Yosemite and More

 Was recently in Northern California for a few days. It was really good to get back up there. The McCloud River was running high and deep with the warm weather and the snow melt. The days were almost perfect. The California Lilac were prominent along the river and these were growing just in front of lava rock that is throughout the region. My brother and I took the Military Pass Road which goes around the back side of the mountain. We actually only made it part way (very slowly) until we met with snow drifts that were a little too deep. This is not a well maintained road. The north side of the mountain is generally very windy and this might explain the general lack of snow except in drifts. We also took a trip to Castle Lake which has an elevation of about 5400 feet.  This is actually lower than the Military Pass Road but had a lot more snow and still covered in snow and ice. Probably my favorite photo from the trip, parent and child enjoying the snow. Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Pho

 Went to Yosemite the other day because I read that the Dogwoods were in bloom.  YES they were. Bloom is actually the wrong word since what we see as petals are actually specialized leaves,  pretty none the less. And of course in Yosemite there's more beauty than just Dogwoods.  I was surprised at how many people there were, mostly couples and very few children.  As you may know the Merced River is very high. My guess is when I got there it was about a foot or more below it's recent peak. The 'Paparazzi' Bridge was closed off as were other areas near the river. This is the Swinging Bridge, you can see how high the river is. I was thinking about photoshopping the people on the bridge but I like their reflections in the water. I really liked the contrast of the Dogwood and the log and brush. Not sure the name of this bridge (duh), but the sign says "No Crossing Water on Bridge".  That gives you some idea of how high the river got. I would have taken a better ang

 This is a great place to visit if you're in the Redding, CA area. The bridge is beautiful, a great place for a hike, picnic, or to enjoy the wonderful Botanical Gardens The Sundial Bridge from below. It's hard to get a photo without a lot of people on the bridge, I  was lucky it was a slow day, at least when I first got there. The Botanical Gardens was a mixture of flowers that were past their prime,  in full bloom and not yet blooming, just what you expect. This on had the added benefit of a butterfly, I tried to find the name but couldn't match it up with any in my books. The Dogwoods were out !! Okay look closely, like me you might think the pillars on first bridge are longer than they really are. Reflections in the Sacramento River can fool you. Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph, Dave

 I recently went to Northern California to see my brother and do a little photography. These images are from the beginning and end of the trip . These first few are from the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge, It's mostly drained but I got a few photos I liked. I like the contrast of the Red Winged Blackbird behind the Wild Mustard. Who doesn't like a good reflection I'm not good with naming birds but this one stretching it's wing I believe to be a Western Kingbird Next up a little farther north. The wildflowers weren't very abundant but these small yellow ones with  Mt. Lassen (peak to the left) in the background made me turn around and take a few photos. Then came Burney Falls State Park. I used an ND filter on the shots of the Falls One of the unique features of Burney Falls is that some of the water  comes out of the hillside and not over the top. This continues in the summer even when the water over the top stops. As I grew up in this area we always thought of Manzanit