If you have never had the fortune to visit Yosemite I recommend entering from the south along Highway 41 if possible. It’s a bit longer trip but the first views of The Valley is much more dramatic and will leave you with a memory you will never forget. You climb through a beautiful dense forest and then finally begin to drop down in to Yosemite Valley. As you round one of the many bends, the park gives you a quick glimpse of the stunning beauty of the valley before disappearing behind trees once more. You will enter a long tunnel and will exit to a full view of the park from just below Inspiration Point at a parking area known simply as Tunnel View. This shot was taken from that first glimpse you get of the top of El Capitan and Half Dome as you round the final few bends in the road. All week storms have been building over the high country above the far end of Yosemite Valley. This shot would make me turn around and return to the valley floor instead of going home as the clouds in the distance kept building and becoming more intense.