On our second day, we went a bit north to see Hetch Hetchy. Sometimes called a "second Yosemite valley," the Hetch Hetchy valley was made into a reservoir in the early 20th century by damming the Tuolomne River as it exits the valley. The Hetch Hetchy reservoir has been controversial since it was first proposed and proposals for removing the dam and draining the reservoir are made frequently.
The view from the parking lot, before walking across the top of O'Shaughnessy Dam:
The water jet at the bottom of the dam (presumably exiting the power turbine) is impressive:
Looking downstream along the Tuolomne River:
It may not be Yosemite, but it's still pretty dazzling:
This part of the park is littered with propaganda arguing for the goodness and cleanliness of the water and power that is provides:
The dam was built between 1915 and 1938:
Presumably this water fountain on the dam draws from the famously clean reservoir:
Atop the dam, about to enter the tunnel on the far side to begin the hike:
Views along the trail as we hiked the north rim of the reservoir, out to the Wapama Falls (which are totally dry this time of year):
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