Alan Vernon.'s photostream  

The Merced river flows towards us and away from the iconic Half Dome rock, which stands at around 4,737 feet (1,444 metres) above the valley floor.

Here the upper Yosemite falls is viewed from the meadow on the valley floor.
At 1,430 feet (440 metres) this is ranks in the top twenty highest waterfalls in the world.
The total hight of the falls including the middle cascades and the lower falls is 2,425 feet (739 metres)

Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) sitting on it's nest

Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) sitting on it's nest

Observed in the Coast range mountains of San Luis Obispo county, California,
The California Dog-face is the State insect of California, but I am not sure if this is a California dog-face, or a Southern dog-face.
Confirmation of ID welcomed please.