2011-10-09 Mendocino, California

My wife and I got out of the San Francisco Bay Area and took a break from our children (left them with their grandparents) and went to Mendocino, California. This town looks almost like a seaside village in New England. Just off season enough to be quiet without being empty. Beautiful town with ocean on three sides, great food and drink, wonderful walks or biking if you prefer, and for the adventurous: hiking outside of town into the rugged coastal hills.

Enjoy the slideshow. Click on it for full size and descriptions of the town.

Old growth Redwoods at Hendy Woods State Park, Mendocino County, California

We visited the Hendy Woods State Park in Mendocino County, California on a very rainy Columbus Day. Fortunately, rain and Redwoods just seem to go together. Old growth Redwoods are huge, towering, magnificent trees that reach well over 300ft tall.

My wife as a reference to get a sense of the scale of these Redwoods

Click on any photo to see a larger slideshow. I hope you enjoyed this photo tour.

Best,
Radzfoto

Sunset, Long Beach, California

When the conditions are right, some sunsets are downright spectacular. This sunset occurred this past summer while I was visiting my sister in Long Beach. We looked outside and noticed that the world had turned orange. Not just a bit orange. Completely orange.

As we exited the house, I took this photograph through a tree:

Sunset through a tree

But this was just the beginning. As the sun went down, it really began to color the clouds orange.

And then, with little light left, the clouds themselves glowed burnt orange.

All the photos are taken in the same couple of blocks and within a 15 minute period. I did not change the tint or color in any photograph in post-processing. I just adjusted exposure and sharpened them a bit.

Enjoy!
Radzfoto

Castle Rock State Park, Santa Cruz Mountains, California

A few weeks ago I went hiking with my family in the Santa Cruz mountains. I have lived in this area for more than 20 years and never hiked these beautiful mountains so close to my home.

We went to Castle Rock State Park. After parking you enter a temperate forest.

Temperate forest near entrance to Castle Rock State Park

Initially you go down into a moist valley and then climb steeply on the other side to see this view.

Clouds from the ocean form fog in the Santa Cruz mountains

The moisture that keeps the temperate forest green comes from fog that comes in from the Pacific Ocean marine layer. This fog is a year-round effect. Additional moisture comes from rain in the winter.

Castle Rock State Park attracts many rock climbers

Castle Rock State Park has several areas with large porous rocks that attract climbers from all over the Bay Area. This climber is on one of the larger rocks in the park as you can see below.

You can just make out the rock climber at the top

The views as you hike are quite spectacular. You can see down towards Santa Cruz and across Monterey Bay.

Looking down towards Santa Cruz and across Monterey Bay.

Across the Monterey Bay, you can just make out on the horizon far to the South the hills that form the Monterey Peninsula.

Wildflower

Although it was already August during our hike, the unusually cold and wet summer kept the mountains covered in wildflowers for the whole summer.

Moss covered tree

If you have read previous entries in my blog, you know that I love images of trees. This old Black Oak was covered in moss.

That concludes our brief tour of Castle Rock State Park with its varied ecosystem ranging from temperate forest of Douglas Fir, Redwoods and Black Oak to chaparral in the higher areas that were clear cut many years ago.

In addition to the wonderful views available in this hike, this park is great fun for children who like to climb rocks!

Radzfoto

Backpacking in the Sierras in California

This summer my wife and I went backpacking for the first time with a group of friends. We hiked the North fork of the Big Pine Creek Loop starting at 7,500ft (2,286m) and camped at 10,400ft (3,170m).

This is relatively near the beginning of our climb. We had to go up to the large rock in the center and then up a valley behind it.

Near start of the climb

Dead tree seen on the way up

 

The next day, we hiked up to about 12,000ft (3,658m). Here is what we saw.

This is why they are called the Sierras (Sawtooth in English)

The peaks around us rose to 14,000ft (4,267m)

then we climbed down the valley back to 11,000ft (3,353m) and up the other side again to about 12,000ft (3,658m). And here is what we saw on the other side.

Crossing a snow field looking back down the valley

Looking at the alpine lakes down the valley

I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of the Eastern Sierras in California. It was hard carrying over 40lbs (18kg) on my back, but most definitely worth it. I did have to compromise on the camera weight so I couldn't take the DSLR. This was all shot with a Panasonic Lumix point and shoot.

Radzfoto

Oakland Bay Bridge, July 9, 2011

We had gone to the Saturday farmer's market in San Francisco for the day. As usual for a summer day, it was cloudy and foggy. After shopping for hours and having a delicious lunch, we went for a stroll along the old warf. These shots of the Oakland Bay Bridge were taken just a few minutes apart.

And then the blue sky abruptly showed itself.

I think San Francisco is probably the most photogenic city I have ever seen.

Radzfoto

Talamanca, Spain, February 19, 2011

In the far northeast corner of Spain, I have a relative who lives in a town of 100 people clinging to the hillsides of a rocky undulating land just northwest of Barcelona. This town is called Talamanca, not to be confused with the much larger and much more famous city of Salamanca in western Spain. This little town has one shop consisting of a deli and a general store, and one restaurant next door. My relative owns the shop, and if you visit, she will treat you to the amazing "jamón serrano" (a cured ham) and many other delicacies of the region.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Before you arrive, and as you climb the hills, you can see the snow-covered Pyrenees to the north.

If you look south, you see Montserrat, which is Catalan for "Jagged Mountain".

When you arrive you see a rock wall surrounding a small town and a castle overlooking the town.

Inside the town, you find narrow cobblestone streets and houses hanging on a steep, rocky hillside.

It appears that the people of this town take security seriously, but they certainly don't lack a sense of style.

As you wander further into the town, you find the church.

 And then you finally reach the castle.

Oh, and did I mention that this little town is quite old.

Actually, it is quite a bit older than that. There is historical and archeological evidence that Talamanca has been continuously populated since before 1200. In fact, nearby are ruins of Roman fortifications and towns from before 300 BC.

If you visit Barcelona, it is definitely worth renting a car and exploring north, west, and south. As you drive north, you will find yourself entering France is about 2 hours. South are the famous beaches of the western Mediterranean with crystal-clear water and sandy beaches. West and northwest, you will find yourself in the heart of Catalunya where you will hear more Catalan than Spanish.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour.
Radzfoto

Brussels, Belgium, February 13, 2011

I was flying with my family to Spain, and we had a long layover in Brussels. We took the train to the Grand Place de Bruxelles or Grote Markt van Brussel. Based on the different names of the square in French and Flemish (similar to Dutch), can you tell who is less pompous?

This building is called the Maison du Rois or Broodhuis (bread house). A king never lived there. A duke built it over the old bread market. Again, don't the Flemish just seem so much more down-to-earth?

As we climbed up the hill from the Grand Place to the Place Royal, I spotted this view of rounded buildings as we climbed up a steep curve:

 We finally arrived at the Palais Royal. Here is a photo of one of the corner gardens:

I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of this beautiful city.

Radzfoto

Palo Alto Baylands, September 12, 2010

Now we leave the American Southwest and move further west. This presents quite a contrast from the last post. The Baylands are salt water marshes that surround the San Francisco Bay. These are the baylands in Palo Alto. They are a haven for many kinds of sea birds which often nest here.

Before I can go any further, I have to admit two things:

1. I know very little about birds, and
2. I certainly do not have the proper equipment to photograph birds.

Nevertheless, I think these images help to capture the feeling of being surrounded by these wonderful birds that often fly quite near, but, more generally, keep to themselves on marsh islands that are inaccessible to people.

 

 

Here we see that this is an active mating area. This pelican displayed for quite a while, as did others.

As always, I hope you enjoy these images.
Radzfoto

Painted Desert, June 13, 2010

Continuing in the Southwest, as we were leaving the Painted Desert in Arizona, we stopped at a remote visitor center quite far from the entrance and main visitor center. It was quite a beautiful adobe building.

 As we walked outside around the visitor center and a bit further down into the valley, the views were quite spectacular.

It is difficult to capture just how far you can see if the crystal-clear air. These clouds help to show that immense sense of depth. As always, click on the images to see a larger version.

Enjoy,
Radzfoto

Grand Canyon June 10, 2010

I am going to try and catch up. I have a lot of photos from interesting places. Let's start with another visit to the Grand Canyon. The place is amazing, unbelievable and incredibly difficult to photograph. The scale is so large and the air so clear that the human mind has difficulty understanding how far it is seeing. You can see for hundreds of miles. It goes on forever. You look down one mile!

Below is my youngest son looking down that mile depth and simultaneously scaring the you-know-what out of me. Did I mention that I am terrified of heights?

Here are just two more scenes from this national treasure that is ours.

All taken with rapidly changing weather and light. It had been completely overcast, very cold (for June), and raining hard. Just as sunset approached, the skies suddenly cleared. Miraculous!