Enroute to Pinnacles National Park
Light is everything in landscape photography, and I made the drive along California’s Route 25 at just the right time. The low angle created dramatic shadows and a warm tone that makes the “golden hour” the best hour of the day. Read the rest of this entry »
October Birds – California Coast
Black oystercatcher
It’s that thick red outline around the yellow eye that makes the black oystercatcher look like a bird drawn by a child. The fat pink legs and thick red bill add to the comedic look of this shorebird that posed nicely for me just outside the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Acorn woodpecker
Autumn in California’s Eastern Sierras
McGee Creek Canyon after the storm Oct. 18
I’ve learned never to give up on photographing landscapes just because it’s raining. Especially in California, because it generally doesn’t rain all day. The season’s first snow and the moody clouds, combined with a touch of sun, created an image with much more character than the blue-sky postcard photograph I had planned on. Read the rest of this entry »
Sea Otters
Sea otter grooming, Moss Landing, California
No doubt about it. Sea Otters are just darned cute. In my several visits to the California coast I counted myself lucky if I saw one or two sea otters. But at Moss Landing, I saw a whole gang of them! Read the rest of this entry »
Humpback Whales in Monterey Bay
Whale flukes (the tail) during a dive
I just finished watching “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986), about saving the humpback whales. It is the least science-fiction-y of the Star Trek series, but since I had just seen the whales in person, I was happy to watch it again.
Whales surfacing to gulp several (hundreds?) gallons of little fishes
Scotty’s Castle
Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley National Park has a fascinating history, which you will hear on a tour by National Park rangers dressed in period costume. Our guide was a “newspaperman” from the 1930s. Read the rest of this entry »
Death Valley in Spring
Ubehebe Crater at dawn
I think this will be a wordless post today. Read the rest of this entry »
Elephant Seals
Elephant seal bull
I knew California was famous for its sea lion colonies, but I did not know about elephant seal rookeries until earlier this year. I happened to visit the coast near San Simeon at just the right time (early February) to see thousands of these odd-looking sea mammals.
Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery
The noise was unceasing, even at night. The females come ashore to give birth, and I even watched one do just that. Read the rest of this entry »
Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree National Park is one of my favorite places in California. It’s relatively close by, and I’m smitten with the “wonderland of rocks” and the quirky Joshua trees. Read the rest of this entry »
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