There are nearly three million acres protected in the portion of the Sierra Nevada that includes Yosemite National Park. The valley floor offers one perspective on this vast and diverse territory, and a drive through the High Sierra offers an entirely different landscape. There are lakes and meadows and dramatic rock formations worthy of moonscapes to capture attention, all before wending back to the classic view over the valley. Within the past few days, the face of El Capitan has been changed by rock slides; every minute captured in Yosemite is once in a lifetime.
My Time Too 
These photographs and your fine descriptions are like a novel — fascinating, far away, and like real life limned with magic realism. Quite wonderful.
So now I must put these photos in rotation to fully enjoy your travels and talent.