Photography – Page 31 – Random Connections

The Lost Coast

July 29, 2014August 21, 2014 Tom 1 Comment

Coastal Redwoods and Fog-101 — Fog Rolling In on the Lost Coast

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

It was hot. Driving along Highway 101 the thermometer read over 100º. We had left the top up on the convertible, hoping to cool the car down a bit.

From San Francisco Highway 101 takes a more inland route than Highway 1 until it gets to Eureka. Highway 1 ends at Leggett, so it looked like our coastal road had ended. However…

We had seen several smaller roads that got back over to the coast, so we decided to check those out. From Garberville we took a very small twisting and turning road up over the coastal range. The road ran for many miles, winding through more redwoods over some amazing switchbacks.

One thing we noticed was that the temperature was dropping drastically. As we topped the range and headed down toward the coast the temps reached the low 60s. By the time we reached the little town of Shelter Cove, it was down to 58º, a far cry from the 100º temps just an hour or so earlier.

Tide Pools and Redwods

July 29, 2014August 21, 2014 Tom No Comments

Photography, Travel

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

After my morning walk it was time to get on the road again. Yesterday’s drive had turned into a mad dash through late night coastal fog in order to get to our hotel. I was hoping to avoid that this time. Little did I know we had an even more extreme adventure ahead.

We drove through the coastal town of Fort Bragg, stopping briefly for more coffee. There is something about these coastal climes that calls out for caffeine. I can see how Starbucks got its start in Seattle, and why there is an espresso stand on every corner.

As for the town itself, Laura admitted to some confusion. She thought there was a large military base around here. I told her I didn’t think so, that there was one in Fort Bragg, NC, and that this one was a historical fort. Turns out I was correct.

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Morning Walk at Fort Bragg

July 29, 2014August 21, 2014 Tom No Comments

Photography, Travel

Tuesday, July 29, 2014 Having grown up in Los Angeles, Laura switches over to Pacific Coast Tme with no problem. I, on the other hand, wake up on Eastern Time, which is far, far too early. Then again, I’ve always been an early riser, so time zones may have nothing to do with it. Regardless … Read More “Morning Walk at Fort Bragg” »

Bodega Bay to Fort Bragg

July 28, 2014August 21, 2014 Tom No Comments

Photography, Travel

Wine Country and Coastal Highway-043 — Highway 1 – Pacific Coast Highway

Monday, July 28, 2014

I had no vestiges of my headache. Neither had the wine tasting brought back the sickness from earlier in the day. Laura and I decided to leave the Napa Valley and explore the coast. We drove back up to Calistoga and crossed the mountains over to Santa Rosa. From there we continued on through Sebastopol, then down to the coast and the little town of Bodega.

It had been clear sunshine in Wine Country and across the mountains. We were enjoying the trip with the top back in the convertible. However, as we approached the town we could see clouds of fog gathering along the coast. It looked very ominous.

Bodega is a quaint little town. There were some interesting buildings, such as an old church and school. There was quite a bit of activity along the main highway. However, we had a long way to go today, and we didn’t stop for photos. These were shot from the car as we drove.

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Paddling to Andersonville

June 25, 2014June 25, 2014 Tom 14 Comments

History and Genealogy, Paddling, Photography, Rambling

Paddling to Andersonville Island — Andersonville Island, Lake Hartwell

Ever since I found out about it I’ve wanted to visit the location of Andersonville. I was finally given that opportunity this week, as fellow paddlers Alan Russell and Jim Leavell joined me for an early week trek out to the island. With this week’s paddle I was able to add another check to my list of South Carolina ghost towns.

Stephen and I had done some previous scouting in this area. Stephen’s brother-in-law, Jim, owns a barbecue place nearby, and he provided some valuable information about the area. Since that time I had been looking for the optimum launch site for a trek over to Andersonville.

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Musgrove Mill and Laurens County

June 21, 2014 Tom No Comments

Photography, Rambling

Horseshoe Falls-007 — Horseshoe Falls on Cedar Shoals Creek

A couple of weeks ago my friend Ken Cothran and I were discussing the Musgrove Mill State Historic Site in Laurens County. It seems neither of us had been there in quite awhile, and we wanted to return to do some photography. Even though it was supposed to be scorching hot, we set out early Tuesday morning to see what we could find.

Our route from Clemson took us down Mauldin Road. Ken had not seen the improvements to the Lake Connestee park, so we took a brief detour past the old mill and dam site. I managed to capture a great blue heron with my long lens.

We drove by the old Macbee Chapel, but then from Connestee drove pretty much straight down to the site, taking the Highway 56 exit from I-26 at Clinton.

The Long and Lonely Santee with Lowcountry Unfiltered

June 17, 2014 Tom 2 Comments

Paddling, Photography

It was a second Saturday. That means another paddling trip with Lowcountry Unfiltered. I had driven down the night before and had stayed with my two brothers in North Charleston, and on this fine Saturday morning we would brave the wilds of the lower Santee River from McConnell Landing to Hampton Island.

Some how we managed to roll out of bed fairly early, despite a huge meal at a Brazilian steakhouse, and nightcaps and joking until late at night. Our convoy headed to the put-in, first crossing the Cooper River on I-526, then taking what must be the straightest road in South Carolina, Highway 41, across the Francis Marion National Forest.

The problem with these trips is that we ALWAYS pass cool stuff en route to the put in. It’s usually early morning and there is a mist or cool light for just the right photography. This time we passed old stores and churches and other things that would normally have me stopping. I keep thinking “I’ve got to come back this way,” but it never seems to work out. Oh well.

From Monck’s Corner to Brazil

June 17, 2014June 17, 2014 Tom No Comments

Family, Photography, Rambling

Saint Thomas Church-009 — Saint Thomas Church, AKA The Brick Church, AKA The White Church

This weekend was a Lowcountry Unfiltered weekend, and we had a paddling trip planned for the Lower Santee River. I decided to head down early and take some photographs in the wilds of Francis Marion Forest and Berkeley and Charleston Counties. My brothers, Stephen and Houston, would be down later that afternoon, and we would see what trouble we could create.

I had marked a series of locations in my GPS. Most of these were historic churches, but there were a few other locations I wanted to check out. With the car loaded with kayak and photography gear, I headed on down Friday morning.

I got away later than I had thought, and traffic was heavy, but I made it down there right about noon. Lunch was a sandwich I brought along so I could stick with my diet. I had that along the banks of the Tailrace Canal, just south of Moncks Corner.

Furman Lakeside in Summer

June 11, 2014June 11, 2014 Tom No Comments

Local, Photography

Well after that last “fat” revelation, I figured it’s time for more photography. Life can’t be spent entirely in the gym, so it was time to get out and take some pictures.

I headed up to Furman (where I joined Laura for a low calorie lunch), and we decided to walk down to the lake. There were reports of new baby swans, so I carried my long lens. We didn’t see the swans at first, but I decided to use the lens with its narrow depth of field to take some photos of the flowers in bloom around the student center and bookstore.

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Lost in the Mangroves in the Old Inlet

June 2, 2014 Tom 1 Comment

Paddling, Photography, Travel

So far it had been a great week in Florida. I had gotten out on the kayak for at least one paddling trip each day. In some cases, twice. Doesn’t hurt when you’re staying at a place with a boat ramp right into the Indian River.

This was our last full day in Fort Pierce, and we were going to jam it full of activities. The morning started with a trek out to the Saturday morning Farmers Market in downtown Fort Pierce. We got some vegetables, did some people watching, and Laura was even able to find a cool hat to wear in the Mini Convertible out on the artists section of the market.

When we got back from the market, Laura and Amy headed out for some shopping, and I headed out on the kayak. Most of my treks had been averaging about four miles, and I was determined to get at least one long trip in.