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Published: August 8th 2007
Big Sur, California
For my money of the 3,000 pictures I have taken thus far this is my favorite. This pic. is taken near Big Sur, CA on my way to Yosemite. 3/3/07
The next morning Mark and I got up around 7:00 and headed for the Hollywood Hills area. The place we were going to allowed unleashed pets and there were hundreds of dogs of all shapes and sizes. The hike was pretty grueling. I believe Mark said it was between 2 and 3 miles and lot of it was uphill. Towards the top of the hike we had a clear view of the infamous Hollywood sign. Very cool. I took several pics. One lab pup kept getting way ahead of his owners. I tracked him down and brought him back to them. A little later in the hike the pup was way ahead of them again and I brought him back. They didn’t seem to mind I suggested they consider putting him on the leash or they might lose him. From the top of the mountain you could see a lot of LA and Hollywood. About ¾ into the hike Mark ran into a few of his friends. One of his friends stated the gentleman walking down the trail was a cast member of ER. It was a colored gentlemen and I have no idea who it might have been. We
Top 20 Trip Pic
I love this pic. Like my Friend Jim says you always take pictures of dead trees. Upper and lower Yosemite Falls in the background. finally completed the walk and I showered at Marks and headed out on my own around 11:00. I drove down Sunset Boulevard as Mark suggested, and took that road most of the way to Pacific Coast Highway and then headed back to Venice Beach. On my way to Venice Beach I was rear ended by some kids. I motioned for them to pull over and look at the bumper with me. I took a pic of the bumper and the kids license plate. After looking at the bumper it appeared to me that it had been damaged. I suggested we go to a body shop and get an opinion on cost to fix it. The kids agreed to do it. The driver seemed pretty nice about the accident as he apologized over and over. I asked him if this was going to upset his Dad and he said no. The kids were from Santa Cruz and were on their way to go boating. They appeared to have money. We finally found a body shop to give us an estimate and the cost was $585. The kid was a little surprised to hear of this amount. I told him I suspected
Big Sur, California -Pic 2
How can I not post 2 pics of this amazing area. If I were to pic. one area of this trip to be the most beautiful this probably is it. it to be about that much. I ask him if he wanted to settle it now or if he wanted to get another estimate. He said he wanted to settle it now and apologized more about the whole ordeal. He said he had to go to an ATM to get some more cash. At the ATM he got another $200 coupled with the $280 he had in his billfold and another $100 from his body they came up with $580. I was surprised they had this amount of money on them. I think they must have been from a wealthy family. The one kids said they have a whaler that they were going out on today and also have a sailing boat as well as a ranch in Montana where they go fishing. Yeah I think at least their fathers have some jack.
After getting this ordeal resolved I finally made it to Venice Beach. The area is indeed pretty much a circus as advertised. I walked around looking at all the craziness. There’s plenty to go around. They have several basketball games going on and a weight room right near it. Lots of street vendors selling their goods.
Wild Seals
It's cool to see animals doing their thing naturally. These seals are the first I have seen in the wild. A location where graffiti on a concrete wall is allowed. They continue to let people spray paint it. Had never seen that before. After seeing that circus I decided I better get heading towards Pismo Beach, where I planned to spend the night.
I pulled into Pismo Beach around 8:00 and quickly setup camp. Got some dinner fixed and eaten and dishes cleaned in no time at all. Type for awhile and hit the proverbial Hay Wagon.
3/4/07
The next morning I got up and looked around for the restaurant splash were I hoped to have breakfast. Karen’s friend had recommended this place for lunch so I thought I would try it. Unfortunately, this place did not have breakfast and they would not let me look around inside so I went on my way. As I drove to the highway I saw a hippie looking person working on his van. I wanted to get a pic so as I drove by and took a shot. He saw what I was doing and looked at me really weird. I was surprised that he saw me and felt a little bad about that, but hey what are you going to
Hearst Castle
This guy went to Europe when he was young and was so influenced by their architecture that he came back and built this thing when he was older. I wonder if I will do the same when I return from Europe. Then again there is this thing called money, which might be a small hindrance. do.
As I drove up Highway 1 I was amazed at the view and winding roads and sheer cliffs. To the right you had the coastal mountains with primarily grass growing on them and to your left the Pacific Ocean. It was beautiful. At times I felt my stomach drop as I looked to the ocean from the cliffs. I noticed that for about the first 20 minutes of driving along this treacherous, but beautiful highway that I was grabbing the steering wheel extremely tight and I was leaning forward in my seat. I was concentrating at the task at hand for sure!. As I drove along the highway I made it to the Hearst Castle around 9:00 in the morning. I saw where they have a movie and then the bus tour. I was hesitant to do it, but as Karen’s friend suggested, I went ahead and did it. I was glad I did. The complex in it’s hay day was around 240,000 acres, but today is only a measly 92,000 acres. The biggest building in the castle is 82,000 sq. ft. It has an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a movie theatre and several workers and guest
Hearst Castle - Pic 2
William R. Hearst had some great views from his castle. Even with all these belongings the reality of it all is he is just as dead now as we will all be someday, with only 6 foot of real estate above him just like the poorest person. buildings. The original Hearst struck it big in the mining industry and then his son William Randolph Hearst made even more money in the publishing industry. That’s how most people know him today as a publishing mogul. As a boy William and his mom who was 19 when she married Mr. Hearst, set off on a World adventure. They traveled for 1.5 years. That’s crazy why would anybody do something like that? William was about 9 at the time and this obviously had great influence on the design of this castle. You saw a lot of Pershian, Roman and Catholic Church influences. The tour ended around 11:40 and I was on the road again. As your driving up the coast the engineers planned for all the tourist wanting to take pictures as there are several locations where you can pull off the road to take photos. I thought that was a great idea. In the area near Big Sur you actually go away from the ocean which surprised me and through this wooded area with some big trees which I assume were redwoods. At one section of the highway it was so dark my headlights came on from the canopy
California Hill Country
Their's Texas Hill Country and then their's California Hill Country. Sorry Texas but California has you way beat. above. It was very cool. I didn’t spend as much time there as is warranted and instead just kept driving. I knew I had a lot driving this day and didn’t want to get to Yosemite too late.
After continuing with this beautiful scenery and winding roads for another hour or so I made it to Monterey. I saw a sign that said Pebble Beach which intrigued me a little, but decided against going to it as I had no idea how far it was and I really had no desire to go to this exclusive club for the wealthy. One thing I was pleased to see though all along the California coast is lots of beach access for the general public more so than I saw on the east coast in North Carolina and Florida.
From Monterey Bay I typed in Yosemite on the computer and started following directions from my driving companion. You know I should name her. Lets call her Lucy. As I drove to Yosemite I saw lots of large plots of land where crops were being grown. In several areas I saw this fruit like tree with white blooms. I wondered what type
Supper is Served
I pulled into Yosemite after dark and fixed this concoction for supper. It really wasn't that bad. of tree that was. You saw lots of Mexican influences in the towns I drove through around all these vast farming areas. I finally made it to the area where the forest began around 6 and realized I had a long ways still to go to find camping. Again the long winding treacherous roads were upon me but since it was dark they did not appear to be so bad. Also I was becoming more proficient at driving on them. It seems a persons fears are so not warranted usually. Once you actually do the thing your afraid of it is never as bad as your mind conjures it up to be. Maybe that is some kind of built in safe guard? I don’t know. Back to the trip.
As I drove into the actual park there is a big rock that you have to drive around. Since it was night I could not get picture so I figured I would take the pic when I drove back out. I made it to Yosemite Village around 8:30 and asked a person about camping availability and he was not very helpful and I was a little concerned that there might
My Yosemite Campsite
This is the first snow I had encountered on this entire trip. I was pretty lucky with regards to the weather. not be camping at all. I had not planned for this. There was lots of snow on the ground. I finally made it to an informational board which stated Upper Pines was open. I drove through the campground and saw where a group of people were playing music around a campfire. I knew I wanted a campsite somewhat close to this group as I love listening to music in the outdoors around a campfire. I found the host and paid the fee and proceeded to my snow laden campsite. There was probably 8 inches of snow on the picnic tables. The trees were enormous and you could tell they try at all expense not to cut trees down as there was a large tree within a few feet of the parking pad for my sight. I liked that. As George Washington said at the plantation in South Carolina, “The hands of man can not make an Oak”, but in this case they were huge pine trees. I could see the outline of a sheer cliff behind me and wondered what that would look like in the morning as it was enormous. I fixed some supper right quick and did some
Breakfast is Served
It actually looks better than it tasted. 10 points for the health benefits however. typing. I couldn’t wait to see what views the morning would bring. Even with the snow on the ground, it did not feel that cold and I was confident it would only get into the 30’s that night, which I am prepared to handle. It seems a little ironic that the coldest night I had on this trip was at Joshua Tree in the desert. I generally think of deserts being extremely warm places, but they get cold too. I put on my ski bibs and stuck my wool banket inside my sleeping bag for added warmth around my feet. I wasn’t too concerned about my warmth as I was confident I would not get cold this night.
3/5/07
The next morning I got out of the truck and looked around. The trees around me were enormous and the cliff behind me was spectacular as it towered above the campsite. It is amazing how much different things look during the day than they do at night. The group next to me were already up at least the leaders of the group fixing breakfast. I got some water boiling in preparation for my breakfast. Lets see what is on the
Snow Covered Picnic Table
Not exactly the best conditions for a picnic! menu. It looks like it is oatmeal or oatmeal. I decided on the oatmeal. What I typically do is take some of the Quaker Oats and mix that in with some packets of oatmeal that are already flavored. This morning I picked cinnamon and apple. I also decided to take an apple that I had and slice it into the oatmeal as well. This was very good. I heard the neighboring group talking about pancakes so I assume that’s what they had. It felt good to eat oatmeal as my eating habits have really suffered on this trip. The neighboring group were playing some games one of which required them to put their stocking caps over their head while placing their hands on the person’s shoulders in front of them. The person in the very front of them could see while everyone else could not. They then followed that person around the campground blind. It was pretty funny to watch and I took a couple pics. I ate the breakfast, got organized, and headed for the ranger’s office to discuss what to do to get a feel for Yosemite in a time slot of about 6 hours, which is really
all I could afford to spend in this beautiful place.
As I drove to the vicinity of the Visitors Center I was a little confused by the signage. I finally parked my truck and began walking. I guess in the Summer the crowds are so big that they make you park in these lots a pretty good distance away and walk to everything. I walked about a ¼ mile before finding the visitor center and walking was the only way to get there it turns out. I watched a short movie on Yosemite, which was pretty decent and then talked to a park ranger. At first I really had my doubts that the ranger I was about to talk to would be helpful because of my stereotyping, but it turned out he was awesome. He recommended I walk to upper and lower Yosemite Falls from where I was at and then head to Curry Village for some photos. After that he said to continue to Bridleveil Falls and to Tunnel View and showed me how to drive there. I asked him if the trees around us were Sequoias and he said no that they grow in groves. I told
Indian Tracker Skills Paying Off
I saw some big buck fecal matter and belly crawled two miles, including a 1,500 ft. climb up the south face of El Capitan before encountering three monster bucks. This is one of the bucks. Thanks master Jason for these Indian tracker skills. him I was headed to San Francisco and asked if their were any I would encounter as I exited the park. He showed me a grove that was about a mile hike off the road.that would be on my way out of the Park. I was very pleased with this plan as I felt like I would be seeing the main things with good time utilization.
As I walked back to the truck I saw a post office. Yes Yosemite has it’s own post office. I was surprised by all the buildings in the area that comprise Yosemite Village and Curry Village and Yosemite Lodge for that matter. They all fit the area really well and seemed fine to me as they did not appear to take away from the experience at all.
I decided to find some post cards, which I did at the Ansel Adams museum and store. I spent about an hour getting the post cards sent off. I have only sent post cards one other time on this trip and that was in Acadia National Park in Maine. I felt good for having sent these post cards. This trip has been full throttle and
I really had very little time to do anything extra although I must say it has been a blast!
As I walked to the Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls I marveled at the majesty of nature in this park. As I got to the Falls three guys were mooning 3 women in their group and taking pics. I estimate the people to be in their 40’s. Fortunately there were only a few other people in the area and all adults. I was about to tell them to grow up and show a little class, but I showed restraint not to. We were in this place that is absolutely beautiful and they were doing that. I don’t think they got it! Anyway they left soon after and I marveled at the site. I spent a few minutes there snapped some photos and was on my way. As I walked away I snapped a few more as you could see both falls better as you got farther away. Lots of pics were being taken and I saw lots of kids in the area. There is actually lots of places to stay in Yosemite while not having to rough it. They even
I was there.
Evidencing the fact that I was actually in Yosemite. have yurts at one site that I always I wanted to stay in.
I got back in my truck and drove to Curry Village, where I could see ½ dome and some other cool rocks, just as the ranger said I would. I then drove to Bridleveil Falls and to Tunnel View. Tunnel View afforded some amazing views of the valley including El Capitan, ½ dome and Bridleveil Falls. The State of California does a great job of providing viewing locations for vistas. It’s really good engineering from a safety standpoint as tourist are always looking for pictures to take. I got to this point instead based on signs instead of recklessly looking for pictures and places to pull off the road. A lot safer I believe. I met an older guy there that had two very pretty younger women with him. I talked to him a bit. He said he was telling his coworkers that he was spending the whole weekend with a latino and a venezula women, which should make him the luckiest man alive. The only problem was they have 4 kids that would also be along. He was fun to talk to and the women
Yo Yo Yo Yo Semite
As my boys in the hood say! were very bubbly, take from that any meaning you want. I snapped a few more photos and was on my way out of the Park. The Park is vast and I knew I had lots of driving ahead of me on winding roads.
The drive seemed to be going pretty fast. I guess I was starting to get the hang of driving in these conditions. I made it to the parking area and began hiking to the Sequoia Gove around 3 pm. There was lots of snow in this area and the path seemed pretty defined. I started down the path and I could see where some folks before me had sunk into the snow and I noticed I was having the same problem. It was pretty tough going like this, but fortunately the sinking was fairly sporadic and mainly was only about 4 inch down. I walked a long ways and thought I had to be getting close to the grove by now. The farther I walked the bigger the trees got. I finally reached a point thinking I had to be in the Sequoia Grove by now as it seemed like I had walked the mile and
Half Dome
A picture of the infamous Half Dome! stopped to take a picture of this massive tree. It’s extremely hard to capture the beauty of these tress and really the only way to at least show the size is to stand by it. I set the timer on my camera and ran to the tree for a comparison photo. I made several photo attempts when I finally decided that that was the best I could do. I walked a little farther around the corner, which was another couple 100 feet and I saw a sign that said you are now entering the Sequoia Grove. I was thinking wow that tree back there was not even a Sequoia. As I walked a few 100 feet more I could see this object a little farther ahead that was enormous but at first did not look tree like. I was intrigued. As I got closer I realized it was a tree and it was the biggest tree I had ever seen. It was so big you thought this can not be possible. I suspect it was about 20 feet in diameter and I really have no idea how tall. I just looked at it with my mouth wide open. Unbelievable! There
View of El Capitan
View of El Capitan through the trees! were a group of kids in the area as well and I talked to the instructor a little. She said these trees get as old as 3,000 years and they can be as much as 40 feet in diameter. She said just down the path heading up a little hump near us there’s a tree you can walk through. She said many years ago in an effort to encourage people to come to this area they sacrificed a few trees by cutting big holes in the trunk. They then told people that there are trees so big that you can drive through them. I saw the tree and was a little disappointed as really the only thing left of the tree was the base as the rest of the tree had fallen over. You could however still see the size of whole and I could freely walk through it. I walked a little farther and saw a tree a little ways off the path down in a ravine that I wanted to get a comparison picture of. As I got off the path I sunk about 3 feet into the snow. It was very tough going but I was determined
Just another Pic?
Ho Hum pic in Yosemite. Amazing Place. to get a pic of this tree. As I got down there I set my camera on my fanny pack and then run over to the tree just in time for 10 secs. to pass and for the camera shutter to open and close. I tried this about 5 times only to be disappointed each time. I saw a couple more trees farther down the ravine so I went down there to try more pics. By this time I was huffing and puffing big time. After 5 more valiant efforts for a good comparison shot I said this will have to do as it was getting dark, I was sweating, hot and had a long hike ahead of me to get back to the truck as most of it was up hill. I did not have any gear on me in case I would get lossed out here and have to spend the night. As I headed back I did get turned around once which was a little disturbing as I knew there was no way I could survive a night out here with the provisions I had. The youth group was long gone as well so it was just
Bridalveil Fall Shower
I hadn't showered for many days so I thought I would take a shower under this Fall. me and I knew I had to keep my head. After a few minutes I had found the trail back and I was on my way. I just kept thinking about putting one foot in front of the other and before I knew it I had caught up to that youth group which put my mind at ease. It seemed like the hike out went pretty quick and before I knew it I was in the parking lot and pretty wore out. I had a long drive ahead of me to San Francisco that night so I decided to just leave the wet clothes on for awhile to help keep me awake. I drove about 1 ½ hours and was finally starting to get out of the mountains. I stopped at the gas station and grabbed some dry clothes out of the truck. Before I said a thing to the attendant she told me where the bathroom was located. I got a bite to eat there for the road and was on my way. I made it to San Fran. around 9 and was happy to be there. The drive in was pretty cool as I got to drive across
Tunnel View
You need to see this place first hand. It's amazing! El Capitan is on the left, Half Dome in the Back on the right and Bridalveil Fall in front on right. the bay bridge which was a first for me. The toll to use their bridge was $4.00 which I thought was plenty, but I did not have a boat so my options were limited. Parking at the place I was staying was ridiculous and did not look all that secure even though the neighborhood appeared nice. I decided to take pretty much everything out of the truck and up to the second floor of the apartment I was staying in. I did finally find some parking that looked great. It felt great to finally have everything done for that day as it was busy. I sat down with the person I was staying with had some wine and talked for awhile and went to bed. I slept great that night.
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Amy
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Gosh, Dave, these pictures put my skills learned in undergrad photgraphy to shame! Nice job! Love the Sequoia pics, too. I hope to see them someday.