Merced River by Fern Spring, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, CA, 10/29/2008
In autumn I love to visit Yosemite Valley for its colorful foliage and the strong reflections in the Merced River. Throughout most of the year the Merced moves too quickly to be used as a reflecting pool, but in the fall its waters are almost perfectly still, as can be seen here. This is the view looking east along the river just a short walk from Fern Spring. In the distance, the western flank of Cathedral Rocks towers above. On this morning I was delighted to find such a colorful scene in a quiet and peaceful setting. The autumn colors and their reflections are what originally persuaded me to make this photograph. Now when I look at it, I'm even more impressed by the tremendous range of greens that appears here - bright yellowish greens, distant bluish, pale, vibrant, dark rich, and every shade of green in between!
