Tag Archives: hug

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Ocean & Coast, Photographs: Travel

Layered Fog, Big Sur Coast

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Layered Fog, Big Sur Coast
Layers of thin, low-level fog hug the rugged Big Sur coastline of California

Layered Fog, Big Sur Coast. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Layers of thin, low-level fog hug the rugged Big Sur coastline of California

Over the course of many trips down through the Big Sur coast of California I have gotten acquainted with a range of weather, atmosphere, and light conditions. My favorites come during part of the year that starts now — late fall through early spring. It can be bright and sunny with warm temperatures, but more often there is wind, big surf, a passing weather front, or fog. One of my favorite conditions sometimes arises when there is a combination of sun and big surf from distant storms far offshore. The light is brilliant, but low fog and spray hugs the immediate coast.

It was that kind of weather during our early December day trip partway down this section of the coast. We could see new travel restrictions coming, and we wanted to get out before they arrived. (Because we can do this as a day trip, with no stops for food or gas along the way, it is safe for us… unlike overnight travel.) As we headed south the low coastal fog was usually backlit, as it is here, producing very dramatic effects.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Austria, Photographs: Nature

Eisriesenwelt Trail, Alps

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Eisriesenwelt Trail, Alps
Eisriesenwelt Trail, Alps

Eisriesenwelt Trail, Alps. Near Werfen, Austria. July 19, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Hikers descend the trail from the ice caves of Eisriesenwelt above the town of Werfen, Austria

Over a period of three weeks, our July 2013 visit to Europe took us to parts of Germany and Austria, and to London before that. The London portion of the trip was almost wholly and urban experience, but the time in Germany (with side trips into Austria) was quite a bit more varied. One significant difference is that while we hit our share of tourist areas, that’s not all we did since a) we were visiting relatives who are long-time residents of Germany and b) we traveled, as we often do, without a specific advance plan about what we would visit – at least beyond our fixed plan to stay in certain places on certain dates. Perhaps for this reason, and because I travel as a photographer as much as a tourist, the photographs from this trip may seem a bit eclectic and will cover a wide range of subjects.

This photograph was made at a popular tourist attraction not far from Salzburg and above town of Werfen, the Eisriesenwelt, also known as the Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave. There is a lot to say about this place – too much for this post – but I’ll give a bit of background. The cave is located far up the mountainside – more of a cliff, actually – above the town. The popular tour visits amazing underground ice formations near the mouth of the cave, though I understand that the cave system goes much farther back into the mountains. After driving up from Werfen, you walk uphill a short distance to a ski-lift style cable car system that takes you up the steep face almost to the cave… but you still have an additional uphill walk from there to the cave itself. (This being Europe, though, you can stop at the parking lot, the lower end of the tram, the upper end of the tram, and the same places going back down to sit, have a bite to eat, and drink a beer!) The trail between the upper tram station and the entrance to the cave is quite something. It traverses terrain that would scare the life out of people not used to very high and very exposed places – though a very civilized path has been built along the edge of the void, covered in some places for protection from rockfall. In this photograph, a section of the trail winds around a promontory with the deep Salzach Valley and Alpine ridges beyond.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.