Yosemite, CA

Yosemite National Park was first designated by Abraham Lincoln in 1864 (in the midst of the worst battles of the Civil War) as a Park to be kept for the public use in a land grant to the State of California. This was the start to our great National Park system as it became a National Park under the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. It comprises now, a total of 900,000 acres and 1500 sq miles of wilderness. We had the fortune to visit in what is considered "late winter" (still seeing snow). The roads were all clear (two main roads remain closed until April) where we ventured from the South Entrance to the park and traveled an hour through the park to the Valley Floor. On the route we were able to see El Capitan, Half Dome and the Lower Falls (all in one picture). Then walk to the Bridal Falls and see the chapel, more Falls and numerous vista points.