A thin layer of fog clings to the ground and softens the morning colors of autumn as it wraps in and around Yosemite's popular Black Oak trees like a soft blanket. With most of the leaves now covering the valley floor the distinct pleasant somewhat nutty smell of fallen leaves fills the valley as winter approaches. Fog often settles in to Yosemite Valley along the Merced River which runs just out of view on the far side of the meadow below El Capitan. It is the softer side of Yosemite that for the most part goes unseen where the soaring cliffs of Yosemite momentarily give way as the dominate feature to the beauty of the nature that lies in the canyon far below. Like a dream the fog meanders in and out of the trees dancing in the light as the sun struggles to rise above the rim of the Valley. Near midday the sun finally gains the upper hand and rises above the nearly 3000ft cliffs forcing the fog back into the sky only to form up as clouds around El Capitan and Half Dome later in the day. If you want to see this show, you have to pull yourself out of a nice warm bed and get up before dawn and most other visitors to the park.

© Darvin Atkeson
Yosemite Landscapes
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Make:	NIKON CORPORATION
Model:	NIKON D800E
Exposure:	0.077 sec (1/13)
Aperture:	f/22.0
ISO Speed:	400
Focal Length:	70 mm
Lens:	24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8