Yosemite Blaze

Rob MacKillop

Edinburgh Correspondent
Sorry to see on the news of the devastating fire which has now reached Yosemite. The place means a lot to photographers, of course, and not just famous ones like Ansel Adams. Some of our own members have done some memorable shooting there.

On the plus side, there will be many seed pods that have been waiting for the day when I fire would enable them to to germinate. Someone always wins when disaster strikes, and good luck to them! They are the future.

It will be interesting to see photos after the fire has been extinguished.
 
So far it's still a way aways from the main valley Rob - so fingers crossed for better weather and the skill of the fire crews.

It has closed one of the main highways into the park - route 120

Here's the fire map

Map-of-Rim-fire-at-133-pm-PDT-August-23-2013.jpg


You can see 120 running through the lower area of the fire.

The fire area is North West of the valley at this time - you can see the Visitors center tagged bottom right
 
i hope things don't get too bad in yosemite. but yellowstone had a huge fire in 1988 and it bounced back. though there are still burned trees there. i've been keeping an eye on all of the fires out west. it's not looking good for vacation in september.

plan a is to go out i-70 then north to idaho and out through glacier. plan b was i-70 west to vegas, then yosemite, kings canyon, lake tahoe and redwoods, i think that one is pretty much off the list this year. plan c is to find some national parks in new mexico, arizona, utah and colorado or any other state that isn't on fire...
 
Put Sedona, Sunset Crater, Canyon de Chelly, and Monument Valley on your B list for AZ Beth - if you haven't shot them already?
 
nope, haven't been to any of those yet. been to zion and bryce once, pre-camera days. and i'd like to go back to el rancho de las golondrinas in santa fe, nm.

been talking to an old friend who lives near stanley, id and she says that the fires in sawtooth mountains aren't that bad.
 
i hope things don't get too bad in yosemite. but yellowstone had a huge fire in 1988 and it bounced back. though there are still burned trees there. i've been keeping an eye on all of the fires out west. it's not looking good for vacation in september.

plan a is to go out i-70 then north to idaho and out through glacier. plan b was i-70 west to vegas, then yosemite, kings canyon, lake tahoe and redwoods, i think that one is pretty much off the list this year. plan c is to find some national parks in new mexico, arizona, utah and colorado or any other state that isn't on fire...
There some fires in Montana but none so far in Glacier National Park. A few days have been hazy there but by in large the air in Glacier has been remarkably clear.

September is approaching and we usually get a few days of rain and snow in the high country. When that happens the fire season will end quickly. Most often, after that wet period the skies clear and we have our usual spectacular fall.

If it is smoky when you're here there are still many many spectacular images to capture. Avalanche Gorge is always beautiful! Other locations will also provide some stunning beauty. I would suggest not canceling out of your first choice just yet.
 
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