Pinnacles National Park

Camping With Pongo

June 18 & 19, 2016

Pongo and I went camping on Saturday.  I wasn't actually expecting to get a site.  I had no reservations at Pinnacles and figured it would be a busy weekend (it was) but figured at worst we'd spend the afternoon down there.  I've never seen it so busy.  However, we lucked out because a group didn't show up for their weekend reservation so I got the large site for the night.  Pretty sweet.

Pinnacles National Park, CA

Pongo -- Pinnacles National Park, CA

New Camp Stove

There's not a lot to do with a dog at Pinnacles.  We can walk around the campsite and on the road.  That's pretty much it.  Pongo doesn't care.  He loves coming here.  He's become a confident camper as well.  We took a couple of walks around the campground, but mostly I just sat under that big tree while Pongo explored as far as his leash would allow.  The woods beside our campsite were full of little critters (the Pinnacles campground is one of the best places I know of for viewing wildlife) that were making noises all around us at night.  Pongo kept his cool for everything except for what I'm pretty sure was a bobcat screech.  That one got me too, so I didn't blame him for getting a little excited.

California Quail -- Pinnacles National Park, CA

Pinnacles National Park, CA

I spent some time practicing night photography.  I'm starting to get the hang of it.  A little, anyway.

Pinnacles National Park, CA

Turkey Vulture

Pongo had us up at sunrise on Sunday.  That was OK.  We were both snoring by 10:00 Saturday night.  I packed up the site and we drove around for some early morning photos.  Our first stop was at the Vulture Tree.  I don't know if it's actually called that by anyone but me.  It's a dead tree near the visitor center that often has a number of vultures hanging out on it.  The first time I visited Pinnacles--back when it was a national monument--I saw a condor on that tree.  I was excited but I didn't know just how special that was.  I've only seen them from a distance since then.  I saw two on Saturday flying high above us.

Turkey Vulture -- Pinnacles National Park, CA

Pinnacles National Park, CA

Wild Turkey -- Pinnacles National Park, CA

That's pretty much it.  We had breakfast and took a few pictures at Pinnacles Outlook.  We drove home after that.  It was a nice, quiet trip.

California Route 25, San Benito County, CA

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

It's been a while since I've posted anything.  I kind of went through this last year in spring, as well.  Winter is the best time of year in Northern California for getting outside.  There's snow in the mountains, birds fill the wildlife refuges and the ocean and skies are full of drama.  In spring the clouds go away, the birds go away and while the tourists never go away they are out in bigger numbers.  With all that, I lose my drive to get out.  My wife basically shoved me out the door on Saturday.  "Stop moping and go do somethng," she said, or at least something along those lines.

Whalers' Cove -- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA

It was a hot weekend, so I headed down to Carmel where I figured it would be cooler.  It wasn't just cool, it was downright cold.  Well, for June, anyway.  I went to Point Lobos which was a lot less crowded than normal.  It's never super crowded like Yosemite Valley or anything, but sometimes parking can be a hassle.  That wasn't the case on Saturday.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA

I took less than 150 photos.  That's not a lot for me.  I was pretty happy with a few of them, though.  Hopefully this was the start of me getting back into the groove again.  We'll see.

The Old Veteran -- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA

Headland Cove, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge

April 16, 2016

It's been a few weeks since I've had an outdoor adventure.  I've been busy with other things.  We spent a weekend in the recording studio and last week I watched the Masters on television.  That's probably my favorite televised sporting event.  A lot of people find golf to be boring to watch, but I like the way good play is slowly and patiently rewarded while one or two mistakes can unravel a run at a major championship.

Western Kingbird -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

It's definitely Spring now.  Most of the Winter birds have flown North.  The kingbirds are back, a sure sign that we've switched from Winter birds to Summer birds.  Meadowlarks are year-round inhabitants, but they were a little more conspicuous than normal.

Western Meadowlark -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

In fact, a lot of the regular, small animals were easier to see than normal.  I only saw a couple of hawks and a single harrier during the three hours or so that we were there.  It's not unusual to run out of fingers and toes when counting the hawks and harriers at this refuge.  I assume they've followed the ducks North.  Their absence makes life a little easier for the little critters, I guess.

Sheep -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Some of the refuge was fenced off for grazing.  This was the only sheep I saw.  I suppose others were probably lying down in the grass.  It was midday, after all.

Killdeer -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Most of the flooded fields were in the process of drying up.  Some of the fields in the back were still flooded.  There weren't a lot of birds there, just a few stragglers including this killdeer.

Tule Elk -- San Luis National Wildlife Reserve, CA

We saw three elk.  Again, probably a bad time of day to see elk.  The ladies always seem to be hard to spot, I suspect they stick to the middle of their large enclosure.  We found a couple of bulls hanging out near the shade of a tree.  This guy was keeping an eye on Pongo who was on a leash beside me while I took photos.  Tough light, but I like his velvety antlers.

Brush Rabbit -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

All in all, not the most exciting of trips but it was good to get out.  Pongo and I spent a good chunk of our time on Saturday just hanging out next to the parked car enjoying the peace and quiet.

Soundtrack

• John Coltrane -- Ballads

Lake Berryessa

Winter Transitions to Spring

March 19, 2016

I had no real plan on my drive yesterday other than to head in the general direction of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.  It's a brand new monument, less than a year old.  It's one of the weird ones not actually administrated by the National Park Service.  The upside of that is it will get the protection of a national monument and without NPS involvement the area probably won't change a whole lot.  The downside is the NPS is very good at balancing the needs of the tourists and the environments it manages.

Common Goldeneye -- Oakland/Alameda Estuary, Oakland, CA

Common Goldeneye

I never got to the new national monument.  Too many distractions.  That's OK, that happens a lot.  My first distraction was two blocks from my house.  As I crossed our neighborhood drawbridge, I spotted some ducks near the mouth of Sausal Creek.  They were obviously goldeneyes, but even from the bridge I could see they weren't quite what I'm used to seeing.  These birds were either in their non-breeding plumage or molting in that direction.  That was a new one for me.

Scaup -- Oakland/Alameda Estuary, Oakland, CA

Lupine

I wonder if these ducks were aware that a pair of peregrine falcons reside in the the bridge next to the little beach they'd chosen to inhabit.  I'm guessing not.  Then again, I suppose that's just part of life and death for these birds.  The Central Valley wildlife refuges provide winter homes for millions of ducks and geese.  They're also great places to go to see hawks and harriers.

After shooting the ducks I headed North.  Lake Berryessa is near the Southern end of the monument.  I knew that the exit I was looking for was a few miles past the Lake Berryessa exit, but I couldn't help myself.  I've never been to Lake Berryessa.  I knew heading to Lake Berryessa would mean I wouldn't make it to the new monument, but I've never been to Lake Berryessa either, so that's where I headed instead.

One of the great things about not a having a well-defined plan is not having to stick to that plan.

Pipevine Swallowtail -- Putah Creek, CA

Pipevine Swallowtail

Once I got into the Lake Berryessa area I didn't make a stop without seeing a pipevine swallowtail.  In some places I saw dozens.  I eventually stopped taking pictures of them because I figured I'd tire of looking at the damned things in post-processing.  How many hundreds of pictures of butterflies do you need to take in one day?

Truth be told, I only took about a hundred photos of the butterflies and I didn't tire of looking at the photos while doing the post-processing.  Butterflies are one of my favorite subjects.  They don't seem to spook as easily as birds but they also don't stay in any one place for very long, so they're a challenge to photograph but also not impossible.

I saw a monarch near home yesterday as I started this drive and realized I never made it to the monarch grove in Pacific Grove this year.  Argh.  Well, this little trip kind of made up for that.  I wasn't photographing monarch, but I had no idea how plentiful these swallowtails could be.

Pipevine Swallowtail -- Putah Creek, CA

Lake Berryessa, CA

I didn't actually stay long at the lake once I got there.  I took a few pictures then turned around and headed home through Napa.  I will definitely return, most likely with my kayak.  I was surprised at how hilly the area was.  I always think of the Napa area as being relatively flat.  The valley is, obviously, that's why it's called a valley (duh).  The hills in Napa are very pretty and a little more wild and rugged than I realized.  I want to spend some more time there.

Osprey -- Lake Berryessa, CA

Napa, CA

Muir Woods National Monument

For the Love of Trees

March 13, 2016

If all you've ever known about Muir Woods is what you've seen in my posts, you might think that it always rains there.  Obviously, that can't be true.  What is true, though, is that this is my main rainy day destination.  I love this place in wet weather.  For one, it thins out the ever-present crowds a little.  Not completely, but this place can fill up with loud, obnoxious tourists on a nice day.  The loud and the obnoxious don't seem to like bad weather.  On a rainy day I can walk the paths and enjoy the peace and serenity of the place.  I see plenty of people, but they seem to be the same type of people as me, the type that are seeking out a place where the wind in the tree tops and a high-flowing creek replace the urban sound-bed of the surrounding area.

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

I went strictly with long exposures today.  It's what seems to work best under the redwood canopy.  There are a few shots I wish I'd tried with a more normal setting, especially some of the creek shots.  The water was moving pretty well and I think that was lost a little bit in these photos.

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

Not much else to mention, here.  It was a nice day for a walk in the rain in a place that works for that kind of thing as well as any other.

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

2BP: Squirrels 'n' Stuff

February 29 - March 4, 2016

With the weekend behind us, we all settled into a regular routine for the week.  Pongo.  Work.  Hospital.  Dinner.  For the next four days, that was basically my life.

Canada Goose -- Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, OR

Bald Eagle

We woke up early enough one morning to get to Baskett Slough.  The light wasn't very good.  Still, I took some photos and Pongo enjoyed the short drive through the refuge.  It was his only real adventure for the rest of the trip.

We saw a bald eagle.  It was high on the hill, though, and Baskett Slough doesn't allow dogs out of cars even on leashes.  So, I had to settle for long shots from the parking lot.

Aside from this short trip to Baskett Slough, Pongo had to settle for walks around the neighborhood.  We spent a lot of time taking walks, though.  They were good for both of us.

Western Gray Squirrel -- Salem, OR

We saw a lot of squirrels on those walks around the neighborhood.  I suspect these sightings were Pongo's favorite aspect of the entire trip.  He seems sworn to rid this country of every squirrel he sees.  It's an obsession with him.  Sometimes it's entertaining to watch him get so focused on something, but it's not so fun when he just about yanks my arm off trying to catch the damned thing.

Western Gray Squirrel -- Salem, OR

By Friday, my mother was settled in and recovering at home.  Dad had things pretty well under control.  It was time for us to head home.  We made a brief stop at Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge on our way out of town then bombed our way home.  That was pretty much it.  Mom continues to do well in her recovery.

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, OR