing. There is a 49 mile long scenic drive there, helpfully called the "49-Mile Scenic Drive." Since our difficulties with United Airlines the day before, we didn't have as much time to see as much of the city as we had planned. So we thought hitting some of the spots on the drive would help us see a bit more of the city.

The first stop we made on the drive was at Golden Gate Park, the large park that slices through San Francisco. There we visited the Dutch Windmill, which was built in 1903 to pump water for irrigation in the park.



Then we headed up to Ocean Beach, and saw the Pacific Ocean (which was a pretty big deal for two people from Arkansas).





At Cliff House, I had to get a shot of this place...



The drive then went up through The Presidio, and a few more overlooks of the Golden Gate Bridge. I took a ton of pictures of the bridge...

This is the view of the bridge from one of the old gun batteries that sat perched on the hills above the water.



The view was amazing...









From there we headed further into the Presidio, which is an old military base that was converted into national park land. This is the view from Chrissy Field, with the old Coast Guard Station.



From there we headed back into town and visited the very touristy Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. We didn't linger too long, and boarded one of the famous cable cars. The cable cars are a great way to see the city, and are much better than walking up the steep hills.















And a view from the cable car as it was heading up the street...



And the end of the line...