Just down the highway from Sonora CA homes for sale (and area real estate in Twain Harte, Jamestown, Columbia, and Wi-Muk Village) lay the wonders of Yosemite National Park.  Full-time and seasonal residents of Tuolumne County homes get just as excited about visiting Yosemite as tourists from the USA and abroad. 

For the past couple of weeks, local and visiting nature photographers have been flocking to Yosemite National Park to witness a “molten” waterfall.  As the sun sets in mid-February, its fiery presence illuminates the falling waters of Horsetail Fall as they tumble down the sheer side of the El Capitan.  Reflecting the sunset, the waterfalls appear a bright gold or ruby/orange color.  The celestial configuration occurs when the Sun and Earth align to create the illusion of a fire falling over El Capitan. 

Located on the north side of Yosemite Valley in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, El Capitan is on the western end of Yosemite National Park.  It is a vertical rock formation situated at 7,569-foot elevations. The tallest face of the granite monolith extends about 3,000 feet from its base to the summit. 

The color will appear at sunset in varying degrees for approximately two weeks a year.  The spectacle at Horsetail Fall has been recorded historically in black and white by renowned photographer Ansel Adams.  In 1973, outdoors photographer Galen Rowell well captured the fleeting moment in color. 

During the rest of the year, the lesser-known Horsetail Fall is a narrow ribbon of water and word/or ice tumbling straight down the cliff side.  Yet it is uniquely situated to deliver a spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime experience for photographers.  They perch on high open cliffs, in out close or canyons, but must be in a low angle of light to capture the iridescent colors of the sunset as they reflect off the granite rock wall that is behind the waterfall.

According to the Associated Press article by Tracie Cone on February 20, 2012, a photo instructor with the Ansell Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park explains that a great photograph takes luck, timing, and nature's cooperation.  The southwestern horizon must be free of clouds.  Combining astronomy, physics, and geometry, keen photographers measure the degrees and minutes of the Earth's orbit relative to the sun.  Then they choose apropos angles and lenses for the job.

It is a little easier to view the occurrence without worrying about bringing it home on film.  The annual pilgrimage to El Capitan is another reason why buyers who appreciate the magic of nature search for real estate in Sonora and its surrounds.