If we get stranded, don't worry, I won't eat you!

Happy Monday to you all! It's a grey, rainy morning here in northern california today. Good day to sit back and relax, or for all you normal people out there, to be at work! Since I grew up and lived in South Texas for 25 years, I never really saw mountains, let alone snow except for on TV and one summer my family and I went to Colorado for vacation. So if you ever wonder why I am so facinated with mountains and snow, that is the reason! So of course, here are some photographs of our road trip one day up into the mountains. This time, we went up I-80 torward Reno, Nv and Truckee, Ca. These pictures were actually taken last April. Hope you enjoy my pictures!

Lakeside Reflection (4/09)

I prefere driving on Hwy 50 from Scramento to South Lake Tahoe when we take trips into the mountains, but even the Interstate 80 drive is very pretty, especially if you go off the beaten path.

When California was first being settled, a group led by a man named Donner became stranded in the mountain pass due to heavy early snowfall. They were stuck there for months, and if you remember the story, they started to eat eat each other! Desperate times/people call for desperate measures and they did what they had to do. Leason of the story is.....dont go hiking in the mountains during winter unless you're prepaired to eat your friend!! Hahaha (4/09)

Near the summit of Donner Pass (4/09)

And this is the beautiul Lake Donner. Hey atleast the Donner Party had a nice view! (4/09)

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoyed my photographic experience!

Sierra Nevada Foothills - Last Chance

Hello everyone. Last February my girlfriend and I had this great idea to go on a road trip to check out a ghost town called "Last Chance" (sounds cool huh?). It's located pretty deep into the lower Sierra Nevada Mountains. It's actually mapped in Google, but of course hasn't been inhabited since the gold rush days. So anyways we embarked on our journey into the forest (on roads of course). As per directions, we were almost there, but our journey was cut short due to about 4 1/2 feet of snow on the road. Didn’t think our Honda Element would make it so disappointedly, we turned around. We'll try again soon!. Enjoy the photographs!

 Outside of Foresthill, Ca overlooking the Sierra Nevada Mountains (2/09)

bridge over the North Fork American River, Ca (2/09)

Even with 4wd system on our Honda Element, didn't feel it was up to the task......only if I still had "The Beach Renegade" RIP. As you can see, the snow pack was still really deep!! (2/09)

Sierra Nevada Foothills (2/09)

We of course, will attempt to reach "Last Chance" again soon before the snow comes back. Can you imagine how hard it must have been to get there back in 1849?! Thanks for visiting!

Saturday Shots 1

Happy Weekend everybody! Today I am starting something new. Every Saturday I'll post a new and original picture from Northern California and beyond.

Fall is in the air and the temps are cool. Really nice day to be outside! Enjoy!

San Francisco, Ca from across the bay near Sausalito, Ca. (10/09)

Golden Gate Bridge at Night

Hi! Here is my photographic experience of the Golden Gate Bridge at night. The concept of the shots are really nice, but it looks like I used the wrong settings. As I said before, Im no pro......yet! Keep following my blog and watch my progress!

Golden Gate (7/09)

Golden Gate (7/09)

This probably should have been a discarded shot, but I think its really cool.

(7/09)

Thanks again for visiting!

Trip up to the Wild Coastline of Sonoma, Ca

Sonoma County, California is mostly known for its world renowoned wine producing valleys. But, in my opinion, has one of the most beautiful and wild coastlines. A two lane road snakes its way on jagged cliffs 2000 ft high, makes for a nerve wrenching drive sometimes! It is definitely worth it with pristine coastline cliffs and hidden beaches through out. Not much in the way of good surf, but there are a few jewels to be found. The Russian River rivermouth looks like it could be a fun wave on a good southerly swell.....but then again there is a HUGE population of seals and sea lions there so beware of whitey!! So without further ado, here is my photographic experience! Enjoy!

Costal mountain range of Somoma (3/08)

Russian Rivermouth from afar (3/08)

Sonoma Coastline (3/08)

Sonoma Coastline (3/08)

Unnamed Secluded Beach, Sonoma Coast (3/08)

Sunset: Sonoma Coast (3/08)

This shot is probably my favorite sunset picture. Sonoma Coast (3/08)

If you are looking to stay in this area, let me suggest The Timbercove Inn. Timbercove Inn is about an hour or so north of Bodega Bay. We try to come up here about once or twice a year. The Timbercove Inn boasts beautiful Pacific Ocean views from its rooms, a fine dinning resturaunt, and even special packages that includes a bottle of Champagne, gourmet chocolates, and a yummy breakfast for two! Thanks for visiting!

Lake Tahoe I

Living in Northern California is great. The hustle and bustle of the big city of San Francisco is not far and the serene beauty and fun of Lake Tahoe is also a short drive away. Lake Tahoe and its surrounding areas has something for everyone to enjoy. There's camping and hiking amongst the tall trees and through mountain passes, world-class skiing in fresh fluffy powder, and one of my personal favorites, Casinos! Harvey's is by far my favorite casino to gamble at. I might just be lucky, but I always walk away a winner! The craps table has always been good to me. We visit Lake Tahoe frequently and I would defenately recommend everyone to visit if you are visiting the San Francisco/Sacramento area. Enjoy my photograpic experience!

South Lake Tahoe beach (4/09)

Emerald Bay, South Lake Tahoe, Ca (4/09)

Emerald Bay, South Lake Tahoe (4/09)

Lake Tahoe (4/09)

Snow capped Sierra Nevada Mountains, Lake Tahoe (4/09)

View from our Harvey's Hotel room. You can see a Heavenly Ski slope in the background. Sign up for Harvey's reward player's card and receive huge discounts or even free nights in rooms similar to this one! Goodluck! (4/09)

Thanks again for visiting! More pictures to come!

Road Trip to Big Sur

Here are some pictures from a road trip to the Big Sur area. (7/08)

How far away are those mountains? (7/08)

This is my favorite Hwy 1 sign photograph (so far). (7/08)

I believe this is Jade Cove Beach. Yes, we did find a few pieces of jade! (7/08)

Sand Dollar Beach (7/09)

When the sun finally came out. Kirk Creek waterfall. (7/08)

Kirk Creek Campgrounds Sunset (7/08)

Fires north of our location cut or journey north into Big Sur short. Too bad, but made for a few nice shots. (7/09)

Thanks for viewing! Hope you enjoyed my photograpic experience of Big Sur! More pictures to come!

Bridges and Beaches

Bridges and beaches make for nice scenic vistas. Here are a couple of shots of the Golden Gate Bridge and beaches south of San Francisco. Enjoy the photographic experience!

Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge (6/09)

Golden Gate Bridge (6/09)

One of my favorite beaches south of Half Moon Bay, Ca (6/09)

Rockaway Beach, Ca (6/09)

Surf Trips South of the Border II

Maruata, Michoacan (9/08)

Beach, somewhere in Mexico (9/08)

Pichilinguillo, Michoacan (8/05)

I took this shot on top of a taco resturaunt. Best civiche in Mexico!

Off the beaten path, Michoacan, Mexico (9/08)

Further up the river (9/08)

Interesting hike to this spot. Its pretty deep into the jungle. Water was amazingly refreshing.