Have you heard about Horsetail Fall? Every year, for a week or two in February, it lights up for a few minutes near sunset into a brilliant red that reminds longtime Yosemite-goers of the old firefall. And we happen to be here at just the right time! Are you ready? Here’s what it looks like:

Well, that’s what it looks like during California’s fourth drought of the 21st century, anyway—which is totally not because of global warming so stop saying that. Still, at least there was plenty of sunlight, so we saw the color change even if there was no water. The previous day had been so cloudy no one saw anything.

When we made plans for this vacation, I was naturally figuring on snow. So we got out the thermal underwear, the mittens, and the tire chains. But the snow never came. A few days ago the forecast for this week was so warm I started wondering if I should even bother packing long pants. In the event, the weather turned a little colder, but still in the 40s and 50s. That’s bad for the planet, but pleasant for us.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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