Monday Horse Blogging

Horse - Stanislaus County  2026

Horse grazing near the Stanislaus River. Of course, he stopped grazing when the photographer showed up.

Stanislaus River - 2

Stanislaus River, Clouds - Stanislaus County  2026

A color photo to compare with yesterday's black and white photos. 

Stanislaus River - 1

Stanislaus River - Stanislaus County  2026

Loaner Station - Stanislaus County  2026

Nice clouds! The loaner station was new to me. 

Monday Cow Blogging

Cows - Stanislaus County  2026

Just across the street from yesterday's photos.

Stanislaus County Views

Hills, Clouds - Stanislaus County  2026

Hills, Clouds - Stanislaus County  2026

Photos taken from the side of the road leading to Knights Ferry. 

Highway Five South

Highway Five South - Stanislaus County  2023

Driving down to Los Angeles in April. Alas, the weather was not nearly as dramatic as it was earlier in the year. 

Highway Five

Highway Five South - Stanislaus County  2023

Canal, Ranch Buildings - Stanislaus County  2023

Diving down to Los Angeles with some dramatic clouds overhead. Of course I had to stop at the viewpoint.

Crows Landing

 

Crows Landing Facility Fence - Stanislaus County  2022

Covanta Sign, Crows Landing Facility - Stanislaus County  2022

So, slightly more journalistic work from me, compared to my December, 2009 post. This time I got off at the Crows Landing offramp, got out of the car to shoot some pix, then got back in and drove off. Yes, windy.

There's a Stanislaus Covanta website, for those who might be interested.

Cheap Gas (Highway 5)

 

Palm Trees, Hill - Stanislaus County  2022

Gas Station Store - Stanislaus County  2022

It had been years since we had visited Pat and Joe in Los Angeles, so this was an exciting event! Our first stop was the MacDonald's in Pleasanton; after that, the next stop was cheap(er) gas found online by Hali.

Patterson - 2

Birds, Yellow Flowers - Stanislaus County  2019

Red Truck, Sun - Stanislaus County  2019

Two photos taken at the Starbucks parking lot near the Patterson onramp to Highway 5. I used a Canon G5X for these photos.

Patterson - 1

Welcome to Patterson - Stanislaus County  2019

Intersection - Stanislaus County  2019

So I had to turn right to get over to Patterson. Then the search for a Starbucks.

Wet Roads

Wet Road, Trees, Mailbox - Stanislaus County  2019

Wet Road, Signs - Stanislaus County  2019

Recent heavy rains . . . probably taken in Stanislaus County.

I was on my way to stay for a couple of nights in the foothill town of Mariposa. Late last year I was going to drive through El Portal to see what, if any, damage had been done by the Ferguson Fire to the areas I'm most familiar with. But the road was closed. I reasoned that a trip in February would be kind of interesting, and at least there wouldn't be any more smoke! The plan was to use Mariposa as a base: I could easily drive up the road to El Portal and, if road conditions were favorable, continue on up into Yosemite Valley.

Monday Cow Blogging

Cows - Stanislaus County  2019

Taken on the way to Mariposa last month.

I didn't notice the big hawk up in one of the oak trees. I'd go ahead and crop the image so that I could show you a detailed shot of the bird, but alas, the resolution of my camera is not sufficient.

If only I had a Nikon Z7!

Highway 5 Truck Stop

Highway 5 Truck Stop #1 - Stanislaus County  2016

Highway 5 Truck Stop #2 - Stanislaus County  2016

OK, so maybe the truck stop isn't in Stanislaus County. Very close, though.

Two iPhone pano photos.

Highway 5 Rest Stop

Trucks, Hwy 5 Rest Stop - Stanislaus County  2016

Trees, Hwy 5 Rest Stop - Stanislaus County  2016

Oh yes, I've taken many a photo here. For example:

November 18, 2015

March 24, 2015

Earlier this year, the hills in the background were nice and green:

April 11, 2016

Above photos taken with an iPhone 6S Plus.

Crows Landing

Crows Landing Fence - Stanislaus County  2009

A lot of speculation in the blogosphere as to the purpose of the mysterious factory-like building and the tall fence surrounding it just off Crows Landing in Stanislaus County.

The definitive answer seems to be found here: "Ok guys, calm down, the big fence is to keep garbage (papers, cups, plastic, etc) that escapes the primary containment area from blowing out onto the freeway and causing a crash on I-5. If you take note of the fence, it is tall and lanky like one that might surround a golf course driving range. It is clearly *not* a high security perimeter fence. The fence is so tall due to the geographic location of the plant against the hills and the attendant high winds that are often present there. As for barbed/razor wire, I will have look next time I go by, but, I do not recall any but could be mistaken. The facility as previously outlined in earlier postings burns waste and generates electricity which is sold to PG&E."

For a fuller explanation of the facility, check here.

[Update: Some newer (2022) Crows Landing photos have been posted!]