Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1914-04-24
Rev. !. N. Days Travel Stories.

of big trees They are outside OF
the valley because they only grow
at an altitude Of $500 feet. There
are in all some 1000 trees, the rem
nants of a dying species which once
covered the Sierras from the arctic
to the tropics These are the oldest
living things in the world. many OF
them reckoned to be 1000 years old
They reach a height of 800 feet,
about 100 feet and their bark some
times exceeds 40 inches in thickness.
Here are the names, and their girth
at the base of few Of the largest
trees at Mariposa grove. Yosemite:
The Grizzly Giant, 90 feet around;
Faithful Couple "a feet. Lafayette,
80 feet; Washington, 90 feet. The
Grizzly and Washington ten feet
above the ground are IS feet in cir
conference. The highest listed is
Mark Twain, 3S1 feet. Around the
valley and through the park there
are domes of solid gray granite,
perfectly oval in shape and onion
like in their formation. Great
slices have peeled off at times so
or 100 feet thick and fallen thous-
ands of feet to the valley or base
of the dome, where they crown the
edge Of the valley, or cap surround
ing mountains. Here are some of
the most prominent rocks which
surround the valley and the distance
they rise above it's floor: Ell Capt.
tan. 1904 feet; Basket Dome, g.
642 feet North Dome, 3,571 feet;
Sentinel Dome, 4,157 feet: Cathe-
dral Rocks, 2,67s feet; The Half
Dome, 1892 feet; Eagle Peak, 3,S13
feet; Clouds Rest, 1864 feet. To
measure these walls by feet is not
sufficiently impressive; let us rather
use Washington monument, 555 feet
high. Set it up six times on top of
itself and you are not up to the top
of Ell CAPTAIN, seven times and you
are only up to Eagle Peak; eight
times and you are still 400 feet be-
low Half Dome; ten times and you
still lack over 400 feet of the top Of
Clouds Rest. Set the Eifel tower in
the valley and multiply it's height
four times and you are yet below
Eagle Peak; five times and You are
yet 200 feet below the top Of the
Half Dome; six times and Clouds
Rest still rises 400 feet above you.
Little wonder that the tourists
neck gets stiff looking up, or his
limbs grow weary climbing to the
top.
To appreciate the enormous size of
one such rock it is said that in the
cient material to pave a 40 foot
street so feet deep from San Fran
cisco to New York City. This. is
called "Half Dome" because the
valley side of the dome is cleft in
two, with noting to show what be-
came of the piece cut off. What
then can be said of whole domes?
Wherever the water has seeped
through the crevices and run over
the face of the rock, it has left
great dark stripes, which though
somber help to break the monotony
Of samenenss. There are no gay or
bright colorings anywhere in Yo-
semitic. .
Mirror lake is small body of
water nestled in the wooded valley.
Its power Of perfect reflection
turns all the trees and mountains
upside down. In the early morn
ing or evening many visit it to see
the sun or moon slowly creep from
behind the Half Dome and appear
in the water.
Ill JuAc IuG largest NOlulIlc VI
water pours over these cliffs, but
the extra ordinary rain fall left lit
tie wanting in August. The Nevada
falls descend 594; the beautiful
Vernal Falls 317 feet; Bridal Veil,
$40 feet, the Widows Tears 1,170
feet the Ribbon Falls 1912 and the
Yosemite, in it's two awful leaps,
falls 1850 feet. One afternoon we
concluded to ascend the mountain
path to Vernal Falls. four miles
away. We could have hired two
strong mules and ridden up, but
chose our own conveyance. Past
Happy Isles, where the water fair
ly dances, up and on we fairly ran:
passing some and increasing our
company with others, we followed
the beaten trail, now turning abrupt
ly. and rising to enchanting views
of valleys and forests We found