Stuart and I drove up to hike in Yosemite Valley for the day.  I want to take some photos, hike a little, get some fresh air and spend some time with Stuart.  He is reluctant to go because of the long drive but he's a trooper.
We stop and walk to Bridalveil Falls, just like last March.

Yosemite Valley with a nice covering of snow on the high peaks.  The sun was out and it was an awesome day.  I underexposed this shot to get some detail in the snow as seen in the center of this photo.

Stuart poses for me and you can see some low clouds over El Capitan.

Stuart squints in the sun as we notice that snow is absent from the valley floor.  We decide to hike to the top of Yosemite Falls, I figure we have just enough time.  We encounter quite a few hikers near the beginning of the trail, all descending.  We get more than one double take as they all think it is too late to hike up.  We ignore them and press on.

Yosemite Falls, the upper part, as seen from the Yosemite Falls trail.

The sky appears to pour down and split the granite of Yosemite's north rim.

The water and ice is a soft and white contrast to the hard granite.

Stuart is suprisingly fast on the trail.  I am huffing and puffing as we cruise up and up this strenous trail and I can only see a bead of sweat on Stuart.  Last year we would take break after break, not anymore.  Stuart has changed much in the last year.  He is growing up, but I have no clue as to the many rapid changes in Stuart that are to come.  The fog is thick up here and the trail snow covered.  I look at my watch and figure we are running out of time, it's 5:00.  The view will be no better at the top of the Falls so we break for food, water and photos and then start down.  I struggle to snap a photo here and there as Stuart seems to run down the trail without hesitation.  I keep glancing out at the view but have no time to enjoy it, thank goodness for the camera.  I can review the scenes at my leisure when I get home.

Half Dome makes an appearance again after hiding behind a thick cloud bank all the way up.  The sunlight is very low and sneaks below the clouds to illuminate the granite walls below a snow covered Half Dome.

The sky is a most gorgeous color.

The contrast in light and dark is very challenging to photograph.  Yosemite Falls is in the shadows and Half Dome is in full sun.

Framed by trees, Half Dome glows red behind some clouds.  I love the colors in this shot.

The descent down the trail was fast and as we got to the car at 6:30 the light was fading fast.  We changed clothes, grabbed a cold drink, jumped in the car and drove home.  Only stopping in Oakdale for a bite we arrived home for a good night's sleep in our own beds ending a most enjoyable day!