Observation: National parks in summer and winter.....

Its amazing how  a place undergoes metamorphosis with the change of seasons....
I took this shot of Yosemite valley in late summer....

and that of the very famous Ahwahnee hotel...

And retrieved these pictures of the same locales (from National park service site) in the peak of winter...

Here, I am in front of the iconic 'Liberty cap' in mammoth terrace, Yellowstone national Park...

It was early July and was a rainy day....

I retrieved this picture from the National Park Service website.....

What a stark difference in landscape!!!!

Blanketed in thick coat of snow, it appears  surreal...not a soul in view...

While I was there in the  summer, flocks of tourists, many kill deer, magpie and butterflies swarmed the place...

Is not the transformation splendid??

Joy: Pleasant memories from 2014...

This year is about to end........its time to take stock of the adventures, experiences, accomplishments tasted over the past twelve months...

Though I spent much of the year tackling exams and assignments, it was eventful...couple of duties were done, dreams were fulfilled and goals were achieved...Allow me to reminisce...I promise not to bore you by bragging, its simple revisiting of cherished memories by a nostalgic heart :)..

The first refreshing outing of the year was the visit to Cuyamaca state park, east to San Diego....the vast openness and crisp weather was invigorating, but the footprints of Cedar fire was too visible to let you be calm...

Hiking to Bluesky preserve .........

and the lake Poway...

The biggest thing of this year was visit to our native country India, meeting families after 3 long years.. 

Got to watch monsoon arrive...it was awesome!!

The lush foliage of our backyard...

The trip to Yosemite National park in late summer was another highlight of this year...

Though the myriad spectacular vista of the park charmed us, the bone-dry waterfalls were big disappointments...

Came October and we headed to Julian, for apple picking and pie relishing...

Though we have visited the Old town historical park before as well, it merits mentions...just look at the jacaranda show....I wish to freeze time there!!

and the famous 'Dia de los muertos' celebration there...that gave an opportunity to know the important 'Mexican tradition'...

Just recently, we paid a visit to Mount Laguna recreation preserve....well, it is a more desirable place for campers, not for day-hikers like us...yet, the mistletoe clumps on bare trees, the golden yellow oaks and the lush pine forests were enchanting enough...

People : Visitors to Yosemite National Park.........

Photography makes an essential part of my trips.....I indulge in capturing the scenery, flora, fauna, in fact any interesting object under the sun...including people...

Here are some of the people shots I took while in Yosemite National Park...

The reading couple under the oak by the Ahwahnee Hotel...

The kid holding a sugar pine cone as big as himself :) in Mariposa grove .........

The adorable little girl in front of Tunnel view...

I liked this one...an emotional moment between grandpa and grand son...in fact, my spouse encouraged me to take this one..

The campers by the Merced river...do I smell smokes of bonfire?

A lady gazes at the Half Dome as the last ray of sun gets ready to fade away..

A man relaxes by the tranquil blue Tenaya lake...

Another cool guy takes  a nap on the tiny island in the lake....

During our journey back home, we met this dare-devil venturing to hike in the rugged  Lee Vining Canyon....

Place: My National Park diary........

I agree with the million others that the National parks and monuments area the true jewels of the USA..visiting these wonderfully resourceful places is always a matter of excitement to me...each of them are so uniquely beautiful and enriching...

So, I have all of them in my bucket list..though its not quite feasible monetarily or time-wise, I will be glad if I could get a taste of a fraction of them...

It's my secret desire to visit as many US National parks as possible...so far its a humble 8 only, but definitely, the most significant ones...just going through the pictures clicked there infuse joy in me...let's take a look, for they are unparalleled treasures.....

  Grand Canyon...established in 1919.......

In the Ponderosa and Pinyon pine forest of the park...

On the Southern rim ....

The year 2013 has been great for us, in terms of visiting US national parks.....we had been to four amazing parks.....

In May, we landed in Lassen Nat'l park (CA)...established in 1916.......it was the end of spring and snow was still blanketing the earth...

In July, We went to Glacier Nat'l park (MT)....established in 1910.......summer was in full swing and myriad varieties of wildflowers and snow-thawed waterfalls mesmerized us...

                         

The same week, we headed towards the crowning jewel of National parks...yes, Yellowstone (MT and WY)....established in 1872.......wildflowers, rain, smoke...we were fortunate to witness everything...

The yellowstone river.........

In Thanksgiving holidays, we hit Sequoia Nat' park (CA), to spend some days with the tree  giants.....established in 1890.......

In 2014, Labors day weekend we visited Yosemite........established in 1890.......

In 2015 Spring break, Zion......established in 1919.......

and Bryce........established in 1928.........

I cherish the eyeful of inspiring landscapes, wildlife, fresh air and rejuvenation that I garnered from the trips....hope and wish, the coming year replicates this blessing.....