Today I spent the entire day in Yosemite valley. I got up there around 9 a.m. It was a beautiful day and not too crowded either (and it hasn't been since the flood of '96 wiped out 2-3 campgrounds).

Yosemite valley is one of the truly great place in the U.S. I can't even begin to describe it. Let's just say that if you can't take a decent picture there, then chances are you won't ever. It has probably one of the highest concentrations of natural scenic wonders than anywhere else on the planet. Everywhere you go there is something magnificent right before your eyes.

While in the upper valley, I also stopped by the Ansel Adams gallery. They carry the usual stuff like all of his books, posters, etc... but they also have a few exclusive items. The first are photographic prints that are still being made from his negative by one of his former assistants (it's quite common for popular photographers to have their assistants do the bulk of their printing). These are beautiful 8x10 prints, printed using the techniques that Ansel himself used.

The second thing to see there is probably one of the highest concentrations of original Ansel prints for sale. You wouldn't know that there were any more than the 3 on the wall unless you talked to the curator. What I found out was that they have a private screening room where you can see their larger collection. I asked and the curator took me back.

What unfolded was way beyond what I had expected. There collection is presented portfolio style, where each individual print is take out and place in a viewing area.   What so special is that none of these prints are framed behind glass (glass reduces the contrast of photographs). It was really amazing (and rare) to be able to closely examine original Ansel prints like this. It way more than I had expected.

I ended up spending quite a bit of time with the curator as he was a photographer as well and we got to talking 'shop'. I almost ended up with an Ansel original (and may yet) but instead I just got a few of the smaller re-prints for now.

I had planned on returning to the coast and traveling around the coastal area between Monterey and San Luis Obispo but I found out that the weather was still not improving so I decided to skip the rest of the coast for the rest of this trip. At the end of the day, I headed off for Mono Lake to a place that the curator had suggested I go. He mentioned a few places to me, this one in particular was a good site for sunrise. I drove about 3 hrs and got there around 11 p.m. Again, I ended up just sleeping in the car.