Turning a lemon into lemonade...

Sometimes we take a trip where things don't, um, work out as planned. Such was my 37-hour foray from Las Vegas to California's Yosemite National Park--and back.
The weather was glorious, and driving into Yosemite Valley is richly scenic. Above, flowers carpet the floor of the valley, and the walls glisten in the Sun. The El Capitan formation is in the distance on the right.

The Merced River flows through the valley

This spectacular promontory is directly above the road from which the prior two images were taken. And yet, I had to drive 32 miles to gett from that road down there to the overlook up here.

This video is of the major peaks that surround Yosemite Valley. You can't see them from distance, but there are climbers standing atop Half Dome in this video.  More of a hike than I can handle, that!

Here is a still shot of that scene. There are two 500-foot waterfallsjust to the right of dead center in the image, but they are completely dwarfed by the peaks.

Of course, The waterfalls are among the attractions in Yosemite. Some are fed by rivers and flow all year 'round, Other large falls are essentially ice melt that disappears over the Summer. Since I was there in September, the falls were mostly slow, as in Bridal Veil Falls below, or dry.

So, even a short visit in the off season can provide stunning visuals. Yes, there are a lot of people, and I prefer parks with few. However, we photographers do what we can with what is offered. Yosemite offers some heady scenery!

Let's take a break from sharks and parks!...

 

Let's go SHOOTING! By a happy chance, the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) is having its national championship match in Las Vegas this weekend. I shot in USPSA competitions for well over twenty years, and competing does become part of you. I was practically ready to grab a gun and join the squad I was watching.

A number of my old shooting buddies from San Francisco and Las Vegas are competing in this squad, so I came out to watch them and shoot a few videos.

This first event is a pistol-only stage. There are three windows, and in the video above, you see just what the shooter sees.  Three windows, eight shots per window

BY THE WAY, BE SURE TO CLICK THE FULL-SCREEN SYMBOL TO THE LOWER RIGHT OF THE IMAGE TO SEE EVERYTHING LARGER (BUT NOT SHARP)...

Mike Voight is an old friend who is now the President of the USPSA.  A steady and experienced gunner, he shows you how he attacks the pistol stage. Remember, when we are shooting this fast, we are always very near the point where the wheels come off our wagon. The trick is to avoid losing control. Make a plan and execute it.

                                                                 He said, confidently.

Now it's time for Mike's girlfriend Maggie, to shoot the course.  This is a woman one must not trifle with...

When it all comes together properly, you shoot a very smoooooth run, and turns out to be fast. If on the other hand you start by trying to go fast, you can be sure something disastrous will occur. There is no margin for error.

There are few more rewarding efforts than a perfectly excuted run in these competitions gives you. No wonder I had so much fun at it all those years!

Sometimes the wheels threaten to come off...

 

Even the best shooters, when operating at top speed, can have the smallest flaw undo a good run, This course begins with pistol targets, then has targets that must be taken with the shotgun. Here, the shooter had a fine pistol run, then switched to shotgun. After his first set of shells, he went to reload his shotgun from a tube on his belt full of fresh shotshells--and it momentarily jammed. 

By the way, when they shoot the far knockdown targets, two clay pigeons are tossed into the air. That's why you see them shooting upward.

 

Here's Maggie, getting an almost flawless run. Great execution, and a smooth transition from pistol to shotgun!

 

Chris Tilley, a young Australian, realizes partway through that he has missed a shot and has to go back and pick it up--quickly!!

 

Sorry--I stuck Chris' clip in twice. Sigh. This next run below is very solid. Well planned and well executed. That's the way it should go!

 

. Good time, too!