High in the Sierras, there exists mythical places where the skies are red and the water is a turquoise blue, where rugged granite behemoths were carved into graceful shapes, where glistening lakes and gurgling streams wind their way down mountains, valleys and canyons. Some of these mythical places are hard to reach, while others, including this one, are just a day's hike away from civilization.
Ansel Adams Wilderness
CA USA
Heralding Spring
The grass, green after their long winter slumber, carpeted the rolling hillscape. Skeletons of oak trees dotted this early spring landscape, awaiting warmer temperatures to don new leaves. And it was in this beautiful setting that I was wrapping up one of my last spring hikes of the East Bay foothills before I moved out of California.
The various parks and preserves that dot the eastern side of the Bay Area were a haven of peace and solitude, a welcome retreat from the bustling activity of the Bay. While they stay golden through most of the year, in spring, the life-giving rains paint the hills with a verdant green quite reminiscent of England. And for a short time that the green lasted, the trails here were my pathway to multitudes of photographic opportunities.
As the New Year approaches, nostalgia for one of my favorite hiking destinations rises strongly in my mind. I hope I get to hike there once again.
Sunol Regional Wilderness
CA USA
Sunrise spectacle at Lake Tahoe
A early fall weekend found me on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Being the tail end of the travel season, the tourist crowd had all but melted away, leaving behind the place of solitude in what was once a throbbing hub of outdoor activity.
As I woke up for sunrise, my eyes spied the correct features in clouds, along with the break in the eastern horizon, thereby setting up for a very colorful sunrise. And I dashed over to Eagle falls, where I had hoped to capture the gush of the falls glowing deep red in the morning light.
The one thing I did not realize was that waterfalls don't exactly gush in fall - they dwindle to a trickle. I hence had to settle for the next best thing - capturing reflections in the small pools remaining behind. And despite that compromise, I was awestruck by the colors and the unique landscape in front of me. The transition from deep reds to orange to yellow as the whole scene lit up was a landscape photographer's delight.
Lake Tahoe
CA USA
Sunset at Bonsai Rock
Ever since I had first seen images of the Bonsai Rock in Lake Tahoe, I was taken away by the location and the context of where it was: imagine a granite boulder smoothed by eons of water erosion resting on the shore of a azure blue lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks. And then imagine tiny sprigs of life taking root on the nooks and crevices of this tiny boulder. That is the spectacle of Bonsai Rock.
At first glance from the road, it may not have been much, but as I scrambled my way on the rocky shoreline down to the water-level, the profile of the bonsai rock grew even more predominant and striking. While the scene and the setting was perfect, the sky, on the other hand, was just bland. I strapped on a Blue-and-Gold Polarizer to add some unearthly colors to this scene, resulting in this exposure above.
Surreal reflections and colorful sunsets will have to wait another day.
Sand Harbor State Park
NV USA