Death Valley

Death Valley is one of my favorite places on earth. It's a uniquely beautiful landscape packed with adventure and solitude. For my fiancée Josh's birthday last weekend, we made the long drive down to tackle a few peaks that had eluded us on previous trips, and I'm proud to say we finally made it to the top of Telescope Peak! Third time's a charm, apparently.

Telescope Peak is the tallest peak in the park, towering nearly 12,000 feet over Badwater (on the valley floor). The views stretch for miles and miles from the top (hence the name!), from the High Sierra and Whitney Range in the west, all the way to Mount Charleston, just outside of Las Vegas, in the east.

Pinto Peak is a little-climbed peak in the Panamint Range with a pre-California Desert Protection Act jeep road to the top. The old road is slowly being reclaimed by nature-- at one point, a three-foot-tall Joshua tree stands in the center of the tracks, newly joined this year by two smaller friends-- and meanders along several winding ridges to gain the peak. It's so infrequently visited that the original trail register from 1961 is still at the top, and only 15 or so people per year sign the new register even today.

Both nights we stayed up at the Mahogany Flats campground, which requires a drive up a steep, rutted 4x4 road. The campground is perched on the ridge between Telescope and Wildrose Peaks, and offers some nice, though wooded views east and west.

Now for the photos y'all have been waiting for-- sunset and sunrise from 8,133 feet. Props to Josh for finding a good vantage point for sunrise!

Sunset near Del Valle

The road up to Lake Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore has some great vantage points for shooting across the Tri-Valley area, especially at sunrise and sunset. I headed over the other night to try to catch the harvest moon, but was thwarted by a low, thick cloud cover. By the time the moon rose above the clouds, the intense colors I was hoping to capture were gone. Maybe next time around.... All was not lost, though-- the clouds made for an especially interesting sunset among the hills and oak trees.


Mount Diablo rises up from the valley in the distance.
Have a terrific Tuesday!

Altamont Cruisers Nostalgia Day Car Show - Part 2

As promised, here are more photos from last weekend's show... Enjoy!

I love classic Chevys.

Yet more flames!

Shiny chrome and beautiful paint jobs were definitely the order of the day.

Have a fantastic weekend, folks! I'll be nailing down those last pesky wedding details-- only 22 days!

Altamont Cruisers Nostalgia Day Car Show

Each year, the Altamont Cruisers Car Club holds their Nostalgia Day Car Show in downtown Livermore, and donates the proceeds to local organizations benefiting the Tri-Valley youth. Their motto is "Cruisers Against Drugs", and they've helped fund programs such as D.A.R.E. for the past 20 years. About 700 or so classic cars invaded the streets of downtown, making for some fantastic photo ops, if you didn't melt first (it was 103 degrees out!).

Classic cars are a lot of fun to photograph-- they have strong curves and lines, elaborate hood ornaments and trim, lots of shiny chrome, and fantastically bright, bold colors. I spent about three hours shooting, and ended up with a lot of photos I really liked, so we'll have a couple car posts this week.

Now, without further ado, here's the reason you're really reading this blog!

This is one mean-looking grill. Who knew orange could be so intimidating?

The lineup down Second Street.


1955 Chevy sedan hood ornament.
The Chevy fuel injection emblem.

Classic wood steering wheel and dashboard.

As with most classic car shows, there were flames of all colors everywhere!

1960s Ford Mustang 289 emblem, with flames, of course.

And, last but not least for today, Sarah, this one's for you. Congrats on the new Camaro!

Mount Dana

Mount Dana is located on the eastern edge of Yosemite National Park and, at 13,157 feet, is the second-highest peak in the park (Mount Lyell is higher by about 60 feet). It's a steep climb up a well-worn use trail, first through sparse forest to an alpine meadow basin, then up talus to the summit. The rocks in this area are colorful and metamorphic, which livens up the usual granite vistas seen in the High Sierra.

As you pass above the treeline, you're treated to this view into Tuolumne Meadows. Mammoth Peak is seen in the distance.

The views from the top are panoramic-- you can see Mono Lake to the east, the Parker/Mono Pass area to the south, Tuolumne Meadow to the east, and Mount Conness to the north. Mount Conness, the high point in the photo below, is this weekend's goal.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Mono Lake and Lembert Dome

Saturday's dinner took us down to Lee Vining and the Mobil Mart. Sitting outdoors at picnic tables, you're treated with views of Mono Lake and into the Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve.

The sign says it all...

Sun broke through the clouds over the tufa reserve.
After dinner, we headed back into Yosemite for a relaxing evening hike around and up Lembert Dome. Though the dome is dwarfed by the surrounding peaks, it stands alone in Tuolumne Meadow, and offers fantastic views from the top.


Sunday's destination was Mount Dana-- photos to come tomorrow!

Yosemite - Mammoth Peak

Mammoth Peak sits just south of Highway 120 in Yosemite's high country. At 12,117 feet, it is the northern end of the Kuna Crest, an undulating ridgeline connecting Mammoth Peak with Kuna and Koip Peaks to the south. There is no trail to the top-- it's cross-country travel from the meadow at the foot of the mountain, through a band of conifer forest, and up to broken granite ridges and cliffs. The views from the basin on the west face looking down to Parker and Mono Passes is spectacular, as are the vistas from the summit. Out to the east is Cathedral Peak and Tuolumne Meadows, to the south is Mount Lyell and Ritter and Banner Peaks. An early season weather system made for some really neat clouds and lighting as well, and we actually got rain on our way down.

Looking out to Mono and Parker Passes.

Mount Lyell and the Lyell Glacier, seen from the summit.

Rain over the Kuna Crest.

Sun broke through the clouds to shine on Gaylor Peak for just a few moments before the rain hit.

Mount Dana, seen from the west face of Mammoth Peak, was Sunday's objective (more to come about that soon).

After a great climb, we headed down to Lee Vining to eat at the famous Whoa Nellie Deli in the Mobil Mart. It sounds questionable, but the carnitas tacos were delicious!

Yosemite - Lyell Canyon

Two more photos from Lyell Canyon a couple weeks ago. Happy Thursday!

Yosemite - Parker Pass to Lyell Canyon

The high country in Yosemite National Park can be one of the most relaxing places, especially when you can get away from the crowds and into the backcountry. Our backpacking trip took us out over Parker Pass and to the Alger Lakes the first night, where we had the entire lake basin to ourselves. Talk about a quiet night! We were woken up by a very loud bird roosting in a tree just above our tent-- nature's alarm clock, apparently, telling us it was time to get going!

Day 2 took us over Gem Pass and past Gem and Waugh Lakes. After Waugh Lake, we began the long climb up to Donohue Pass, which drops you into Lyell Canyon. Mount Lyell, at the head of the canyon, is an impressive sight, towering over the surrounding area, and housing the second largest glacier in the Sierra. It's entirely climbable with proper snow equipment, and we plan to head back up later in the year. We spent the night near the head of the canyon, which gave me the opportunity to take photos of Lyell both at sunset and sunrise the next morning.


Moonrise was around 7pm, and is always a neat sight.


A wildfire is also burning in Yosemite currently. It started last week, and the smoke has been blowing across the park, and has traveled as far north as Lake Tahoe. The smoke made for some brilliant sunset colors and patterns.


Sunrise was freezing cold at 10,000 feet, but the view was totally worth it!


After the morning's photo shoot, the walk down-canyon was a nice downhill stroll out to Tuolumne Meadows and the truck!

Wedding Invitations

As the date of our wedding draws near, we're starting to tie up all the loose ends and get everything finalized. Every time I look at the to-do list, though, it seems to get longer! My brother, who got hitched last summer, tells me that the final details are never-ending, so I guess it's par for the course.

Along those lines, we're sending out our invitations this week. Since we're a little less than conventional, I designed them myself, and had them printed on a linen paper. I couldn't be happier with the results-- they're very "us!"

Monterey, Carmel and the 17-Mile Drive by Bicycle

Last weekend we decided to try something new, so we took our bicycles down to Monterey for a tour, and I took a camera with me. Monterey has some bike paths that eventually connect you up with the 17-Mile Drive. For those of you not plugged into the golf world, the 17-Mile Drive is a loop of road that goes past some of the more exclusive golf resorts in the country-- Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill, and, of course, Pebble Beach-- as well as some very exclusive neighborhoods. It's really nice if you get out early, before the throngs of cars, and it's free if you're on a bike (cars pay a fee).

We stopped at a few of the numbered attractions along the way, and I took a few photos here and there.

(Yes, I do ride with a bike trunk even though we're training for a race... my bike's a little cursed, so I take lots of spare tubes and tools with me....)

The problem I discovered with taking the camera with me by bike is that once I got into a good rhythm, I didn't really want to stop to pull the camera out. Additionally, even at a leisurely pace, the scenery goes by much faster on a bike than if you're walking, hiking, or climbing, and I ended up missing the little details that always catch my eye when we're out on foot. All in all, I'd have to say that I much prefer photography on foot, but it was worth a try, and going out to the coast is always gorgeous, not matter what mode of transportation you have!

Champagne Brunch

Last weekend, we traveled on back to the midwest to visit family. My mother-in-law-to-be, Karen, threw a champagne brunch to celebrate our upcoming marriage (October!) on Sunday in East Lansing. It was a fabulous affair-- lots of good food, decorated cookies, cake, and of course, wine! Being the guests of honor precluded my usual prowling around with a camera, so I only managed to get a few shots of some of the roses afterwards.


Karen-- thank you so much for putting on a fantastic event! I know it was a lot of work, and we really appreciate it! Thanks also to Rachel and Scott, Tina, Grace, Whitey, and Bill for helping! Lastly, thanks to everyone who attended and made it a memorable day for us!

New Sample Albums

Over the last several weeks, I've been designing new sample albums and wrapping up loose ends for my own wedding in October! (Hence the lack of blogging...) Things will be back on track this week with plenty of new photos. In the meantime, here's a couple pages from the samples-- they're due to arrive next month!


Happy anniversary, Brian and Rachel, and Rachel and Scott!