Yosemite and More

The North Coast Redwoods are a contrast of very large/tall and  very tiny. The redwoods themselves are of course gigantic but many of the other plants are very small, especially the flowers that spot the forest floor. This first one is example of the 'large'. I changed it to black and white to highlight the texture of the bark. Next is a couple of the tiny. These flowers were less than a dime in size. Now the tall. Light hits the forest floor only where there is a break in the canopy and then it may last for a very short time as the sun sweeps across the sky. I didn't do anything the add or subtract the lighting. This is  probably my favorite of this set. The largest plants I saw on the floor were these leaves. They grew only where  there was trickling water in small creeks. There are a number of elk herds in the area. You see a number of signs along the way warning of elk crossing. I spotted this

My part time job took me to the North Coast a while back. After fulfilling my obligations I took a little me time andphotographed the Eureka area, Redwoods and Lithia Park in Ashland Oregon. This bunch is of the North Coast. My first nights stay was in Eureka, I just finished dinner and decided to take a little drive. I waited about a half hour for this sunset to develop. Went back to work the next morning, afterwards I headed up the coast and stopped along  the way to take some coast shots. I'm not a sandy beach kind of guy. I like the rough and  tumble of the rugged North Coast. Okay so the following are of a fairly tame area of beach. I liked the contrast of this one large  rock in a large area of beach. Incidentally this is the only rock of it's kind that I could see and it was quite a bit away from any cliffs. Something else that surprised me was the fact that there were plants growing in the sand and had not been trampled or

Went to Yosemite Valley a couple of weeks ago with some great people. I can actually say I haven't had that much fun in a very long time. Stories were told, s--t was given and laughing was heard. THE FOLLOWING IS USED WITHOUT PERMISSION. I don't care. There's a lot of water flowing right now, the dogwoods were in bloom and people were everywhere. The Merced River was a little angry with all the water flowing down it. As I said the Dogwoods were in full bloom. I took a lot of photos and had to restrain myself when deciding what to post. Here's a 'few' I decided on. Definitely one of my all time favorites. I've seen a lot of Dogwoods over the years. This particular tree really grabbed my attention. I don't remember seeing such a large display on a single tree before. I liked this one in black and white. Something about the single flower against the grey and black background. If yo

WOW, didn't realize I hadn't posted since March. I've been a few places but have avoided editing. We'll start with my fairly recent visit to Northern California. On the way up to see my brother in Mt. Shasta I stopped in Redding at the Sundial Bridge and Botanical Gardens. The Sundial Bridge is an iconic architectural feature in the area.  Thought black and white did a better job of highlighting the lines. The botanical gardens has all kinds of plants and flowers. It's a great place  even if you're not a photographer. Somewhat unfortunately they were doing a lot of work in the garden and  areas where fenced off. Also I was just a bit early for many of the blooms  but not for the mosquitoes. Manyof the exhibits were labeled, this one wasn't but I thought it was a real cool looking flower.  Couldn't decide which version I liked so you get two photos of the Shasta Daisy. On my way

I've been to Columbia State Park several times. Like most places after a while you see the same stuff. It helped this time that a number of shops were open and inviting to the photographer. I also wandered a little farther afield. This first one was taken in the blacksmith shop. The artists wares are in front and the artist is blurred in the background mimicking the shape of his art. And what's a blacksmith shop without some horseshoes. Lots of luck here. Down the street was a much more colorful vendor,  making candles the old fashioned way Heading a little out of the main part of town I came across this interesting scene. The trees conformed to the shapes of the rocks in search of the sun. The moss added a little color to the somewhat drab winter landscape. Nearby I saw this small creek. It mus be a seasonal one since it flooded one of the exhibit areas that is used during the summer months. Lastly I found this c

This is my last post of my Death Valley trip. Lately there has been a lot of press about the super blooms happening in the southern part of California. I was told by the Rangers that it probably wouldn't happen in Death Valley and I was too early anyway. So I did the best I could to find something to photograph. This is creosote, and happened to be just outside the Visitors Center, the wind was blowing pretty hard so I set my camera on rapid fire hoping to get one shot in focus.  Along the road one morning I spotted this cactus. Pulled over and took a little walk back to get this one. Along with Death Valley I went to the Ash Meadow National Wildlife Refuge. Just like Death Valley I was a little early for much to be blooming. And honestly didn't see much wildlife. But still..... This is the top of Arrow Weed. Rangers told me the Indians used to use the lower reed portion to make arrows, hence the name. I looked in my

Let's see this is the 4th post from my trip to Death Valley. With one more to come showing some plants and such. Golden Canyon is an iconic hike. I actually went there twice, though I didn't take the longest route. As with most of the park the best times for photography is in the morning and evening when the shadows are most prominent. Winter helps because the sun is lower on the horizon, plus it's cooler. The colors and shapes throughout the park surprised me. Seemed like everywhere I looked there was color, shape and texture. Golden Canyon was a great  hike for all three.  Caution later in the morning I saw a line of about 15 people waiting for the PortaPotty. The visitors center is only a few miles away so you might stop there first. In fact stop there anyway, it's a great place for information and very knowledgeable staff. The formations were formed by several forces;  rain/water, volcanic action and most importantl