Happy PFF: Yosemite

Reposting:


Thank you to our hostess Beth at The Best Hearts are Crunchy for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday. Today we are visiting the magnificent Yosemite National Park in California.

Giving credit where credit is due:

The back of this card says: "Works Progress Administration (WPA) circa 1939, Artist Unknown. Between 1935 and 1943 the WPA's Federal Art Project printed over two million posters in 35,000 different designs to stir the public's imagination for education, theater, health, safety, and travel. Due to their fragile nature only two thousand posters have survived. The National Park image shown here is also available in the original poster format from many National Park bookstores." Published by Ranger Doug Enterprises, Seattle, WA.

It's hard to believe that the first tourists arrived in the early 1860's to the "Incomparable Valley." Environmental degradation soon followed. According to the park website, "Parts of the landscape were exploited, spurring conservationists to appeal for protections. President Abraham Lincoln signed an 1864 bill granting Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to the State of California. John Muir helped spark the creation of Yosemite National Park in 1890." As long ago as Lincoln! I did not know that.

The image on our postcard this week is of one of the magnificent domes, made from glacial action and erosional action on the granite (actually granodiorite, technically) bedrock. The most famous is Half-Dome. Another is El Capitan. I believe the view on this postcard is El Capitan.

The hard way up Half-Dome is technical rock climbing up the sheer northwest rock cliff. The 'easy' way is a hike through the woods to the base of the east side (the back side so to speak) and then onto the rock itself with a total elevation gain of 4800 feet (1460 m). According to Wikipedia, the last 400 feet of nearly vertical climbing is up the rock between two steel cables used as handholds, raised on a series of metal poles. The cables are attached to the rock but the poles are not. Look at that photo of Half Dome in profile! No matter where you put the trail it's going to be tough, as you can see in the photo of people on the Cable trail (Pictures from Wikipedia).

Even with all this there can be crowds and up to 1000 people a day have hiked this trail. Therefore, permits are now required to hike this trail on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays when the cables are up (usually Memorial Day through Columbus Day). See the National Park webpage for more information.

There is so much more to say about this park - the waterfalls, the geology, the ecology, the history... but I have a load of work to do!

News: Val won the give-away of these WPA poster cards! Congratulations Val!
 
Viridian

Happy PFF: Yosemite National Park

Thank you to our hostess Beth at The Best Hearts are Crunchy for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.  Today we are visiting the magnificent Yosemite National Park in California.
Giving credit where credit is due:
The back of this card says: "Works Progress Administration (WPA) circa 1939, Artist Unknown. Between 1935 and 1943 the WPA's Federal Art Project printed over two million posters in 35,000 different designs to stir the public's imagination for education, theater, health, safety, and travel. Due to their fragile nature only two thousand posters have survived. The National Park image shown here is also available in the original poster format from many National Park bookstores." Published by Ranger Doug Enterprises, Seattle, WA.

It's hard to believe that the first tourists arrived in the early 1860's to the "Incomparable Valley."  Environmental degradation soon followed.  According to the park website, "Parts of the landscape were exploited, spurring conservationists to appeal for protections. President Abraham Lincoln signed an 1864 bill granting Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to the State of California. John Muir helped spark the creation of Yosemite National Park in 1890."  As long ago as Lincoln!  I did not know that.

The image on our postcard this week is of one of the magnificent domes, made from glacial action and erosional action on the granite (actually granodiorite, technically) bedrock.  The most famous is Half-Dome.  Another is El Capitan.  I believe the view on this postcard is El Capitan.

The hard way up Half-Dome is technical rock climbing up the sheer northwest rock cliff.  The 'easy' way is a hike through the woods  to the base of the east side (the back side so to speak) and then onto the rock itself with a total elevation gain of 4800 feet (1460 m).  According to Wikipedia, the last 400 feet of  nearly vertical climbing is up the rock between two steel cables used as handholds, raised on a series of metal poles.  The cables are attached to the rock but the poles are not.  Look at that photo of Half Dome in profile!  No matter where you put the trail it's going to be tough, as you can see in the photo of people on the Cable trail (Pictures from Wikipedia). 

Even with all this there can be crowds and up to 1000 people a day have hiked this trail.  therefore, permits are now required to hike this trail on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays when the cables are up (usually Memorial Day through Columbus Day).  See the National Park webpage for more information.

There is so much more to say about this park - the waterfalls, the geology, the ecology, the history... but I have a vacation to plan for and a thunderstorm is coming on.  I'll be away on Friday so I won't be able to comment on your postings.  Beth will link in this post for me - thank you dear Beth!!!

And don't forget - if you like these postcards, please do enter my contest, in honor of post #99 for this blog.  The prize to the lucky winner is my set  of 10 unused WPA poster postcards, mailed to you - anywhere in the world!

Just comment on this post.  Do so by June 29 at 6 PM Eastern USA time.

Viridian

PFF: Lassen Volcanic National Park

Thank you to our hostess Beth at The Best Hearts are Crunchy for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

Giving credit where credit is due:

The back of this card says:"Works Progress Administration (WPA) circa 1939, Artist Unknown. Between 1935 and 1943 the WPA's Federal Art Project printed over two million posters in 35,000 different designs to stir the public's imagination for education, theater, health, safety, and travel. Due to their fragile nature only two thousand posters have survived. The National Park image shown here is also available in the original poster format from many National Park bookstores." Published by Ranger Doug Enterprises. Seattle, WA.

From the Lassen Park website: “On May 22, 1915, an explosive eruption at Lassen Peak, the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range, devastated nearby areas and rained volcanic ash as far away as 200 miles to the east. This explosion was the most powerful in a 1914-17 series of eruptions that were the most recent to occur in the Cascades prior to the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Lassen Peak is the largest of a group of more than 30 volcanic domes erupted over the past 300,000 years in Lassen Volcanic National Park.”

Photo of the 1915 eruption

So you can see why this poster has an erupting volcano!  I'd find it a little scary myself, and maybe choose another place to go. Don't worry, the Lassen area is being actively monitored by the US Geological Survey.
Lassen Park covers part of Shasta and Lassen Counties in Northern California.

Loomis Museum is still there, and is a major visitor's center.  it is open May 28 - October 31, 2010. Some roads in Lassen are still closed right now because of snow!!  From the park website: "B.F. Loomis documented Lassen Peak's most recent eruption cycle and promoted the park's establishment. He photographed the eruptions, explored geologically, and developed an extensive museum collection. Artifacts and photographs of the 1914-1915 eruption are on display in the Loomis Museum. New exhibits feature the original equipment Loomis used to photograph the eruptions and traditional Atsugewi basketry."


I've decided to have a giveaway!  Please check my blog within the week for a post on this.  I'll be giving away this set of WPA poster postcards to one lucky winner.

Viridian

Post #75: Happy New year and PFF

Thank you to Marie, for hosting this party at the French Fractice.

For Postcard friendship Friday I have:

A postcard dated Jan. 1, 1913, postmarked Los Angeles.

Dear Son,

All are well. was down to Pasadena today to see the floral Parade Uncle Jim aunt and Charlie went with us so warm we sweat. ??? ate their dinner on the ground and lay and slept on ground. write 1228 Ingraham St. Los Angeles CA - Mamma"

Well, I knew the Tournament of Roses parade had been around for a long time, but I did not know how long. First started in 1890, in 1895, the Tournament of Roses Association was formed because it was getting to be a big event.

And the joy of Google Maps: 1228 Ingraham St is now a parking lot one block from Good Samaritan Hospital, and a few blocks from the 110 interstate. I bet it was a trim single family house on a quiet street in 1913.

Viridian

(Just back from a family holiday)

Postcard Friendship Friday - California Geology

A simplified Geologic Map of California, from the California Geological Survey, established 1880. Oversized postcard, 5 by 7 inches.

Red areas are intrusive granitic rocks, mostly Mesozoic in age. They hold up the great mountain ranges of CA including the Sierra Nevada and the Yosemite area, the Peninsular Ranges and the San Gabriels north of L.A. In the theme of Christmas, the dark green rocks are older metamorphic rocks, and the swath of yellow is the Great Central Valley, covered with recent sedimentary rocks. The lighter green areas closer to the coast are part of the Franciscan Complex, rocks of rather high pressure metamorphism that went down a subduction zone, came back up, and got stuck here because of the San Andreas Fault.

Here is a state with a lot of geology, and taxpayers who don't mind paying for the Geological Survey. Er, except maybe now, as CA is nearly out of money. As they note: "The CGS staff is dedicated to the fulfillment of our stated mission of providing information and advice to protect life and property from natural hazards and to promote a better understanding of California's diverse geologic environment" BUT "All CGS offices will be closed the first 3 Fridays of every month due to the furlough program mandated by the Governor."

Gold was discovered in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, starting the Gold Rush of 1849 - 1850. California has many other natural resources.

California has the major plate tectonic boundary of the San Andreas fault, and other minor faults. And plenty of earthquakes. How many?

Note that there are 638 earthquakes on this map, and all happened in the last week (!). Most were very small, and detected only by seismometers. The USGS and the CA Geological Survey spend a lot of time and effort on earthquake preparedness. This includes tsunami warning systems.

It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since the 1989 Loma Prieta quake, which stopped game 3 of the World Series.

Other San Andreas links:

Carrizo Plain National Monument

Wallace Creek area guide

Hayward fault: Slow fault creep in Hollister

National Parks and seashores in CA:

Death Valley

Yosemite

Point Reyes

Muir Woods

All of which I want to visit, some for the second or third time.

Viridian