Tag Archives: road

Photographs: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Aspen Groves, Peaks, and Clouds

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Aspen Groves, Peaks, and Clouds
Clouds move in above Eastern Sierra peaks and autumn aspen groves.

Aspen Groves, Peaks, and Clouds. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Clouds move in above Eastern Sierra peaks and autumn aspen groves.

The fall color was the objective of my recent visit to the Eastern Sierra Nevada — and I did find it — but the weather and related conditions were perhaps the bigger story. Every fall we start to watch the forecasts, hoping to see the first early Pacific weather fronts arrive. They signal the advent of winter conditions, can bring rain and snow, and can sometimes last a day or more. In most years they begin in October, though the really big storms are still a ways in the future. During my visit early in the month, several weak fronts arrived and affected the weather. It turned cold, clouds lingered over the crest, and a small amount of rain and snow fell.

I made this photograph in a valley along the eastern front of the Sierra, where the sagebrush country rises toward higher peaks, and aspens and eventually conifers begin to predominate. Mixed sun and clouds moved varying light across this landscape, and clouds were settling in over the more distant peaks of the high country.

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: Fall, Photographs: Fall Color, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Autumn Meadow, Forest, and Peak

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Autumn Meadow, Forest, and Peak
A peak towers above colorful autumn aspen groves at the edge of a meadow in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

Autumn Meadow, Forest, and Peak. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A peak towers above colorful autumn aspen groves at the edge of a meadow in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.

When it comes to visiting the Sierra Nevada, the past couple of years have been a challenge! Travel was hard in general during the summer of 2020. I managed to get up there briefly in the late summer, but I ran into wildfire issues and had to cancel out of the one backpack trip I had planned. I got to the Sierra a couple of times this season, but on each visit something threw a monkey wrench into my plans and I had to improvise or leave early. During the past few days I managed to get to the east side to see the aspen color. But (yes, here it comes) I hit wildfire smoke south of Bridgeport, and when CalTrans started closing passes yesterday in anticipation of several inches of new snow, I high-tailed it back home.

However, I did see and photograph some aspen color. For the most part, I saw some pretty decent color, with the promise of more to come. There were quite a few colorful trees and plenty of others with hints of color to come over the next couple of weeks. If you can avoid the smoke, it should be good. (It was sad to see many newly-brown trees along Tioga Pass Road on my way home, trees that appear to be suffering from the drought.)

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: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Young Forest

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Young Forest
A dense forest of small trees, likely in an old logging tract, Northern California.

Young Forest. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A dense forest of small trees, likely in an old logging tract, Northern California.

As I described in a previous post, in early June we spent a day driving a somewhat less-travelled loop in far Northern California, a route the took us west from US 101 and out to the “Lost Coast” before heading south along a stretch of lonely beach and then turning inland. From there the route took us through coastal hills and valleys, though small hamlets, and past the ubiquitous marijuana farms before climbing a tall ridge and then dropping steeply into a dark and quiet redwood forest not far from our return route along US 101.

The first portion of this look was quite varied and different from what I expected. I only knew that it was a narrow, winding road with a somewhat dubious surface, and that it would eventually take us to the coast. But I had no idea of what terrain we’d cover or what sorts of vegetation we would see. Although the route starts near a coastal plain featuring farmland, it soon climbed into tree-covered hills, occasionally emerging into open meadows that sometimes afforded expansive views. At times the road was quite steep — it is not the sort of gentle route that tries to avoid steep grades. At one point we descended from a high open area and were surprised to find ourselves in this forest of small trees, moss, and ferns.

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Coastal Forest and Clouds

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Coastal Forest and Clouds
Rain clouds begin toi build above coastal forest hills near Ferndale, California.

Coastal Forest and Clouds. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Rain clouds begin toi build above coastal forest hills near Ferndale, California.

On the last full day of our early-June foray into redwood country in far Northern California, we did a longish loop drive out to the Lost Coast via an uncrowded route on narrow and winding roads. It took us from a small town in farm country over forested ridges, eventually dropping to the coast, where if following the coastline south for some miles before turning inland, passing through rural country (and the location of California’s, uh, “newest agricultural area) and emerging through redwood groves near US 101.

This was our first time traversing this route, so there were new things to discover all day and at almost every turn. The beginning of the route leaves typical flat farmland and rises into high coastal hills, where it alternately twists through forest, follows high ridges, and drops into deep valleys. We stopped along one of those ridges in a place where meadows opened the view. The photograph looks to the northwest and the barely visible Pacific Ocean, as clouds began to build toward a few light afternoon showers.

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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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