Pinnacles' Pinnacles

Pinnacles National Park, CA

Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/125s, f/8, ISO: 100

I'm always trying to get a good shot from this spot.  Pongo and I usually make a stop at the riverbed and I take a few photos and I'm never really satisfied with the results.  This is the best I've ever been able to pull off.  Mornings are best.

Bean Hollow

Bean Hollow State Beach, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, 1/80s, f/9, ISO: 100

I took this photo on a drive between San Francisco and Santa Cruz a few months ago.  Bean Hollow is a nice little beach with a lot of rocks that I imagine make for nice tidepooling.  I didn't get a chance on this particular trip.  Hmmm.  Gives me an idea for what to do this weekend.

Solitude

Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley National Park, CA
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

Death Valley is quiet.  It's not silent.  When the wind blows hard, it makes a lot of noise, but it's like white noise.  Wind may make noise through the trees, but it also makes noise when there's nothing to blow through.  I've been there when the wind was blowing sixty miles an hour and I've been there when there was no wind to speak of, and if you need to get away and find yourself Death Valley is as good a place to go as any in either scenario.  The difference between quiet and silent is easily understood there.  It's the same kind of difference as being alone and being lonely.

Marble Walls

Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley National Park, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, 1/125s, f/11, ISO: 100

A better picture of the marble walls of the Mosaic Canyon's slot section seemed to be in order after yesterday's muddled photo.  This is an easy and rewarding hike that should not be missed.

Canyon Walls

Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley National Park, CA
Canon PowerShot SD 770 IS

You want a slot canyon?  You want it made out of what?  Sandstone?  Hell no!  This is Death Valley, Baby,  Death Valley uses marble polished smooth by the gravel and grit in the flash floods that have carved the canyon.  That's just how Death Valley rolls.

Mosaic Canyon is one of my favorite places in the world.  Hiking up the slot canyon is a nice, easy hike with a couple of minor scrambles.  It eventually opens up into a wide, colorful canyon with a number of areas for exploration.  This photo was taken from just below the mouth of the slot canyon.  I have no idea what I was actually trying to capture with this photo.  It's kind of a mess.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 106, photo #2694,

The Point of the Point

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. 1/640s. f/4. ISO: 100

I like the action in the water in this picture.  The light could be better on the water, but it looks pretty good on the cliff rocks.  Not perfect, but it works for me.

This picture was taken on the North-Western tip of Point Lobos, the point of the Point.  If you have the opportunity, hike the entire reserve.  It's only about a six mile loop and it's loaded with views like this.

Haystack Rock

Haystack Rock, Pacific City, OR
Camom PowerShot SX40 HS, 1/400s, f/4, ISO: 100

I dunno, I kind of like this shot.  Blogger is toning it automatically by adding more contrast and saturation.  It'a unfortunate, it takes away a bit of the moodiness of the original.  Oh well, it is what it is.

This picture was taken in November.  There were more surfers in the water to the right of this photo.  It takes a special breed.  The surf wasn't even all that good on that day.