Beginning July 1st, my wife and I had basically two days to spend in Yosemite, a place that I hadn't visited for 37 years. As Yosemite was only a side trip of our travels (a family wedding was our main focus of the trip), I had forgotten to bring some of my nature photography equipment (tripod, filters, etc.). A frantic email to Pat fixed that. The next morning, Pat was waiting at our appointed meeting place with filters, tripod, even extra lenses as we both had CANON digital SLRs. It was the start of an unforgettable day, where Pat guided my wife and I in his jeep to some fantastic viewpoints, some popular, some at just the right spot off the road to get just the right angle, or framing of some of the Valley's great landmarks. We had some great conversations about Pat's past experiences as he offered some keen advice about photography. When I was busy looking for angles on my own, Pat worked with my wife and her point and shoot camera, giving her tips. But more than the photography, Pat was a great guide to the history of the park. We enjoyed a beautiful lunch and some great quiet moments, ending up high overlooking the park as the sun went down to end a glorious day.