Tag Archives: park

Creek and Moss, Castle Rock State Park

Creek with Mossy Rocks
Creek with Moss-Covered Rocks. Castle Rock State Park, California. February 24, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

I frequently walk past this fern covered section of creek when I hike the main trail to Castle Rock and Goat Rock at Castle Rock State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains of central California.

keywords: castle, rock, state, park, california, usa, santa cruz, mountains, skyline, road, trail, hike, rock, log, creek, water, moss, leaf, valley, scenic, landscape, winter, fern, stock

Egret, Pond, and Fog

EgretPondFog2007|01|20: Egret, Pond, and Fog. Calero Hills, California. January 20, 2007. © "Copyright G Dan Mitchell". ("sales")    keywords: egret pond fog calero hills santa clara county park california color photograph

Egret, Pond, and Fog. Calero Hills, California. January 20, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

The story: When I arrived at this pond at about 7:30 a.m. the egret flew up from behind some reeds and across the water before I could get my camera out. It settled for a moment on a nearby hillside and then flew off. Darn!

So I put my camera on the tripod and settled in for a long cold wait. Fortunately there were interesting foggy conditions to keep me occupied. Perhaps an hour later the egret came back and approached the pond as if to land. Spotting me, it made a quick circle and headed back the way it had come – but I managed to fire off about a half dozen shots as it looped in front of me.

keywords: egret, pond, fog, calero, hills, santa clara, county, park, california, color, usa, mist, water, reflection, tree, bush, bird, flight, nature, scenic, landscape

Mission Peak: First Light on Mount Diablo

DiabloFirstLight2006|11|23: First Light on Mount Diablo. Mission Peak, California. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

First Light on Mount Diablo. Mission Peak, California. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The story: This photograph was made just before sunrise at the top of Mission Peak, on the ridge above Fremont in the southeast San Francsico Bay Area. Here the sun is already striking distant Mt. Diablo, a landmark peak in the East Bay and Delta area. A group of us had climbed Mission Peak for the sunrise onn this Thanksgiving Day morning.

keywords: mount, diablo, park, dawn, sunrise, first, light, mission, peak, fog, hills, san francisco, bay, area, fremont, california, usa, color, photograph, landscape, scenic, east, regional, hike, climb, trail, stock, rock, valley

People, Evening, Glacier Point

People, Evening, Glacier Point
People, Evening, Glacier Point

People, Evening, Glacier Point. Yosemite National Park, California. June 11, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A small group gathers at Glacier Point to watch the sunset over Half Dome and Tenaya Canyon, Yosemite National park.

A small group of people gather along the edge of the cliff at Glacier Point to watch the sunset. This had been a much less wet winter than the current (2011) winter, and little snow is visible at the higher elevations even though it is early June.

Any visitor to the Valley should make a point of watching the sunset from this vantage point. Park visitors have been doing it for decades, and with good reason. From here the view includes the depths of Yosemite Valley, including some of the waterfalls and famous granite faces, Half Dome, the gorge of Tenaya Canyon, Mount Hoffman and the domes around North Dome, and out of the frame to the right the crest of the Sierra.

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Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM at 17mm (at B&H)
ISO 100, f/18, 1/60 second