Happy Isles

What better place for watery scenes than Happy Isles in Yosemite.


My mother loved this place and so do I, a couple of little isles in the Merced River.
The sound of the water tumbling over the rocks is so loud in spring you can barely hold a conversation.

When you are finished listening to the "water music" walk over to the nature center.

The dogwood here are among the first to bloom in Spring.

Don't forget to check out the displays in the center and the exhibit behind the building that describes a fatal rock slide that occurred here in 1996,

Now lets hop on the free shuttle and go to Mirror Lake.

The shuttle drops us off a mile from our destination but that gives us a chance to walk along Tenaya Creek and view the dogwood. Here, in the shade, it is in an earlier stage of bloom. The green color here is evidence that what we thought were petals are actually bracts, a modified leaf covering the flower. It will turn white as it opens.

Now we have reached our destination. I had to make two trips. The first time we walked up to the lake the wind was blowing and the reflections were not good. I went back the next morning while the air was still. In a few months the lake will be gone and you will have to wait another year to see in the mirror.

Tomorrow, if you like, you can join me for a walk around the valley. I'll meet you at the shuttle stop at Happy Isles.

To see more watery sites and sights, click here.