El Portal Road near Pulpit Rock, Yosemite National Park, CA, 10/27/2008
On the first day of an autumn visit to Yosemite National Park, I spotted this attractive cascade on the Merced River by Pulpit Rock near the western entrance to the park. I was pleased to find such a healthy flow on the river this time of year in front of a beautiful golden western sycamore tree (Platanus racemosa or California sycamore). We're looking eastward upriver and in the distance at far left are the Cathedral Rocks in Yosemite Valley. Leftmost is Middle Cathedral Rock. Behind that and to the right is Higher Cathedral Rock, elevation 6,644 feet above sea level. The rightmost distant rock is Leaning Tower, directly south of Bridalveil Fall. This end of the park tends to be more of a place where people drive by rather than a destination, however the views along the river here are quite beautiful!
