Yosemite and More

 Spent a little time in Northern California. Here are a few of the photos I took of the various mountain from different directions when possible. You can really only get a photo of the Eddies from this side unless you want to go into the wilderness. Could someone please tell me why what's obviously not a butte is named Black Butte?  Notice the winter difference between the northwest side and south. Each side of Mt. Shasta has a unique view. You can choose your favorite. And on the way home a hazy Mt .Lassen Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph. Dave

  While taking a short vacation up north I visited  Lassen Volcanic National Park. The big draw there are the thermo features especially Bumpass Hell. The park does not disappoint, for many reasons, not just mud pots. Lassen is part of the Ring of Fire, volcanos from Eastern coast of Asia to the West Coast of the Americas. It's always a good idea to not just focus on the big stuff. What made this tree bend this way?  Many trees showed which way was the  prominent wind direction, but not to this extreme.   I've seen plenty of Lupine and when I started this walk I swore I wouldn't take another photo of them, this is just one of many areas covered in Lupine. Areas of the park are just the remnants of former volcanos and pyrotechnic activity There have been a couple of fires in the park in recent years. Large areas show  the result of those devastating fires. One area right next to the road has mud pots and the lovely aroma of sulfur. Lassen Peak from the south...

 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...