Here is a place that probably needs no introduction.  If you do need more info, start right here at the National Park Service website.  If you have never visited, add it to your bucket list. So many before me that have written of its grandeur, so I won't devote a lot of space here to that.  Suffice it to say, the valley is a pretty epic visual experience.  Just remember that it is very crowded between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  That's why I like to visit in the winter.

So the picture . . ..  Since it has been monumentally hot in the midwest and elsewhere for the last few weeks, I went looking for an image that makes me think cool.  This particular image does not have any of the iconic parts of the valley.  No El Capitan or Half Dome.  Sometimes you want to try and capture the hugeness of a scene, and this was one of them.
What's noteworthy is the splash of light  on the trees in the meadow.  Even at the web sized version you can see another photographer working right up close to that part of the scene.  As I tend to favor a medium telephoto view of things, this image is a bit of a departure for me.Yosemite Valley

For the curious:  Leica M8 and 28mm Summicron, handheld. (you have no idea much I regret selling that lens)  February 20th, 2008