Carol's middle-of-the-night case of food poisoning abruptly changed our plans to leave today. We've been disappointed by the quality of food in the Yosemite Lodge Food Court all week, but food poisoning was a new low. The last time we were here, the food was pretty good. This year, it's been a struggle to find entrees that sounded remotely good, so we've been limited to hamburgers or salmon burgers from the grill. We miss the great food we enjoyed at the Wasatchi Lodge in Sequoia.
Rain came down in torrents for about 30 minutes this morning and then slowed to a steady downpour most of the day. It finally stopped about 4:15. I could see a little light on the valley walls, so I grabbed my gear and started driving the valley loop. By the time I reached the El Capitan picnic area, I realized I might have a chance for some good images. The sun was nearing the horizon and was shining under the clouds and onto El Capitan. I hustled to Valley View and walked down to my favorite area next to the river. The area had a foot of snow on Monday but was now rocks and mud. I climbed out to my rocky peninsula and the lighting continued to get brighter. The photographer next to me provided a running narrative of how amazing it was to be there. It was great to see him so excited. I shot for about 20 minutes and then decided to make a run for Tunnel View to see if I could get some shots before the sun dropped below the horizon. I was close, but I missed it by about five minutes. Photographers were packing up as I arrived. I took a few images of the clouds floating above the valley, but the best shots were definitely at Valley View.
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