Yosemite and More

 Took a trip to the east side of the Sierras with some friends, took Highway 108 for the views and Aspens, visited Bodie, and ended up at Mono Lake. If you like aspens look at my previous post of Great Basin National Park If you've followed me at all you know I love Bodie, sooo..... And last but not least Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph, Dave

Great Basin National Park is located in the eastern part of Nevada, but the  Great Basin ranges from the Easter Sierra to Utah's Wasatch Mountains. It has  valleys, several mountain ranges and very few rivers. Much of it high desert.  The Park ranges from 6,825 feet to 13,065 feet. That ranges gives you a  variety of scenery and photographic opportunities. When I first got to the visitors center I asked if there were any Aspens in bloom since none were visible from the center. The ranger said it was the best year in  many years. He was right, I timed it just right. One of the problems was the road was very narrow and limited where you could stop. One of the main attractions in the park are the Bristlecone Pines, some of the oldest living things on earth. This is where you start.... Then you climb.... Turn a corner.... Just keep going, notice the elevation sign. I got there at the peak of color, usually you will see areas that are past peak or not yet at peak. I ...

  Finally got around to editing some of the photos I took on my second work/brief vacation to the Oregon and Norther California Coast. Really this is just a small portion and in no particular order. I love the ruggedness of the Oregon and N. California Coasts Did it take you a second or two to find the starfish below? These flowers came in a myriad of colors and sizes. I've never seen this species before, about the size of a couple of quarters and all over the beach. There are tons of types of Lupine, this is a new one for me. And last but not least a beautiful sunset Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph, Dave

I went to the Refuge Christmas afternoon. As I was approaching I noticed  a lot of Sandhill Cranes and some Snow and Ross Geese flying around. This is only a very small portion of the geese in this area. One difference between Ross and Snow geese is the length of their necks. They tend to flock together.  There were a lot of Hawks around and while I saw a Kestral or two I couldn't get  them to cooperate for a photograph. Very inconsiderate. I figured this must be a mating pair, perched so close together. I mentioned I saw some Sandhill Cranes flying around on my way in. The only one I saw in the Refuge itself was this one. Great Egrets are pretty common around here. But this one was  pretty cooperative. This one was about as close as I've ever gotten to one without it flying off. This is what happens when someone or something spooks a whole lot of White and Ross Geese.  The ones in the foreground were content staying where they were. Here's the kind of reflectio...

 Took a trip to the coast a couple of days ago. Originally planned on photographing around the Monterey, Point Lobos area but the traffic and crowds were horrendous. So I continued down the coast to the Big Sur area. No beach visits but great hikes and my kind of country, forests. This butterfly finally cooperated and stay in one place for a few seconds The feather on the clover just appealed to me for some reason. There were a few flowers, some easier to spot than others, especially if you're color blind. I hate that term Another patient insect. This is a famous waterfall at Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park  because it empties into the Pacific Ocean If you go to the other side of the parking lot and follow the Canyon Trail... Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph Dave