At last it was the day Tim had been waiting for - a trip to Yosemite National Park and the wonders of

• El Capitan - This massive monolith is the largest single granite rock on earth, standing nearly 4,000 feet from base to summit. Rock climbers from around the world come to challenge their abilities on the face of El Capitan.
• Half Dome - Yosemite's most distinctive feature, Half Dome, dominates the valley view. Half Dome rises 4,733 feet from the valley floor and at 87 million years old, it is the youngest plutonic rock in the valley.

We were on our way early, and followed a long and winding road, VERY winding in parts, into the park. Although the day was hot and sunny, we were somewhat daunted by the haze which hung in the air, partially obscuring some of the scenery. It was with disappointment that we learned a "controlled burn" was causing this, and we wondered if our trip had been in vain.

After a frustrating attempt to photograph the rocky wonders from ground level, we spiralled our way 15 miles up a road to Washburn Point where we were greeted by one of the most memorable sights we'd ever seen. Described as "craters of the moon", the pastel granite landscape filled our field of view. The centerpiece, of course, was the wonderful Half Dome, surging out of the ground. It was truly breathtaking. Buoyed by this, we returned to the valley floor where we found the lighting much more conducive to our photographic efforts this time. With big smiles on our faces, we headed back to Oakdale for the night.