Seeing Half Dome from Merced-

A spot nearby where Yosemite is visible

Photograph of the Sierra Mountains where, if your eyesight is good, you can see Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.  Photo: Flip Hassett

How many times have you heard that there are people who have lived in Merced for many years, and have yet to visit Yosemite National Park?

Even if you have seen the Park, you have to ask yourself how long has it been?

If you have not been to the Park in person, there’s an opportunity to get a view at the iconic Half Dome from a spot in north Merced.

Local photographer Flip Hassett recently posted to Facebook a shot he took along Golf Road in the area near Merced Country Club and UC Merced.

It’s there, a little spot in the upper right portion of the photograph.

With the sun just right, and the air unusually clear, Half Dome is shining in all its’ majesty. Another person reposted the shot and circled the spot.

The view where photographer Flip Hassett found Half Dome was obscured by Mother Nature in the days leading up to this column. Photo: Steve Newvine

Flip has been photographing the people and natural wonder of Merced and Stanislaus Counties for a number of years.

For the professional photographers who know these things, Flip reports he shot this particular photo with a 400mm with a 2.0 tele converter.

Yosemite gets a lot of visitors every year, but it’s interesting to note that the Park is not even in the top ten in attendance, according to the National Park System.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park heads that list with twelve million recreational visits in 2020. Yosemite stood at roughly four-million based on averages provided by the Park Service.

COVID definitely had an impact on all National Park attendance last year and in the first months of 2021.

The photograph taken in Merced by Flip Hassett with Half Dome circled.

Writing about Yosemite brings back memories of other columns and book chapters shared in this space over the past ten years.

In my book9 From 99, I shared the story of the first time I travelled into the Park.

Two Fresno area friends invited me to drive into the park in their convertible in March of 2005.

The view was stunning under normal sedan conditions, but with the convertible top down it was an extraordinary way to take in the grandeur of this special place.

I remember visiting the park on business at the time a California wildfire was being fought many miles away from the then Tenaya Lodge (now known as Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite following a copyright dispute over the name a few years ago).

That business visit was marked by the ever present smell of wood burning.

Even though our meeting was a safe distance away from the firefighting, the air let you know something was happening.

A few years ago, I wrote a column lamenting the overcrowding problem my wife and I experienced at Yosemite.

(Click here to read it)

Some steps were taken to improve traffic flow, but I have not been to the Park since that time.

Finding the spot where Half Dome is visible on a clear day is relatively easy. Head north at this intersection of Lake and Golf Roads, and pull off to the right for the view. Good luck. Photo: Steve Newvine

Finding the spot where Half Dome may be visible is relatively easy. Take G Street in Merced about a mile north of Mercy Hospital.

Turn right on Bellevue Road and go about a mile to Golf Road. From there, head north on Golf Road less than a mile and park just north of the Lake Road intersection.

If you want to see Half Dome from that spot, go on a very clear day and consider bringing along binoculars.

Good luck. An alternative: make a plan to travel to Yosemite and see everything up close.

It may be more satisfying.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He wrote about Yosemite National Park in his book 9 From 99. That book is available at Lulu.com

Let’s Go Fly A Kite

Two brothers bring joy to others with their high flying hobby

These larger than life kites entertain a north Merced neighborhood on a windy Saturday in March. Photo-Steve Newvine

One mile from my house, I knew something special was happening at a local park in north Merced.

Up close on the park grounds, the sight was nothing short of spectacular.

These are the kites Mike Macias and his brother Rob spend their free time putting up in sky on a windy day.

Mike started the pastime several years ago as a diversion from his regular job as a truck driver.

“A week behind the wheel is enough,” he says of his handling of an eighteen-wheeler on a California expressway. “On a weekend, I look for a place to put up our kites.

A shark kite lurks over the playground at Davenport Park as the Macias brothers entertain families in Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine

Mike goes big when he flies his super-sized kites. Some measure more than two-hundred feet from top to bottom, based on my own estimates.

All are powered by wind, and the steady hands of both pilots.

“My brother and I love putting them up, and keeping them airborne,” he says.

Mike and Rob Macias steady a big kite in Merced. Photo: Steve Newvine

The kites were a popular attraction at local events such as the Livingston Kite Festival that was held every spring until 2019.

The festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 as a COVID precaution. That’s a shame, as kite flying gets people outdoors and has social distancing practically built in as each kite flyer needs a lot of space to do the work that has to be done.

“We used to go all over the state,” Mike says. “Everyone likes to see these kites up in the air."

The brothers anchor the kites to trees and/or posts depending on the venue.

The wind keeps them up for as long as Mother Nature will allow.

The brothers kept the neighborhood crowd entertained for over two hours on an early March Saturday afternoon.

There were lawn chairs out in the open space, children on the playground equipment, and lots of heads looking upward.

Mike looks forward to the time when COVID restrictions ease up so that more public events can be organized by local groups.

In the meantime, Mike and Rob will continue to look for a warm, breezy afternoon and take their kites out of the storage cases. The fun continues.

Let’s go fly a kite!

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His latest book is Can Do Californians and is available at BarnesAndNoble.com and Lulu.com