I believe Half Dome can be seen from the peak of Mt Diablo which is about
150 miles west across the central valley. In general as others mentioned the
Sierras rise steadily as you approach them from the west. The approach from
the deserts on the eastern side is very dramatic.
The Tioga Pass Road which passes through Toulome meadows just north of
Yosemite Valley is a very scenic drive. An important few words in Moose's
description that shouldn't be overlooked is " isn't
particularly remarkable, **for this area**.
-jeff
----Original Message Follows----
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Classic Adams sites such as Half Dome, El Capitan etc are placed in
>perspective in relation to the surrounding landscape, and surprise,
surprise,
>with the slight exception of Half Dome, they hardly poke above the general
>level.
>
>
No surprise here. Yosemite Valley is just that, a gorge cut into higher
ground. From below, the often sheer sides are very impressive. From
above and far enough back to not see the drop into the valley, features
like El Capitan just look like the upper part of one of the many dome
shaped structures in the area. It's easy enough to get to the South rim
except in the winter. The North rim is an easy hike from the road, again
when there isn't too much snow. In either case, the landscape isn't
particularly remarkable, for this area - until the valley comes into
view. Then the drop is if anything more impressive from above.
If you take the Tioga pass road around to the North of the valley, there
are places where you look down on the upper valley, including Half Dome.
It's still an impressive shape, but not nearly as imposing from above
and away. Anyway, most of the valley features are not all that
impressive individually, compared to other, nearby things, It's their
close proximity to each other in one beautiful valley that is astonishing
->
Moose
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