Winter skies turn the Merced River into a monochrome scene.

Wish I could say that my long absence from my blog was due to our fantastic trip to Yosemite. It wasn’t. I’ve had the flu and have been coughing, coughing, coughing with no energy. I’m just now starting to crawl out of my sickbed and am now ready to post some pics of our pre-Christmas trip to Yosemite with son Scott, daughter-in-law Nicole, and the three grandbabies.

This will be a two-part post, the first one of the park and the second of our stay at Tenaya Lodge just outside the park’s southwestern entrance.

Our first view of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley on a rainy winter day.

Western cedars tower over the valley floor.

Bridal Veil Falls in the distance above the Merced River

El Capitan framed by evergreens and fog.Merced River overlook

Merced River

Stormy skies to the west promise snowfall in the evening.

Every trip to Yosemite is different as the seasons,  light and weather play a large role in how the park appears. While the park is known more for scenery than wildlife, mule deer and coyotes are readily seen.

Mule deer buck in antlers.

(To read more of Lou Murray’s environmental writing, see her weekly column, Natural Perspectives, in the Huntington Beach Independent at www.hbindependent.com /blogs_and_columns/)