Vicki and I have the benefit of being up in the Sierra a fair bit.  That has taught us a lesson that many do not understand. There is great benefit and joy by taking the time to really know and enjoy one place instead of trying to see twenty.  We see so many vacationers jump out of their cars, take a quick look around, take a selfie, jump back into the car, and move on.  These are the folks Jimmy Buffett sings about in his song “Cowboy in the Jungle”:

The're tryin' to drink all the punches
They all may lose their lunches
Tryin' to cram lost years into five or six days
Seems that blind ambition erased their intuition

I believe that you can get way more out of a trip if you actually do less and soak in more of what you do see.  We went to Italy with some friends, we purposely did not try to see all of Italy.  We picked two cities and really got to experience them at an intimate level.  We took the time to wander the streets, shop at the local supermarket, and talk to the locals.  It made our trip so much richer.

My wife and I enjoy doing this when we go to the Sierra.  A lot of times we will bring a picnic and a bottle of wine and just sit by a stream or a lake and just soak it all in.  On our last trip, over the 4th of July, fate played its hand and “forced” us to stay in one place longer than we normally would.  We are so glad it did.  This day will remain special in our memory for years and years.

We were having a picnic at Lake Tenaya in Yosemite late afternoon.   It was gorgeous as the afternoon thunderstorm clouds in the distance were incredible.  

The puppies had gone in the lake and we went to get a towel out of the car to dry them off.  Without thinking we locked both sets of keys in the car. Oh and by the way there was no cell service so no AAA.  A lot of people would have been so stressed out they would have stopped noticing the beauty that was occurring around them.  Now don’t get me wrong, there was stress that afternoon.  Especially when it was after 7, getting dark, and the ranger gate on Highway 120 was closed.  Deep down though we knew we were in Yosemite; the rangers are great and it was the 4th of July weekend so there was probably a zillion people in the park. Eventually, just as it was getting dark,  a couple off duty employees who had been working the gate drove 15 miles out of their way to tell us they had gotten our message and a ranger would be by in a bit.    

In the midst of this crisis Mother Nature gave us an incredible multi-act play she calls a sunset.  The clouds and the lake completely changed their appearance every twenty minutes.  Everyone who stopped was stunned by the beauty, but we were the only ones that got to see the whole play.  Take a look and see if you agree with me that hanging around was worth every minute! 

Act I - Storm Clouds and Wind

Act II - Golden Hour

Act III - Still Waters

Act IV - The Encore

I think you will find this is not an isolated incident.  So remember Jimmy Buffett was right; cram less and enjoy more!

Roll with the punches
Play all of your hunches
Make the best of whatever came your way
What you lack in ambition
You make up with intuition
Plowing straight ahead come what may

One note that will make my fellow photographers smile and their significant others roll their eyes.  More than one these images were taken with the camera on a tripod by the lake with me triggering the camera with my remote while I was standing on Highway 120 trying to flag a ranger down.   When I thought the clouds or the color had changed I would snap another series.