Folded downingia at the Jepson Prairie Preserve, south of Dixon, CA

Folded downingia (Downingia ornatissima) is a flower in the bluebell family that grows in vernal pools in the Great Central Valley of California.  This specimen was blooming in the Jepson Prairie Preserve south of Dixon, California.  The wildflower gets its common name of "folded" from the appearance of the two upper petals.

We've been fascinated by the special flowers that grow in California's vernal pools ever since we were first introduced to them on field trips in college in the late 1970s.  Vernal pools are a highly threatened form of seasonal wetlands.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Yosemite Falls by moonlight, reflected in Cook Meadow's pool, with the Big Dipper above

This image was taken in June 2011,  when there was still a large pool in Cook Meadow. We tried to get pictures of the moonbow in Yosemite Falls, the lower end, then moved back farther, to the Sentinel parking area, to see if the upper falls showed a moonbow, as well. After getting out of the car, Rick noticed that Yosemite Falls was being reflected in the pool. After spending some more time examining the scene, he noticed that the Big Dipper was just above the falls, as well. This image is the result of 3 images being merged seamlessly together, was lit by moonlight and each image was taken for 30 seconds. You can see the reflection and a little of the bottom of the pool at the same time. It has been cropped to an 11x17 ratio.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Vernal Falls in Yosemite with a double rainbow

Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park with a double rainbow in the mist.  This was in early June with California in its fourth year of drought, but fortunately there was enough water flow to create the mist that causes the rainbows to appear.  This view is from the aptly-named Mist Trail. While I positioned myself to get the photos of the double rainbow, Rick stepped farther back on the trail and got a photo with the rainbow beside me.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Arch Rock near campground, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

Valley of Fire State Park in southern Nevada is a geologists' and photographers' dream.  Among the red sandstone formations are a number of natural arches, including this one called Arch Rock near the park's campground.  In fact, this arch can be seen from the Campground Road at a parking area between the park's two camping units a short distance past the turnoff for Atlatl Rock.  This is not the view you'll get of the arch from the parking area, however.  Bob climbed up to and through the arch and turned around to get this view of it.

And here's a photo of Bob standing under the arch and touching the underside with his tripod to give you an idea of how big it is.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Tricolor Monkeyflower from the Vina Plains Preserve near Chico, CA

This tricolor monkeyflower (Mimulus tricolor) grows in seasonal wetlands called vernal pools.  This particular specimen was blooming in a vernal pool in the Vina Plains Preserve of the Nature Conservancy near Chico, California in the northern Sacramento Valley.  We were introduced to vernal pools while we were in college and have had a keen interest in them ever since.  They are unique to California and have been greatly impacted by agricultural and urban development.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Upper Graveyard Lake reflection, High Sierra, John Muir Wilderness

This photo shows the upper Graveyard Lake with the surrounding ridge reflected in its still water. Rick explored this area during a backpacking trip to the John Muir Wilderness in California's High Sierra mountain range. He camped at the lower Graveyard Lake the first night and hiked to this lake the next day. The wind was surprisingly calm in the late morning when this image was taken. The area gets the name of Graveyard Lakes and Graveyard Meadow farther down-slope because all the granite boulders that were left behind when the glaciers retreated after the last Ice Age, that the area seems to be filled with "tombstones".

Rick took this image as a vertical in an attempt to get the top of the ridge and its reflection in the water.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Snow plant in bloom in the Sierra, south of Yosemite

The snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea), grows throughout the Sierra Nevada and into the Cascade mountain ranges. Unlike other flowering plants, it grows from digested organic material in the soil, similar to a mushroom, and doesn't make its own food as green plants do. The flowers can emerge while there is still snow on the ground, thus the common name. The species name, sanguinea, refers to its blood-red color. It's in the heath family, which includes cranberries and blueberries, but it is not edible.

These snow plants were blooming south of Yosemite National Park in the Sierra National Forest. We were out looking for plants in the spring of 2013 and found these excellent specimens.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Lassen National Park's Cinder Cone in the morning, from the north-east

During the time of the Reading Fire, in August, 2012, we approached the Cinder Cone, Lassen Volcanic National Park's largest cinder cone. We thought we'd try to get a view of Mount Lassen from the top of the cinder cone by looking westward from it's summit. But because of the fire, there was too much smoke in that direction, so we only hiked half-way up before turning around. We had taken pictures of the Cinder Cone as we hiked toward it and as we headed away from it. After we got back to camp, we looked over the images and realized that this feature was dramatic by itself.

This image was made by merging 3 images together and then cropped to a 2 to 1 ratio. It would work well as a 20" by 10" picture.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Redwood Sorrel in bloom in in the Sinkyone Wilderness

During a trip to the Redwood Coast of California in August, 2014, the Redwood Sorrel flowers were in bloom. You sometimes see another type of sorrel growing in people's yards which you can recognize by the leaves, but this one is a wild species native to California. It grows in shady places under the big trees and up the coast into Washington state. This flower has 5 petals with purple veins and 10 stamens. Plants in the sorrel family, including Oxalis, have sour sap.

This Redwood Sorrel was blooming in the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. We saw it during an overnight backpack trip where we camped near a beach. This part of California's coastline is the most remote coast in the state, even though the area used to have a large lumber operation that ceased operating many decades ago. 

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Point Bonita Lighthouse at sunset, San Francisco, CA

Two views of the Point Bonita Lighthouse at sunset.  This lighthouse is in one of many units in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in and around the San Francisco Bay area.  This historic lighthouse is perched on a sea stack at the entrance to the Golden Gate and is still in operation.  It requires a hike through a tunnel and over a bridge that looks like a miniature version of the Golden Gate Bridge to get to.  These images show the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean and its light glinting in the lens of the lighthouse.

The lighthouse is only open to visitors this late in the day during Sunset/Full Moon guided tours given by the National Park Service.

Remember it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Coyote near Sentinel Dome in Yosemite National Park in winter

On one of our many cross country ski trips along the Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park, we camped near Sentinel Dome late at night and didn't awaken until late the next morning.  As we were lying in our tent, we heard an animal trotting through the snow around us.  We looked outside and saw this coyote approach us as though he was expecting us to give him a handout.  Eventually he moved in closer and laid down in the snow and waited to see what we would do.  He was only about ten feet away.  While he waited, a second coyote bounded in and the two of them chased each other around until they both ran off.

 Actually we were a little concerned that the coyote might run off with a piece of our gear.  The night before as we were skiing in we encountered a couple of skiers heading out at about 3 A.M.  They told us that they had encountered a coyote a couple of hours earlier when they had stopped for a rest break.  The coyote was trying to get some food from them and they responded by throwing snowballs at him to shoo him away.  Eventually the coyote gave up, but not before grabbing one of their ski poles and running off with it.  The two skiers who told us this story asked us to keep an eye out for their friend who was trailing behind them.  As we continued skiing in, we encountered the other skier, who was using a roadside marker as a not-very-effective replacement ski pole, about twenty minutes later.  We let him know how far behind his friends he was and he thanked us and then said that he would do that coyote in, if he ever caught him.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Salt Creek pupfish, an endangered species in Death Valley National Park, Spring 2012

During the spring, the endangered Salt Creek pupfish males set up territories in Salt Creek as if flows from a spring south to the below sea level section of Death Valley National Park. The pupfish are considered the remnants of fish that once inhabited Lake Manly which filled what is now Death Valley during the last ice age. As the water level receded as the ice age ended, the water became saltier and now only a few springs persist and provide the only habitat for this species. Besides the saltiness, this creek experiences flash floods, nearly drying out, and temperatures from near freezing to over 40°C. (104°F.)

This image was taken by hiking along the boardwalk of the Salt Creek Interpretive Trail, a short turnoff from Highway 190, between Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek, the two main developed areas within Death Valley. Rick got down on his belly and waited for a male to swim near the shore to get this shot. You can tell it's a male because of how colorful the front is and by the bluish dorsal fin. Females are better camoflouged and blend in with the grainy creek bottom.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Bull elk in velvet along the trail in the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, California. 2014-08-08

We encountered this bull elk along the trail in the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, California, while heading back to the trailhead during a backpacking trip. In early August, the elk's antlers would still be growing with the furry-skinned velvet covering them as they're growing. Later, when the antlers are finished growing, the velvet will die and slough off. Sometimes, the elk will get an itchy feeling from the whithering velvet and feel the need to rub the antlers against a tree or shrub to get the velvet to come off faster.

This particular elk didn't seem to have any problem with our presence and was actually lying down when we first came across him. Another bull elk headed downslope off the trail at a leisurely pace and got his antlers caught in grape vines.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!