Ocean (Pismo Beach)

 

Wave, Beach, Fog - Pismo Beach  2022

Wave, Gulls - Pismo Beach  2022

Top photo: Nikon Z5, 24-200mm lens.

Bottom photo: Olympus E-M1II, 75-300mm lens.

Seaweed

 

Seaweed - Pismo Beach  2022

Also down by the Pismo Beach tide pools.

Monday Egret Blogging

 

Egret, Wave - Pismo Beach  2022

Egret, Ocean, Hills - Pismo Beach  2022

Again, down at the Pismo tidepools. Is it the same bird in each photo? Maybe.

Rock, Tide Pools

 

Rock, Tide Pools - Pismo Beach  2022

Down the long stairway to visit the tide pools. Don't know where that rock came from.

Pismo Art

 

Corner Art - Pismo Beach  2022

Left Turn Signs - Pismo Beach  2022

In and around Pomeroy Avenue, the central Pismo street leading to the pier.

Splash Cafe

Splash Cafe Line - Pismo Beach  2022

Splash Cafe Art - Pismo Beach  2022

Someday we must try it. 

There have been earlier photos of the cafe on the blog, going back to 2012.

Happy Thanksgiving Day

Inflatable Turkeys - Marin County  2022

An iPhone photo.

Taken while walking around waiting for the Highlander's tires to be changed. 

Pismo Palm Trees

Palm Tree, Pelicans - Pismo Beach  2022

 

Palm Trees, Crows - Pismo Beach  2022

Pismo overcast usually lasts until noon.

Tacos / Truck Stop

Tacos (King City) - Monterey County  2022

Truck Stop - San Luis Obispo County  2022

Sightems on the way down to Pismo Beach for a family vacation. The tacos were . . . OK. Slightly dry.

Mike needed that truck stop, if you know what I mean. 95 degrees!

Monday White-Crowned Sparrow Blogging

White-Crowned Sparrow - Point Reyes  2022

White-Crowned Sparrow - Point Reyes  2022

"White-crowned Sparrows appear each winter over much of North America to grace our gardens and favorite trails (they live in parts of the West year-round)."

Lagoon, Coyote Bush

 

Abbott's Lagoon, Coyote Bush - Point Reyes  2022

Nikon Z5, 24-200mm lens.

Ladders

 

White Truck, Ladder, Workers - Los Angeles  2022

Fire Department Drill (San Rafael) - Marin County  2022

Top: across the street from the bagel shop on Beverly near Fairfax.

Bottom: across the street from the Trader Joe's in San Rafael.

Abbott's Lagoon Trail Sightems

 

Birds on Wire - Point Reyes  2022

Bench - Point Reyes  2022

"Abbotts Lagoon Trailhead is located along Pierce Point Road. Abbotts Lagoon is known for fantastic birding opportunities (particularly in the fall and winter), and beautiful wildflowers in the spring."

Egret

 

Egret - Point Reyes  2022

Egret, Lagoon - Point Reyes  2022

Probably not the same egret. 

That one hike on the Abbott's Lagoon trail produced a lot of bird shots!

I had two cameras with me: an Olympus EM1II with a 75-300mm lens to be brought out for "tighter" shots (the top photo), and a Nikon Z5 with a 24-200mm lens for wider photos (the bottom one).

Abbotts Lagoon - Overcast

 

Grass, Lagoon - Point Reyes  2022

Coyote Bush, Lagoon - Point Reyes  2022

The fog wasn't as intense down towards the coast. Nicely overcast, however.

Point Reyes Fog

 

Road, Fences, Fog - Point Reyes  2022

Tree Trunks, Fog - Point Reyes  2022

Down-on-the-ground fog is relatively rare. Important to seize the opportunity.

Monday Bittern Blogging

 

Bittern - Point Reyes  2022

At the edge of the upper Abbots Lagoon in Point Reyes. 

"Bitterns are stealth predators and typically stand motionless as they wait for prey to approach, or stalk it with barely perceptible motions. They adopt a classic pose when alarmed, with the beak pointing straight up, helping this streaky bird blend in with its reedy background. They tend to forage alone."

This one was certainly checking out the photographer. Taken with an Olympus EM1II and a 75-300mm lens.

Point Reyes Fog

 

Road, Fog - Point Reyes  2022

Tree, Fog - Point Reyes  2022

Driving out to Abbotts Lagoon. At one point the road traverses a high ridge overlooking the ocean. No ocean views this September morning due to the very thick fog.

Boomtown

 

Boomtown Sign, Smoke - Nevada  2022

Truckee Air Quality Sept 15, 2022

I drove from Ely to Reno, staying overnight at the Best Western at Boomtown. Once inside the hotel I stayed there, not wanting to experience the smoke-filled air outside. Driving home the next day, the smoke was a continuous presence almost until I reached Davis.

The air was better in 2018.

Highway 50 West

 

Mountains, Smoke - Nevada  2022

Union Pacific Outside Fernley - Nevada  2022

Driving west from Ely . . . the smoke from the Mosquito Fire had pushed much farther east than a few days earlier. 

I was parked in a vacant lot near Fernley, eating a sandwich for lunch, when a Union Pacific freight train passed by. I had to really max out the Haze Filter in Photoshop for the photo.

Great Basin National Park - 8

 

Desert Plants, Storm Clouds (Great Basin National Park) - Nevada  2022

Wheeler Peak, Clouds - Nevada  2022

As I drove out of the park towards highway 50 I stopped to look back. Clouds were swirling above the desert floor and around the summit of Wheeler Peak.

During the drive back to Ely I experienced a massive downpour; everyone reduced speed dramatically.

Great Basin National Park - 7 (Bristlecone Pine Hike)

 

Bristlecone Trunk (Great Basin National Park) - Nevada  2022

Fritos and Beer (Great Basin National Park) - Nevada  2022

I didn't linger . . . ominous clouds were starting to gather. I clomped on down to the parking area, picked out a promising fallen tree trunk to sit on, then had my grocery store sandwich with some Fritos and beer.

Great Basin National Park - 6 (Bristlecone Pine Hike)

Bristlecone Pine Grove (Great Basin National Park - Nevada  2022

Bristlecone Pine New Growth (Great Basin National Park) - Nevada  2022

Altitude! Don't know the exact figure, but the trailhead started at 10,000 feet, so . . .

Photos taken with a Nikon Z5 and a 24-200mm lens. Yep. Pretty heavy.

Monday Geese Blogging

Geese, Tomales Bay - Marin County  2022

An early morning stop at a dirt parking lot in Inverness (Google Street View below.) Photo taken with an Olympus E-M1II and a 75-300mm zoom lens.

Inverness Parking Lot (Google Street View)

Great Basin National Park - 5 (1993)

Bristlecone Pine (Great Basin National Park) - Nevada  1993

Desert Plants (Great Basin National Park) - Nevada  1993

In 1993 my wife Hali, my daughter Shawna and myself were on our way to Colorado. We were able to get a campsite in Great Basin National Park and stayed two nights. During the one day we had available I drove up to visit the bristlecone pine trees while they took a tour of Lehman Caves.

These photos were taken with a large format view camera.

Great Basin National Park - 4 (Bristlecone Pine Hike)

Trail (Great Basin National Park) - Nevada  2022

Fallen Trees (Great Basin National Park) - Nevada  2022

When I set out that morning I hadn't intended to go on a hike - I was just going to look around and take some pictures. And yet: when I was planning the trip one of my goals was to get some photos of the bristlecone pines. And since the road ended at the 10,000 foot trailhead leading to the bristlecone grove I decided that, what the heck, I might as well start up the trail.

Great Basin National Park - 3 (Viewpoint)

Mountain Ridge, Trees, Clouds - Nevada  2022

 

Forest, Aspens - Nevada  2022

Taken from one of the few viewpoints. This one faced the mountain side.

Great Basin National Park - 2 (Vistas)

Junipers, Mountains - Nevada  2022

Basin Below - Nevada  2022

So, I was driving up the road, enjoying the views and waiting for a scenic pullout. 

Alas, no scenic pullouts! At least, where I wanted them. These photos had to be taken out the passenger side window.