Thanks for the encouragement and for watching, Heather! :)

Thank you so much for subscribing! :)

Thanks for watching, Rosalie! 🙂

Thank you for watching! :)

Thanks Nancy! :)

Thanks for watching! :)

Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your memories. Working in the valley seems like a dream job! Every time I visit the valley I wonder who those lucky people are who live in the tents and/or in those cabins, especially those by the Ahwahnee meadow. I've never made it to the top of Half Dome yet, but I've been to the Diving Board, Fern Ledge under Yosemite Falls, Upper Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Point, 4 Mile Trail, etc. Yosemite is an incredibly special place for me and every time I arrive in the valley, it feels like I am returning home. I hope you get a chance to return soon, maybe during the off season when it isn't so crowded. 🙂

@@WJMPhotography Absolutely a dream job.......the year before I started working there I had spent an exciting week with my parents in Housekeeping Camp near Curry Village......it was my 1st time to Yosemite and the view entering the park was breathtaking........you cant describe it to anyone.....they must see the beauty for themselves......the following year I was looking for a job and noticed an ad in the Sacramento Bee.......YOSEMITE IS HIRING.....I called the number and was hired over the phone.....a few days later I was on a greyhound headed for Yosemite.......on my days off I enjoyed hiking, rafting, rock climbing and shopping in Mariposa and Merced......the day I climbed Half Dome was so much fun......I went with my roommate(best friend) and the minister from the church we attended ...........I had brought snacks with me on the bus ride and after my 1st day of work I was surprised and upset to find that a squirrel had got into the tent somehow and chewed a hole in my Samsonite bag and got into a large bag of peanuts 🥜 with shells..........a family of racoons lived under our cabin wob, the first winter..........the first week I lived in the Terrace I heard that a bear 🐻 smelled food and ripped open a tent while the young employee was inside......she screamed and ran and said"Im going home. I don't want to work here".........visitors were very nice and I got to meet people from all over the US and other countries.........my friends and I really enjoyed the winter since there were less tourists.......I took alot of photos ....my favorite is Half Dome in the winter,taken from a meadow in the village......one of my friends told me it was the prettiest photo of Half Dome she had ever seen.....that was a very nice compliment........I enlarged the photo and has a special place in my home..........I'm hoping I can talk one of my friends into going with me and maybe visit in the Spring..........I have lived in Lake Tahoe, Florida, and Japan........Yosemite is by far the most beautiful place I've lived

Thank you!

Thanks Caroline! :)

Thank you! Be sure to double check the park conditions before booking your trip. If you go in late Summer or early Fall, the falls can dry up and the valley could be very brown at that point. Park closures are rare but they had SEVERAL this year due to heavy snowfall, landslides and floods. But if you hit the park with the right conditions....wow. I hope you are able to make it there! :)

Thanks Luis! It was definitely amazing to be in the middle of what is usually a meadow covered in water on the valley floor and to see all of the rare waterfalls. Yosemite is definitely worth a visit, but folks might need to wait until Summer is over. It was beginning to get crowded when I was up there, but it is now INSANE with people waiting four hours to get in, and then there is no place to park! It probably won't calm down again until September. (Your English is awesome.) :)

Thank you! I completely agree. Being there in person is pretty amazing. I hope you will get a chance to visit there in the Spring. :)

Thanks Rachidali - That's a great question. Officially, you are not allowed to stay overnight in the park unless you have a camping spot in one of their campgrounds or are a guest at one of the hotels. The park rangers usually do sweeps every night to kick people out of the parking areas. However, lots of people tend to sleep in their campers and vans just outside of the park boundary in the town of El Portal down on highway 140. Not entirely sure how legal that is, but there have been at least 20 vehicles parked there every time I have passed over the last few years. I found a couple of other spots that I have camped over night in my van down on Highway 140 and as long as there are no signs telling you not to park, you should be in good shape. It's usually just 15 -30 minutes and you are back in Yosemite. Another tip: If you are returning to the park, get there SUPER EARLY to avoid the line. In the Summer, I typically drive back up at 5 AM, before the rangers have gone back on duty. No one is at the checkpoints at that time, and you can drive right on in without the huge line. :)

Thanks Corey - I hope so. We got a butt load of snow again this year, so maybe the conditions will be similar this Spring. But I hope they don't close the park again if and when the water level rises. They just closed the park a couple of weeks ago when they were expecting blizzard conditions like they had up near Truckee. Blizzards and floods...those are my favorite times to be in that park, LOL. I'm sure they have to think about safety, but the park closures seem to be increasing lately.

Thanks for your comment, Larry. :) Thunderstorms were a huge part of my decision to turn around and head back up the following week. That park can be a tough place to shoot under bluebird skies as the light on the North side of the valley can be so harsh as soon as the sun is up. To me, it's much more fun to shoot under partly cloudy skies, especially when a storm is breaking up. But you are right...the combination was certainly an opportunity I didn't want to miss. :)

Thanks Donnie. It was absolutely crazy this year. The only bummer was that I wanted to be up there when the water was even higher, but they needed to close the park due to safety concerns and the fact that areas like Pohono Bridge were probably under water. Several campsites were flooded as well. But I am glad they opened again soon afterward even though the water levels were still pretty high.