Yosemite in the Fall

Fall in Yosemite? I know it’s winter. What can I say? A while back I had the audacity to post that Yosemite might be overrated. While I still stand behind most of what I said in that post I can tell you Yosemite in the Fall when the park was all but empty is Epic.

It genuinely is nothing short of breathtaking. In. Every. Direction. One could spend a lifetime exploring it and it would look different in every season in every light at every angle.

Nothing compares to it. Nothing.

I’m still confident I’d never go in high season ever again without losing my mind. But I promise I’ll be back in the low seasons. Every. Chance. I. Get.

Cheers friends.

Your Moment of Zen – Point Reyes Nation Seashore

Point Reyes National Seashore Sand Castle Competition @ Drake’s Beach

It’s not the first time I’ve written about Point Reyes and nor will it be the last. This gorgeous stretch of ocean is magnificent and enjoyable no matter the time of year. The Drake’s Beach Sand Castle competition brought us for this journey and it did not disappoint. People and their abilities and imagination were immensely entertaining. Other times of the year the enormous Elephant Seals are breeding or calving on this very beach so it’s never dull.

*To those that had the foresight to recognize these gorgeous places as National Seashores or Parks you have my gratitude. And to those who continue to fight to keep them in that status you also have my gratitude. I am so lucky to have a place like this to share with my son who thinks it’s just normal to have these treasures.

I stop and take our photo in the tree tunnel every time we visit and hope I continue to have them when my son is bigger than me!

Moss Beach California

I never grow tired of visiting the coast. The older I get the more I need it. Some friends were kind enough to invite us for a visit to their home in Moss Beach, California and we had a wonderful time visiting the beach and the Tree Tunnel. The bridge to the tunnel had been damaged significantly due to a few recent very brutal storms but we made it anyway rewarded at the end with a lovely dinner.

*Hi to all of my blogger friends. It’s been too long and I hope all of you are well.

Safari West

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Years ago I went to Safari West on a photography trip where I took some of my favorite photos. Since having my son traveling to this location with him has been high on my list. Kids have to be four to take the trip on the Jeeps. After a brief pause during COVID and two massive forest fires that ravaged the area we finally made it. It decided to rain for the first time in eight months but we made it! We saw baby giraffes and baby zebras (not pictured sadly), gorgeous birds, lemurs, cheetahs, tortoises, and lots of other African animals. My son got to run free and play in the mud puddles. It was a wonderful trip and seeing a five day old giraffe was worth every penny.

Mumm Vineyards – Napa

Heading home from Calistoga I headed towards Lake Berryessa and stopped at Mumm because the Napa Valley was showing off. For me it is easy to get turned off by the glamour and money and tourism of the Napa area. But, on days like this, it reminds me why this area is a world-class location for people to visit from around the world no matter the traffic. Behind me for probably fifty plus miles the earth is scarred from the last fire. But ahead of me is fall, crush, clear sky from the recent rain, and a glorious vista. Cheers.

Wide Open Walls 916 – Faces and Emotion

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There is all sorts of artwork and graffiti in the Wide Open Walls 916 festival around the Sacramento area. But, some artwork stands apart. This would be fit for canvas and its fifteen feet tall both faces flanking either side of a building. I was actually walking from my car to a business and it stopped me in my tracks. It’s always impossible to share scale in wordpress but I hope the emotion and quality of work come through.

Petrified Forest – Santa Rosa

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My son and I took a trip to the Santa Rosa Mountains outside of Calistoga to visit Safari West. On our way there we took a pitstop at the Petrified Forest. The site has a quick little mile loop where you can read and learn about the petrified forest and the history of the location. We learned about these trees being knocked over 3 millions years ago when Mount Saint Helena erupted burying these trees in ash and thereby petrifying them for posterity. It’s a very interesting little spot which folks can’t see just anywhere. It’s a great way to be outside particularly as COVID lingers on. It’s a lovely drive there and through the mountains or a quick side trip from the beautiful Napa area.

Wide Open Walls 916 – Rainbows

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Sacramento’s Wide Open Walls 916 festival has some pretty colorful additions this year. I liked these two in particular because of their joyous color. It really helps make a run down warehouse show some cheer and some pride.

Wide Open Walls 916 – Sacramento Fire Deparment

It was wonderful to see first responders represented this year in a few different Wide Open Walls 916 events. This mural along with a part time twin towers painted out of Conex boxes and put on end along with another temporary art exhibit was a breath of fresh air for the event. As everyone is well aware our great State of California continues to get hammered with devastating fires so I support this cheerful way to recognize our first responders in the event.