Blackberry Blossom, Leaves

Blackberry Blossom - Marin County  2015

Blackberry Leaves in Rain - Marin County  2015

Yes, there was some rain this June. Not all that uncommon!

Monday Cow Blogging

Cows, Spirit Rock - Marin County  2015

Cows coming around from behind Spirit Rock in the San Geronimo Valley.

We Just Get It Done!

We Just Get It Done! - San Francisco  2015

Construction site in San Francisco. At times it seems as if all of San Francisco is one gigantic construction site.

Logo

Ferrari Logo - Marin County  2015

For a long time I was admiring Maserati, but now I think I've switched my allegiance to Ferrari.

Because of the horse logo, you know.

Fairfax Sightems

Booth - Marin County  2015

Door - Marin County  2015

From this month's Fairfax Festival: my booth in the midst of redwoods, and a door seen as I was leaving to go get my truck. Both photos taken with an iPhone.

Storm Clouds - Merced

Storm Clouds - Merced  2015

Storm Clouds, Highway 99 - Central California  2015

No rain in the town of Merced, but continuing on Highway 99 north Mike ran into several extreme downpours, and some lightning.

Yosemite Rain - 3

Half Dome, Storm Clouds - Yosemite  2015

Cliffs, Rain - Yosemite  2015

Mike had to resort to the old camera-under-the-parka routine. It was at this point that the viewfinder for the E-PL5 went missing.

Monday Merganser Blogging

Merganser - El Portal  2015

Mike had seen this fellow out of the corner of his eye several times. Finally he splashed into the river just opposite Mike's camp.

There has been an earlier merganser post, in 2009, on the mikereport. That photo was taken with a Canon G9, this photo with an Olympus E-M10, its larger sensor providing a better picture.

Yosemite Rain - 2

Pine Needles, Rain - Yosemite  2015

Rain, Merced River - Yosemite  2015

Two photos taken during a little walk in the forest. Top photo taken using ISO 5000! Bottom one taken at the more usual one of 200.

Yosemite Rain - 1

Merced River, Dogwood - Yosemite  2015

Sandbar, Merced River - Yosemite  2015

The rain was intermittent, at one moment quite heavy, then letting up and disappearing. Snow was beginning to stick to the cliffs.

Rock Wall, Rain

Rock Wall - El Portal  2015

Mike woke up at 4:45 AM to the sound of rain on the tent.

He had been planning an excursion into the Sierra foothill area, but the weather changed his plans. He resolved to head up into Yosemite Valley to check out the atmospheric conditions. His first stop was across the Foresta Bridge to take a tripod shot of this rock wall.

Merced River, El Portal

Merced River - El Portal  2015

Taken from the Foresta Bridge. Mike's campground was a few miles down the road seen on the right side of the river.

Similar view from last year: Yosemite Camping.

South Fork, Merced River

Merced River, Hite's Cove Trail - Sierra Nevada  2015

Reflections, Merced River - Sierra Nevada  2015

The trail climbs at the beginning, only to drop precipitously downwards towards the water's edge. Once there, very nice. Digger pines in evidence.

Hite's Cove Trail Sightems

Flowers, Hite's Cove Trail - Sierra Nevada  2015

Granite Boulder, Young Tree - Sierra Nevada  2015

Some nice flowers, even though it was a little late in the season. Very peaceful with the sound of the river in the background.

Monday Limestone Salamander Blogging

Limestone Salamander - Sierra Nevada  2015

A rare Limestone Salamander seen on the Hite's Cove trail.

"The limestone salamander (Hydromantes brunus) is a member of the lungless salamander family, Plethodontidae, found in a portion of the Merced River Canyon in Mariposa County, California.

The total population of this rare species is estimated at less than 2000 individuals."

- Wikipedia

However, hiking on the trail one would not have suspected that these creatures were all that particularly rare. Mike had to be constantly on the alert in order to avoid stepping on them; they were obviously using the trail for their own purposes.

Hite's Cove Trail

Hite's Cove Trail - Sierra Nevada  2015

The trailhead is west down the canyon from El Portal. Mike knew that he was going to be late for truly spectacular wildflower displays, but wanted to go anyway.

He had hiked here some years ago, but had somehow managed to forget how narrow the trail actually was.

Campground Sightems

BBQ - El Portal  2015

Kindle, iPhone, Bluetooth Keyboard, Olympus Cameras - El Portal  2015

BBQ getting ready for a ribeye.

Olympus cameras: E-M10 (top), E-PL5 (bottom). Note the viewfinder sitting atop the E-PL5: somehow it got detached during some rough weather and is now missing. I like this particular camera combo because they both take the same size battery and are relatively minimalist.

Glacier Point Wide Angle

Manzanita, Half Dome - Yosemite  2015

Bark, Manzanita Leaves - Yosemite  2015

Two photos taken with the Olympus 9-18mm wide-angle lens.

Yosemite Waterfalls

Nevada & Vernal Falls, Clouds - Yosemite  2015

Yes, the waterfalls were running pretty low this year. But Nevada and Vernal Falls seemed to be doing OK in spite of the drought. Below, a closeup of Nevada Fall taken with the Olympus 14-150 zoom lens and cropped; one can just make out a footbridge over the creek. (Also, an earlier shot taken at the top of Nevada Fall. And in this instance, "earlier" means 1961.)

Nevada Fall - Yosemite  2015