Tag Archives: point

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

The Shadow Line

March 3, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The boundary between morning sunlight and shadow traverses granite slabs

These slabs on the lower face of the Glacier Point apron always attract me, especially in the morning. I go way back with them — many years ago when I was, for a short time, a budding rock climber, we climbed on them, testing the limits of our trust in friction. Today, when I’m in this section of the Valley early in the morning, I always watch for the arrival of the first sun on the slopes.

I was in a cold meadow before sunrise on this winter morning. Soon the first light began to touch the cliffs along the north side of the Valley, and then trees along the upper rim near Glacier Point picked up the light. It worked its way slowly down the immense face, and the light final streamed through gaps behind Half Dome and slanted across this slope and revealed the cracks and scallops on the weathered granite.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Elephant Seals, Stream

January 15, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Elephant seals cavort in a fresh water stream flowing across a beach

During the first week of the new year we travelled to Southern California for a family event. These days we are more likely to take the plane or train for such things, but since our oldest son and his wife were visiting from New York and also were headed that direction we decided to drive and take the Pacific Coast Highway — not fast but certainly scenic. That plan also fell through. We didn’t check road conditions before departing and right around Carmel we saw a sign announcing that the route was closed some miles to the south. Normally that would mean turning around, but since one in our group had never seen the area at all we decided to at least go to Big Sur for lunch before turning around and using highway 101 instead. After lunch I happened to check my phone, and I discovered that the route had been cleared literally minutes earlier — and the Big Sur Coast drive was back on!

Below the most rugged section of the route (roughly south of Ragged Point) the terrain flattens out and becomes much more gentle. In this area there is a well-known elephant seal rookery, where these huge animals haul out and give birth each year. The elephant seal population was once endangered, but protections have brought them back and they are now becoming much more common along California’s coast. These animals had split off from the larger group to enter the fresh water of a coastal stream where it crossed the beach to join the ocean, with the water backlit by the late afternoon sun.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature

Poison Oak

October 11, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A vining poison oak plant grows on the bark of a coastal tree, Point Lobos

Californians learn about poison oak at an early age. I recall that in elementary school occasionally a fellow student would come to school suffering from an awful rash from this plant. From my earliest hikes in the California hills (but not the Sierra Nevada, to the relief of many!) I learned that the plant is everywhere and, like all hikers here, I learned to quickly identify it. It is known to most by the reddish-brown colors of the leaves, but the “leaves in threes” pattern is a more certain feature since it is also dangerous during its completely green phase.

Despite the danger, the plant can be quite beautiful — though I find it difficult to photograph. The red to brown tones of the plant is summer are striking, and it can actually appear quite lush during its winter growth period. I found this growth on the side of the tree at Point Lobos last winter, and was fortunate to be able to photograph it in partial shade and on a day when the sun’s intensity was muted a bit by haze and fog.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Wildlife

Harbor Seals

September 21, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A group of harbor seals hauled out on a beach at Point Lobos State Reserve

When I was very young, shortly after my parents moved the family from Minnesota to the San Francisco Bay Area of California, we used to periodically visit Point Lobos on the Monterey Peninsula, located at the very upper boundary of what some call the Big Sur coast. We were fascinated by the ocean itself and by the strange life we could find in the tide pools, by the birds on “bird island,” and by the rugged cliffs. I especially remember one small and pristine beach we often visited, in a very narrow cove and accessed by a steep stairway. I also recall that there were “seals,” but I don’t remember seeing a lot of them — somehow they weren’t really on my radar.

I have continued to visit Point Lobos for decades now, and I eventually became more away for the marine mammals that frequent the place. I learned where they hand out, and I found certain overlooks from which I could observe them. I figured out that not only had I been less than aware of these creatures, but that they come in colors! I have no idea how I missed that, but I recall the it may only have been a decade ago when I understood that the harbor seals are really quite beautiful — as you can see in this photograph, their mottled fur ranges from black to white-tan to somewhat blue. On a recent winter visit I found that little beach my family visited was now closed, and that a large group of these animals had made it their own.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: point

The Shadow Line

Elephant Seals, Stream

Poison Oak

Harbor Seals

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.