The Ascent of Fremont Peak

Like yesterday, it was another Spring Break day that had to be spent outdoors. Early in the week I had allowed work on my computer to occupy too much of my time. Now work was done and it was time to play. My friend Noella and I decided to explore Fremont Peak, a state park near San Juan Bautista. Neither of us had been there before, but I had heard that the views from atop the 3,169 peak were outstanding. My State Park Guide Book described a one mile trail to the top (that started after an 11 mile drive up) that seemed easy enough. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.In the beginning, the well marked trail was a gentle slope up, lined with wildflowers and commanding views of the valley.

Gradually the hillside became steeper,
the trail more narrow and rockier...

and the views more incredible.
(Click on this photo to see its full size.)

Just past this spot I stopped, sat down, leaned back against a rock, and just enjoyed the view. I was privileged to see three hawks soaring overhead, and a hummingbird hovered inches from my face. I had on a red sweatshirt and I think he flew away disappointed that I was not the mother lode of nectar. We continued on around the peak. The trail leveled off in a few places, but for the most part, we were now climbing, climbing, climbing. I was happy to stop again for a few moments to catch Noella's approach. Behind her, the darker blue at the horizon is the Pacific Ocean (Monterey Bay).

The climb was getting steeper, but the top seemed so deceptively near that we continued to push on. Click on this photo and you will see a flag pole, our ultimate destination.

I was ahead of Noella
and when I saw this sign (click the photo to read it),
I almost turned back.

Then I figured it didn't apply. I was going up, not down, so I sat and waited. (Noella is not a slower hiker. She stopped more often to photograph.) In this photo she is on a secondary rock shooting east toward Hollister.

From this point on there was no more trail, only rock.
We pushed and pulled and crawled our way up...

stopping often to rest and photograph.

It took awhile, and the final ascent wasn't pretty, but we made it to the top and we felt quite good about it. The views were as advertised... spectacular. (Click this photo to see a larger view. It is 4 photos merged into a panorama.)

I was on a natural high for the rest of the day.

Coyote Lake

I spent Thursday afternoon at Coyote Lake. This gem of a park is just a 20 minute drive away. Last time I was there the water level was very low, so I I returned to see how different it might be with more water and with wildflowers in bloom. I was not disappointed.

This is a bit of self indulgence: a shadow self-portrait.
That's my head.

This beautiful little meadow was covered in tiny wildflowers.

One road parallels the west side of the lake and ends at the dam, pictured below. This view is looking back south toward the lake.

This one is looking north through the canyon. I had to lie on my stomach to include the little flowers in the composition. In a few months these hills will all be brown.

Tomorrow, my goal is to visit Fremont Peak State Park.
Stay tuned.

Big Basin Redwoods

The photography club held a shoot-out at
Big Basin Redwood Park.

The trees in this park are not the Giant Sequoias I visited last June, (see "Coastal Excursion blog"), but they have their own special charm, namely form and texture.

With most hikes through a redwood forest, the compelling view is up, but in this park the scenery at ground level was much more intriguing. Many of the trees had texture that was far more compelling than their height.

Some can only be described as "gnarly."

Of course, I did look up once in awhile. For this shot, I stepped over the fence, leaned into the tree, and shot straight up.

And for this one, I took three shots and
stitched them together into a vertical panorama.
Notice how the tree twists as it stretches up.

These were my intrepid trekking companions.You can see more of my photos from this shoot-out
(and those of others) on the club's Flickr Shoot-out site:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/mhphotoclubshoot-outs/

March Full Moon & Reflections

A little late getting posted, but worth the wait.

I usually go out two days before the full moon to scout for a location and then photograph it the next evening when moon rise is one hour before sunset. But this month my scouting photos, which I usually take just to view possible compositions, turned out quite lovely. Conditions were perfect. The moon was bright and the sky was blue and clear. I chose a spot along the edge of Chesbro Reservoir, which is so wonderfully full this year and is surrounded by hills that are stunningly green. (I know I'm gushing, but just look at these photos.)

I was hoping to get the moon's reflection in the water, but from my initial location, I could see that wasn't going to happen. I had scouted another spot earlier in the week, but rejected it because I would have to wait for the moon to rise over a hill and I thought it would be too high in the sky by the time it appeared. (I like to catch the moon as low to the horizon as possible when it is HUGE.) I took a chance and drove to a rise where a biker bar was once in business. All that is left is the foundation, a decomposing picnic table, and a horse shoe pit over grown with weeds. (I always wondered what went on up there, but was too intimidated to drive up and find out.) The views of the reservoir are marvelous.

On this evening, there was not even a wisp of a breeze. The sun was low but had not yet set and the water was mirror still. While waiting for the moon to show, I tramped down to the shore, crossing over some barbed wire, and captured these reflections.

I picked up a rock, threw it in, and shot the ripple effect.

I was having so much fun traipsing around the rubble of the bike bar, that I almost missed the moon. As I suspected, by the time it crested the hill, it was small, but to my great delight, I saw its reflection in the water.

Mission accomplished
I love it when a plan comes together.

Uvas Canyon County Park

On Wednesday after work, I met some friends at Uvas Canyon County Park to photograph along the Waterfall Trail. This beautiful, little park was recently chosen as one of the best kept secrets in the Bay Area. It offers hiking, camping and day use facilities, but it's the many waterfalls that are easily accessed along Waterfall Loop Trail that draw people in. Swanson Creek runs year round, but the falls are at their best right after a storm. As you can see from the first photo, these are not Yosemite-sized falls, but they are beautiful and charming none the less. Granuja Falls is the first, and it offers multiple photographic opportunities.

Just by zooming in...

or moving off to the side...

to catch a rainbow, a new photo is created.

Black Rock Falls is off a side trail at the top of the loop. I took a short cut that made me wonder what the hell I had gotten myself into, but was too far along to turn back. The climb would have been much easier to negotiate if I had not been lugging a camera, a bag full of gear, and a tripod.

I took the easy trail back down.

I saved this bottom photo for last because it is my favorite.
I love the color and shine on the rocks
and the smoothed-out flow of water.

It was a good way to spend an afternoon.

BarnStorming 2

This is a continuation of my hunt for barns.

If you really want to know the whole story,
skip down to "Barn Storming 1" and read it first, then come back.

I spied this barn on a backroad in Gilroy. I pulled onto a long drive and stopped because I didn't want to trespass, at least not in my car. I took this shot and then walked up the drive a bit to get a different angle, and low & behold, look what was waiting for me....

WOW! a barn with a horse in the foreground.
This was even better than wildflowers.

A secondary goal on my barn hunting trips was to find a classic wind vane, exactly like this one. I only had to trespass a little bit to move in close.

And right across the road stood this majestic tree
on a green, sloping hill.

My barn storming days are over for now.
You can view all my barn photos on my Flickr Photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

Barn Storming 1

The Morgan Hill Photography Club picks a theme for each month of the year and we take photographs based on that theme and post them to a Flickr site. The theme for March is "Barns." I have had so much fun searching for the perfect barn in the perfect setting. I first posted photos of this little gem back in November '09 (See "Halloween"). It's on a back road to San Jose that I travel on every day on my way to work. I though the barn was abandoned, but in comparing the photos, it is apparent that someone has been working on it.

I climbed over the fence to get a closer look.
Old barn wood has beautiful texture.

This green barn is in Morgan Hill and I drove by it hundreds of times and never saw it until a friend pointed it out. This one had a fence I chose not to violate, so I had to photograph from the side of the road, which was OK since the gnarly oak trees added so much to the composition.

We can post five theme photos each month, so last weekend I headed to Hollister on a barn searching excursion. There are lots of barns in Morgan Hill and Gilroy, but I wanted to find a classically styled barn nestled into a hillside and surrounded by colorful wildflowers. This is the style I was looking for, but it was on top of a rise with not a flower in sight.
I continued on and came upon this giant structure that has seen better days, but is still in full use.

This barn has not, I think, been used for a very long time. It is being consumed by the surrounding trees and shrubs.

As I photographed this slowly crumbling barn, I wondered about its history. At one time it was needed. It stood straight and its builder looked upon it with pride. How long ago was that and why was it abandoned?

I continued on, still looking for that post card barn in a picturesque setting. This is what I found, another barn that had fallen into disrepair. It wasn't what I was looking for, but I am so glad I stopped to photograph it. From this side, it looks pretty decrepit, but I was in for a treat when I walked past it and saw the other side.

I love how the earth is asserting its authority on this little bit of land. Trees were cut to mill the lumber to build the barn, and now trees are reclaiming their rightful dominance. Earth will always abide.

I was not out on this road alone.
I could feels eyes following my every move.

I never did find my pretty barn in a lovely setting, but I love the barns I found. I may go "barnstorming" again tomorrow. You can view more of my barn photos on my Flickr Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/