Fire and Flowers

The road to Glacier Point

Back on the 7th of August we had a lightening storm roll in that started a fire in Yosemite. Four days latter I had a private to give a couple ladies from Texas.  On the way to show them Glacier Point's amazing views we were stopped by NPS as we waited for them to clear the road for us.

The fire was burning all the under brush between the Chinquapin turn off and Badger Pass ski resort. This we're told is a good necessary thing but try telling that to the tourists on vacation.

I knew Nancy would probably get some dramatic pics from this so the next morning after sleeping on a not so comfortable couch we went back out to see what we could catch of the fire and the flowers we didn't have time for the previous day. 

 

Brewer's Angelica possibly Sierra Angelica

The fire work crews wouldn't let us stop where the fire was really raging so we left to go photograph the Cone flowers and Lupine we saw near Crane Flat. There's only so much smoke you want to breath as well.  Fortunately the smoke hadn't effected the meadows there and we were rewarded with some great flower pics.  The first one I saw was a group of Brewers Angelica shooting out their flower orbs like nature's fireworks.

This little meadow was surrounded by cedars and ponderosa pines. While focusing on some cone flowers we were rewarded with a visit from the Monarch royalty.

This was the first time I'd seen a one of  these actually staying on one flower long enough to get some decent pics.

We kept hoping it would open it's wings but it was to busy working it's way around the cone to listen to our advice.

Fortunately it came back to another cone with more lupine in the background. It was hard to live all this behind but I had to get back home to pack for a trip to visit my mom.

Sadly the trip to mom's was not so good. The demtia of Alzheimer's is taking over and she kicked me out of her home after less than a day. It was a long bus ride home. .

 

Nancy

Maybe it was having such a great week in the park that made my mom's hate toward me hurt more. People tell me it's just the disease but it still hurts.  I don't want to close this on a negative note. There was one other colorful creature I saw enjoying the flowers that day. This pic gives you and idea of just how high and thick this meadow was with flowers. She is standing shoulder deep in wild flowers.

Life has it's difficulties but it also has it's rewards.  Fortunately the rewards still out number the bad times.