The California Photo Tourist

Bondi Beach, Australia - Abstract

2009-01-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

These are a collection of abstract photos that I took in Australia. Although these photos are not of California, I wanted to include them since they remind me of California.

California Beaches, a Modern Take

2009-01-05T23:38:00.000-08:00

California as Modern Art

2009-01-02T09:40:00.001-08:00

Redwood Forest, California

2008-12-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are located in the United States, along the coast of northern California. The parks consist of a combined area of 131,983 acres (534.12 km2) located entirely within Del Norte and Humboldt Counties and they protect 45% of all remaining Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) old-growth forests, totaling at least 38,982 acres (157.75 km2). These trees are the tallest and one of the most massive tree species on Earth. In addition to the redwood forests, the parks preserve other indigenous flora, fauna, grassland prairie, cultural resources, portions of rivers and other streams, and 37 miles (60 km) of pristine coastline.

In 1850, old-growth redwood forest covered more than 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km2) of the California coast. The northern portion of that area, originally inhabited by Native Americans, attracted many lumbermen and others turned gold miners when a minor gold rush brought them to the region. Failing in efforts to strike it rich in gold, these men turned toward harvesting the giant trees for booming development in San Francisco and other places on the West Coast. After many decades of unobstructed clear-cut logging, serious efforts toward conservation began. By the 1920s the work of the Save-the-Redwoods League, founded in 1918 to preserve remaining old-growth redwoods, resulted in the establishment of Prairie Creek, Del Norte Coast, and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Parks among others. Redwood National Park was created in 1968, by which time nearly 90% of the original redwood trees had been logged. The National Park Service (NPS) and the California Department of Parks and Recreation (CDPR) administratively combined Redwood National Park with the three abutting Redwood State Parks in 1994 for the purpose of cooperative forest management and stabilization of forests and watersheds as a single unit.

Mono Lake, California

2008-12-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

Note: Click on photo for a larger view or to purchase a print.

Mono Lake is believed to have formed at least 760,000 years ago, dating back to the Long Valley eruption. Sediments located below the ash layer hint that Mono Lake could be a remnant of a larger and older lake that once covered a large part of Nevada and Utah, making it among the oldest lakes in North America.

Mono Lake is a terminal lake in a watershed fed from melting runoff with no outlet. Dissolved salts in the runoff thus remain in the lake and raise the pH and the salt concentration.

Mono Lake is in a geologically active area at the north end of the Mono-Inyo Crater volcanic chain of the Long Valley Caldera. The geological activity is caused by faulting at the base of the Sierra Nevada, and is associated with the crustal stretching of the Basin and Range Province.

Volcanic activity continues in the Mono Lake vicinity: the most recent eruption occurred 250 years ago at Negit Island in Mono Lake. Panum Crater (on the south shore of the lake) is an excellent example of a combined rhyolite dome and cinder cone.

Death Valley in Winter, California

2008-12-15T12:17:00.000-08:00

Note: Click on photo for a larger view.

Photos: Top photo: "Calling Card" at the Goldwell Museum in Death Valley, Photo Collage. More information: http://www.goldwellmuseum.org
Middle Photo: Joshua Tree Collage, Death Valley
Bottom photo: Pinnacles of Trona, outside Death Valley

Winter is probably the best time to visit Death Valley. The wet season in California runs between November and March. Winter rains and cloud cover create unique photo opportunities of the surrounding environment. Additionally the temperature is mild. The photos pictured here cover a large swath of land that encompasses the area of Death Valley.

Salvation Mountain, Mojave Desert, California

2008-12-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

Note: Click on a photo to view a larger version.

December 11, 2008: Visit Leonard Knight's Salvation Mountain in Niland, California. The other night on PBS was a program on artists in the Mojave Desert, California. One of the artists interviewed was Leonard Knight, who created Salvation Mountain. I decided to give him a visit and see first-hand his creation. I had the pleasure of meeting with him and he gave me a personal tour. After 30 years he is still going strong painting the side of a mountain to let all know that God loves everyone.

"Salvation Mountain must be seen to be fully appreciated as those who have made the journey will attest. Its 50 foot height and 150 foot breadth is made totally of local adobe clay and donated paint and is truly unique in the United States and probably the world."