CELEBRATE NATURE: Earth Day 2020

IT’S EARTH DAY’S 50^th ANNIVERSARY TODAY

DO SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE!

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”  Rachel Carson

This year, with the pandemic making life scary and crazy, we need Nature more than ever. We need its beauty, variety, and solace. We also need to take time to value its many lessons:  patience, strength, hope, wonder, and spiritual connections.

Now more than ever, as we are asked to stay home and stay safe, it is important to find ways to keep Nature a part of our day to day lives. Play in your yard, walk in a garden or along a trail, feed the birds, play with pets, share flowers, plant vegetables.  You can even watch shows about Nature or work to help improve the protections for the Nature that is all around us, but that is too often overlooked.

One of the ways I am celebrating is by sharing some of my favorite Nature Photographs as I wait until I can take another Nature Trip.  I would love to head back to any of these wonderful places.

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.’”   Sylvia Plath

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”  Lao Tzu

Views of Fall Color near Bishop, CA

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.”  John Muir

Views of Yosemite National Park

“Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience.”   Ralph Waldo Emerson

Views near Carrizo Plain National Park, CA

“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”  Henry David Thoreau

Carmel Valley, CA

Drive through Redwoods, CA

“I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?”  Vincent Van Gogh

Grand Tetons, WY

“My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature.”  Claude Monet

Views near Red Rock Canyon State Park, CA

“Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”   Hans Christian Anderson

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature.  It will never fail you.”  Frank Lloyd Wright

Mono Lake, CA

Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Mt. Whitney, CA

Mt. Shasta, CA

Crater Lake National Park, OR

California State Poppy Preserve

Views of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

“We see God face to face every hour and know the savor of Nature.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

PHOTOS THAT FILL THE FRAME

Upper Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park

“If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.”   Jim Richardson

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place. I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”  Elliott Erwitt

Taking photographs can be seen as an easy task. Just point the camera (or phone these days) and click.  But some photographs are better than others.  They somehow capture our attention, pull us in, make us pause for a moment, help us appreciate what we see.  These reactions are what I like about photography.  Plus the captured memories.

Pretty Buds, Yosemite National Park

But how do photographers capture those photos.  In great part, it is trial and error.  Some good advice is to fill the frame.  Get close to the subject.  Look for different perspectives. See what can be eliminated from the photo as well as added.  Experiment by taking lots of photos.

Here are some more of my photos where I was able to fill the frame.

Tuolumne Meadow, Tioga Road, Yosemite National Park

Yucca Bud, Red Rock Canyon, California

Mount Whitney Behind Alabama Hills, California

Great Fritillary Butterfly, Whitney Portal Road, California

Of course, there are also times when I literally frame a photo in my side view mirror.  Let me explain.  I am a roadside naturalist.  My mobility limitations mean that I experience nature along scenic drives, staying in my car to capture whatever wonders I can.  A long time ago, I accidentally caught an interesting photo in my side view mirror. Since then, I look for what I might otherwise miss in those side view mirrors.

Back Roads around Bishop, California

Flowers in Carrizo Plain, California

Afternoon Light, Leaving Carrizo Plain, California

Autumn Leaves along the Merced River, Yosemite National Park

Aspen Grove Near Bishop, California

Hills along Highway 58 Heading to Carrizo Plain, California

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Some Quotes to Remind Photographers to Just Take Photos

“There are no rules for good photographers, there are only good photographs.”  Ansel Adams

“I walk, I look, I see, I stop, I photograph.”  Leon Levinstein

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”   Ansel Adams

“To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”  Edward Weston

“A good photograph is knowing where to stand.”   Ansel Adams

“Best wide-angle lens?  Two steps backward. Look for the ‘ah-ha.’”   Ernst Haas

“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.”  Ansel Adams

This post is my response to the Lens Artist Photo Challenge 66: Filling the Frame.

Scenic U.S. Highway 395: Fall Colors around Bishop, CA

The first time I drove to Bishop, California, to look for fall colors was years ago with my dad.  We had a lot of fun wandering on some of the country roads. Now, whenever I go on this trek, I think of Dad.  I figure he is with me on these drives, enjoying the fall colors once again.  Last year on my trek, there was limited color; it was apparent I was a bit too late for the best viewing.

This year, I opted to go on this Nature Trek the third week in October rather than the first week in November.  Just a little change in timing, but the color was much more impressive.  My main goal was to drive the June Lake Scenic Loop, but I also traveled some other country rounds along Highway 395 near Bishop.

It was a beautiful, colorful autumn day!

JUNE LAKE SCENIC LOOP (Highway 158)

Views of June Lake

 

Quick View of Silver Lake

Along side Grant Lake

Back at Highway 395 with a View of Mono Lake

CROWLEY LAKE ROAD

STRETCH OF LOWER ROCK CREEK ROAD

 

On the Road: Looking for Fall Color

“There are no days so delightful as those of a fine October.”   Alexander Smith

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”   Jim Bishop

I live in Bakersfield, which sits roughly in the middle of California.  This year has been a hot one.  Most summers, we average 126 days of 100+ degrees, but this year there were more than 150 days.  Fall weather offered unusually high temperatures as well.  It is technically fall, but it does not feel like it. The trees about town that typically offer some fall colors have been slow in putting on their show.  Except for one little tree in my neighborhood.  Although it stands less than 10 feet tall, it has boldly offered vivid red leaves to remind us all that fall is in the air.

That little tree encouraged me to take my annual trek to find fall colors. Some years, I head up to Bishop while others I visit Yosemite. This year, I decided I would travel to both locations, figuring I would see some fall colors somewhere en route.  Of course, even if I didn’t find fall foliage, the drive itself always offers wonderful views.  It is just great to be on the road again!

My first day was an easy four-hour drive from Bakersfield to Bishop. The drive up the Kern River Canyon via Highway 178 initially showed sporadic bits of color.

Eventually, the golden blooms of Rabbitbrush wandered along the highway along with the occasional tree or bush in bloom.

The juncture of Highway 178 and Highway 14 (which soon becomes Highway 395) offered some great views as usual. I love the clouds!

Once traveling on Highway 395, I was I took a short detour near Lone Pine to enjoy the Alabama Hills and a view of Mt. Whitney.

 

Lone Pine offered some quick glimpses of fall colors as well.

Back on Highway 395, heading toward Bishop, fall colors started punctuating the landscape as the sun started to set.

These red-winged black birds did not readily pose for the camera.  The spotted one is a juvenile.

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A Few Quotes about the Joys of the Open Road

“Roads were made for journeys not destinations.”   Confucious

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”   Jack Kerouac

“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep rolling under the stars.”  Jack Kerouac

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”  John Muir

“Still around the corner, there may wait a new road or a secret gate.”  J. R. R. Tolkien

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road. . .unless you fail to make the turn.”   Helen Keller

“I take to the open road, healthy, free, the world before me.”  Walt Whitman

“Only one who wanders finds new paths.”  Norwegian Proverb

“It’s always best to start at the beginning. And all you do is follow the Yellow Brick Road.”  Glinda, the Good Witch of the North

“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, to roam the roads of lands remote, to travel is to learn.”  Hans Christian Andersen

 

Scenic U.S. Highway 395: A Few Stops (part 1)

 

Highway 1

 

Along I-5

If you have traveled by car throughout California, en route to a wide variety of tourist attractions, then you know that the state has a great highway system. The freeways are well maintained, the exits are well marked, and rest stops are numerous along major routes.  Along the west coast, Highway 1 travels down the coast past some of the most scenic landscape in the state, maybe the country.  Interstate 5 is the major north-south freeway that runs from San Diego to Los Angeles, close to San Francisco, and then up through Oregon and Washington en route to Canada. Highway 99 runs parallel to I-5, traveling roughly from Mexico to Canada. Highway 99 was supplanted by I-5 in the 1960s as the primary thoroughfare up and down the state, but it still serves residents well.

Highway 395 also runs north-south through the state, east of both I-5 and Highway 99.  Although it does not run through large cities such as Los Angeles or San Francisco and it does not extend from Mexico to Canada, it is a lengthy impressive route.  It runs from about 140 miles north of San Diego up basically to the Oregon border.  It also travels for a short time into Nevada. It connects such natural wonders as Death Valley, Lee Vining near Yosemite National Park, and Mammoth Lake.  This 557-mile route runs along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, giving access to many impressive locations.

I never drove extensively on Highway 395 until one year, almost 20 years ago now, I took my dad on a trip to Bishop, California. Bishop sits at the northern end of the Owens Valley at an elevation of 4,150 feet. Nestled against the Sierra Nevada, it was named for Bishop Creek that flows out of the mountains.  Although the Bishop area represents the largest population in Inyo County, Bishop has fewer than 4,000 residents as of the 2010 census.  The purpose of our trip was to seek out fall colors, and we were successful.  The colors were glorious, the mountain vistas were impressive, and the fishing holes seemed popular.  What I remember the most is that Dad had a great time!

On that same trip, days later, Dad and I ended up in Lee Vining, California, for lunch and quickly realized how close we were to Mono Lake. Mono Lake is an immense inland sea, one of the oldest in the western hemisphere. It measures 70 square miles and fills a natural basin that measures 700 square miles. Ancient volcanoes created the lake, which is thought to be anywhere from one to three million years old.  Many tributaries fill the lake, but the there is no natural outlet, so Mono Lake retains sulfides and carbonates, making it an alkaline lake with a ph of 10.  Mono Lake is almost three times as salty as the ocean.

Its salinity fluctuates, especially since 1941 when Los Angeles began diverting water from the lake’s tributaries to Los Angeles consumers. Some restoration and preservation measures have been enacted since then, so the danger of Mono Lake becoming a dead area has passed. But it is still at lower water levels and higher salinity counts than it would have been since the initial water diversion.  The restoration measures preserved the lake’s main biology of algae, brine shrimp and alkali flies. The area still serves as a major bird migratory path and nesting site.  As the water level fluctuates, various formations such as spires and peaks become visible, giving the lake an otherworldly look.  The spires are called tufa and add to the picturesque appeal of Mono Lake.

Dad and I spent the afternoon hiking around Mono Lake, waiting for dusk’s afterglow as the sun set opposite the lake.  We thought about waiting around for the moon rise later that night, but we were not really prepared for the stake-out.  And once the area became pitch black and we got lost a bit in the sands surrounding the lake, we decided to head in for dinner instead.  We talked about going back to both locations—Bishop and Mono Lake—at some point, but we  never did.

My goal is to return to Mono Lake at some point.  Since California has been experiencing drought for the last three years, I imagine the water level has dropped a bit. I also hope to visit other natural wonders that are accessible via Highway 395, like Death Valley.  Maybe I’ll travel there in the winter.

HAVE YOU DRIVEN HIGHWAY 395?  

WHAT SITES ALONG ITS ROUTE HAVE YOU VISITED?

 

I Love Autumn

I love Autumn. 

But this year it snuck up on me, just like Sandburg’s catlike fog.  I was reminded of its arrival by a fellow blogger who reminded us all that memories of fall make the season that much better. The quote she shared was by P. D. James:  “It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.”

I immediately started reminiscing about some of my favorite times from past autumns:  Halloween costume parties, pig roasts in the park, football games on chilly nights, strolls through the trees looking for fall colors, my first visit to Yosemite, a great trip with my Dad to find fall colors in Bishop, CA—and of course Thanksgiving with all its colors and aromas and family times. 

Before the season moves on to the chill of winter, I thought I would share some photos that capture the wonder of autumn for me.  It truly is my favorite season.  I would encourage you to get outside and enjoy autumn as it settles in.  As Nathaniel Hawthorne says, “I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air. “  He is a pretty wise man. 

My Homage to Autumn in Word and Image

 Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.  Elizabeth Lawrence

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  Albert Camus

 

Amidst the splendor of the scene

and the silence

I was filled with a wonderful peace.

Basho

It’s autumn in the country I remember.  Trumbull Stickney

I saw old Autumn in the misty morn stand shadowless like silence, listening to silence. Thomas Hood

The spirits of the road beckoned, and I could do no work at all.   Basho

 How beautifully leaves grow old.  How full of light and color are their last days.  John Burroughs

Every leaf speaks bliss to me fluttering from the autumn tree. Emily Bronte

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 For the Fall of the year is more than three months bounded by an equinox and a solstice.  It is a summing up with the finality of a year’s end.  Hal Borland

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.  Stanley Horowitz