Bighorn Plateau

Bighorn Plateau - Sierra Nevada  2002

Early the next day we found ourself riding through the surreal moonscape of the Bighorn Plateau, the mountains of the Great Western Divide in the distance. Our goal was to reach the Wright Lakes (unofficial) trail and find a campsite there.

Tyndall Creek

Ripples, Tyndall Creek - Sierra Nevada  2002

On our rest day a group of us went hiking along Tyndall Creek up towards Forester Pass. Not to the top, of course.

Monday Horse Blogging

Horse in Camp - Sierra Nevada  2002

The horses were let go during the night to graze, with one of them having a bell around his neck. I don't recall how they decided which horse to use for the bell. This particular horse prefered being around humans more than horses.

Tyndall Creek

Camp - Sierra Nevada  2002

Our first and second nights' campsite was located near the Tyndall Creek Ranger Station. Very pleasant.

Yes, we had a rest day!

Above the Timberline

Wind at Shepherd Pass - Sierra Nevada  2002

Riders - Sierra Nevada  2002

Once Shepherd's Pass was attained we entered the above-timberline alpine region of the High Sierra.

And the wind began to blow.

After a considerable ride (over 4 miles) we finally reached the John Muir Trail (to the north: Forester Pass, highest point on the JMT). There was a general consensus among the riders that we would soon camp . . . but we didn't. Instead we turned south and made our way down to a campsite some distance off the main trail.

By then the sun had gone down, leaving us to set up our tents in the gathering darkness and the guides to start a fire and cook the meal (hamburgers, as I recall).

Shepherd Pass

Ivana, Shepherd Pass - Sierra Nevada  2002

The horsepacking guide, Ivana, taking photos from Shepherd Pass, Owens Valley far below and the White Mountains off in the distance.

Shepherd Pass Trail

Riders Approaching Shepherd Pass - Sierra Nevada  2002

The trail started innocently enough, gaining elevation as it gradually left the sage-covered Owens Valley floor. Then, unexpectedly and disconcertingly, there was a considerable elevation loss, with an even greater gain immediately thereafter. At one point the trail narrowed as it crossed an unnervingly steep mountainside: best not to look down! We had lunch trailside near Anvil Camp.

There were frequent rest stops for the horses. Shadows were starting to lengthen as details of the pass began to come into view, the trail almost nonexistent among the granite rubble. Finally, the pass itself.

Riders, Shepherd Pass Trail (Photo Dan Sugars) 2002

Shepherd Pass Trailhead

Shepherd Pass Trailhead - Sierra Nevada  2002

Here's the horsepacking group gathering during the early morning hours at the Shepherd Pass Trailhead, west of Independence. Our planned route took us over Shepherd Pass to the John Muir Trail, then south to Crabtree Meadow near Mt. Whitney.

I guess that we knew that the first day was going to be a long one, but maybe we didn't realize just how long. The trail over Shepherd Pass is notoriously difficult!

Independence - Winnedumah Hotel

Winnedumah Sink, Self Portrait - Independence  2002

Larry Taking Porch Photo - Independence  2002

In 2002 Hali and I along with a small group of friends went on a horsepacking trip in the Sierra. We all stayed in the Winnedumah Hotel for the night before the trip began and had breakfast there the next morning. We piled our gear on the sidewalk and waited for the stable vehicles to arrive to pick us up.

I've spent some time scanning my older Kodacolor negatives from the trip (with varying results) to be able to post them here.

Monday Crow Blogging

Crow - Sierra Nevada  2002

Early morning in Independence, California in 2002. Moon above, sun just starting to touch the mountaintops of the Sierra as we were getting ready for a strenuous horsepacking trip.

Easter

Chick & Chicken - Marin County  2014

'Nuff said.

Adolph Gasser

Adolph Gasser - San Francisco  2014

Out for a random walk around the city I happened to pass by the Adolph Gasser camera store in San Francisco.

I purchased my 4x5 Toyo Field camera there in 1992.

More Rain - 2

Irises, Camellias, Rain - Marin County  2014

Camellia, Rain - Marin County  2014

Taken in our courtyard. I thought I'd try a little limited depth-of-field action with the irises, but the result isn't that great.

Oakland Sightems - 2

Duende - Oakland  2014

Parking Lot, Reflections - Oakland  2014

I took these Oakland photos with a new lens: the Olympus 14-42mm EZ ("electronic zoom") lens. I ultimately returned it because the results I was getting with it seemed pretty soft . . . needed quite a bit of sharpening work in Photoshop.

Although the Oakland pix look quite all right.

Oakland Sightems - 1

Paramount - Oakland  2014

Mailboxes - Oakland  2014

Walking around in the evening.

More Rain - 1

Thistles, Spirit Rock - Marin County  2014

Gate - Marin County  2014

More rain fell in Marin County in March, requiring me to pull over in the San Geronimo Valley to take these photos.

Monday Wigeon Blogging

Wigeons - Marin County  2014

Yes. "Wigeon." Seen as I was walking along the bay to the new Target.

Whenever I come across some wonderful new bird, I'm always taken aback when the birding book says that it's a common species.

Not common to me!

Three Views of Mt. Tamalpais

Road, Mt. Tamalpais - Marin County  2014

Mt. Tamalpais from Corte Madera - Marin County  2014

Boats, Mt. Tamalpais - Sausalito  2014

Top: from the Fairfax side as I was hiking on a trail just off the Bolinas Road.

Middle: from the Town Center shopping center in Corte Madera.

Bottom: from the Sausalito harbor on a recent blessedly clear day.

Tall Buildings

Buildings - San Francisco  2014

Skyline - San Francisco  2013

Very tall buildings in San Francisco, two exterior views above.

Below, view from near the top of one of them.

Highway 80 - San Francisco  2013

San Rafael Sightems - 2

Hat Racing - San Rafael  2014

Medway Plaza - San Rafael  2014

Waiting for my car to have a stability control sensor installed.

The dealer wanted $1200 for a new one, but Kenso at Japan Auto found a used one. $500 total, part and installation.

San Rafael Sightems - 1

Taxes - San Rafael  2014

Open - San Rafael  2014

In the "Canal" district.

Trees

Oak - Marin County  2014

Madrones - Marin County  2014

Oak and madrones, in February.

Point Reyes

Point Reyes - Point Reyes  2014

This is the actual "Point" in Point Reyes. On the right, the ocean. On the left, Drake's Bay.

And an instance where early morning light is not that great. The camera needed to point east, directly towards the sun. Very difficult.

After some pix, I turned around and headed home, wet feet and all.

Monday Elk Blogging

Elk - Point Reyes  2014

After Mike took the inside-the-truck elk-crossing-the-road pix seen last week, he watched while the large animals moved farther into the cow pasture.

He then got out of the truck and took some photos not through the windshield.

The Ocean

Ocean, Wind - Point Reyes  2014

Surf - Point Reyes  2014

The mighty Pacific, wind rushing towards the peninsula leaving foam streamers on the surface of the water.

Rollers coming in from afar, crashing against the cliffs.

San Francisco Concert

Concert, Justin Herman Plaza - San Francisco  2014

I was returning to the Ferry Building during my most recent visit to San Francisco when  I came across this concert in progress at Justin Herman Plaza. Yikes, it was a free Janelle Monae concert!

A 'course, I had no idea who Ms. Monae was, so there was that. And to be honest, the sound system had a very . . . muffled (but loud) sound. But the setup, plus the audience, made a nice visual scene. I got this shot with the camera held way over my head using an Olympus E-M1 with the tilting LCD viewer.

Drake's Bay

Drake's Bay, Clouds - Point Reyes  2014

Drake's Bay, Swells - Point Reyes  2014

Photos taken high on a bluff overlooking Drake's Bay.

Wild Irises

Iris - Point Reyes  2014

Irises, Ocean - Point Reyes  2014

My main goal was to try to see what the view was like overlooking the actual "point" of Point Reyes. (The point juts out into the water separating the ocean from Drake's Bay.) So I set off through extremely wet grass to see what I could see.

I saw irises! So, that was good. Not so good: wet feet in spite of my Gore-Tex equipped shoes.

Fog, Drake's Bay A.M.

Fog, Drake's Bay, Sutro Tower - Point Reyes  2014

I pulled off the road and took a quick shot looking over Drake's Bay towards San Francisco's Sutro Tower. Alas, the auto ISO feature set the ISO at 3200 . . . much too noisy for a landscape photo.

That can be a problem sometimes.

Drake's Beach A.M.

Drake's Beach A.M. - Point Reyes  2014

During my most recent Point Reyes excursion, the first - and arguably most important - stop was at the Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station for coffee and a morning bun. Then the longish drive out to the tip of Point Reyes (the actual point).

I stopped at Drake's Beach for some pre-sunrise photos, but the very chilly wind coming off the ocean soon drove me back to the truck, the coffee and the morning bun.