Yosemite before desert

Two photo albums. Two different atmospheres. Two different climate schemes.

The Yosemite National Park, created in 1890, is the second oldest in the US after the Yellowstone NP. The Park owes a lot to John Muir, naturalist in the 19^th century.

Even if the park is 3,000 km² large (760,000 acres), only 1% can be visited. The rest is designated “wilderness”. Man can already be in admiration of Mother Nature in the Yosemite Valley, in the centre of the Park, where we find El Capitan and Half-Dome, the two most popular features.

The narrow valley is surrounded by granitic cliffs. The coniferous forest and vegetation give a perfect habitat to deers, bears and other felids. Numerous water falls complete this magnificent green and grey scenery.

In the middle of this majesty, I felt very small and humble. You can also feel serenity in the valley. Visually, everything seems in harmony. Deers are not afraid of people, squirrels seem to have a lot of fun, bears are not so threatening when food is away!

I camped there two nights before I hit the road again since rain was being persistent.

Then I took the direction of Las Vegas. Leaving Central California, you enter the Mojave desert. Even if I've never been there, scenery reminds the Moon. The colour is more orange though. And you find cactus and bushes. It's a completely other world, where you feel the hostility of the environment.

It's extremely dry. You need to drink a lot (of water). Noose bleeds daily. And cities are scattered, distant and lost in the immensity.

Thanks to Marco and Sally who hosted me for almost a week, I could see the Valley of Fire. The name is self explanatory when you see the pictures...