Break Clear Away in Yosemite By Julia Clarke
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ot even a lifetime in the Rockies can prepare you for the sweeping majesty of Yosemite National Park. No matter how many times I go, my heart leaps each time I pop out of Wawona Tunnel and get my first glimpse of the valley spread out before me. Tunnel View reveals a vast glacier-carved valley, framed by the majestic rock monoliths of El Capitan and Half Dome and dusted by the spray of Bridal Veil Falls. Each time, I can’t help but pull over and get out to breathe in the view and the scent of California pine. After Tunnel View, the adventures here come thick and fast. In a few days here, you’ll discover sun-dappled groves of giant sequoia trees, colorful meadows blanketed in wildflowers and dance in the mist of Vernal Falls. When you’re seeking a change of scenery after a busy summer but can’t really bear to leave the mountains behind, Yosemite makes the perfect fall getaway. The thundering waterfalls that materialize in the spring slow to a mere trickle by summer’s end, but so do the crowds. The trails are quieter, the days still long
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