Mount Eddy

I hiked Mount Eddy with Tamara Lopez during late July. Eddy is located within the Trinity Horn in Northern California...basically the next major mountain peak west of Mount Shasta. The hike was 10 miles round trip, and ascended several thousand feet from trailhead to summit. The trail begins by following the Pacific Crest Trail as it traverses across a wooded mountain slope that eventually gives way to a broad valley containing several alpine lakes. A steep ascent up Eddy's south shoulder follows, but numerous switchbacks provide some relief from what would otherwise be a major slog straight up the mountain. The views from the top of Eddy are fantastic...though thick forest fire smoke blocked the best views. Nevertheless, Shasta still managed to peak out from behind the haze and building cumulus.

Rock hut at the summit of Mount Eddy.

Mount Shasta, partially obscured by forest fire smoke.

Mount Eddy, viewed from an alpine meadow west of the summit.

Lassen Volcano

I summited Lassen Volcano a year ago, but at sunrise, and thus didn't get a chance to fully view the crater (click here to see last years post). I returned to Lassen a week ago with Tamara Lopez, during mid July, for a daytime hike to the summit. It was a pretty amazing site to gaze upon the crater, which only 100 or so years ago was experiencing a violent volcanic eruption. And of course, the views from the top were outstanding, with the Central Valley laid out to our west, and Mount Shasta to our north. A picture of the crater, and Shasta on the horizon, is posted below (click the image for a larger version).

Punta Gorda Lighthouse

I hiked out to the Punta Gorda Lighthouse during June 2018. The lighthouse was operational between 1912 and 1951, and has survived countless Pacific storms, as well as tectonic events such as the January 1923 magnitude 7.2 earthquake (see here for additional information on the lighthouse: http://lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=63).

During my trip, I was greeted by a large colony of sea lions upon arrival to the lighthouse.  They didn't mind my presence at all, as they were preoccupied with throwing sand across their backs in order to block damaging UV rays as they sunned along the beach. Pictures of the lighthouse, sea lions, and a rusted navigational buoy are below.

Rusted navigational buoy.

Marin Headlands

I drove west from the Golden Gate Bridge to hike out to the Point Bonita Lighthouse on Saturday April 21st. Unfortunately, the lighthouse is only open on Sundays. So, I made the best of it and hiked the hills overlooking Rodeo Beach. Some relatively easy uphill hiking brought me to what I believe was Hill 88, which was ~1000 feet above the nearby ocean. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday...a few pictures are posted below.

View looking east from Point Bonita. The Golden Gate Bridge is on the horizon.

The Point Bonita Lighthouse is situated behind this sea stack. Unfortunately, the tunnel giving access to the lighthouse was closed.

Looking down on Rodeo Beach.

The hills towering above Rodeo Beach and Point Bonita.

Maacama Fault - Willits, CA

Traveling north through Willits, CA with coworkers, we stopped in town to view the slow warping of city streets due to creep occurring along the Maacama Fault. We stopped to take pictures at a vacant bank parking lot, where shearing forces from fault motion were clearly displayed.  A crack in the pavement ran from the southwest corner of the bank northwest across the drive-through section of the property, and then continued north-northwest across the remainder of the bank parking lot, where it exited the property beneath a fence.  Slabs of concrete used as a pseudo-curb along the north section of the parking lot where shearing away due to 6-8 mm/year of fault creep.  The previously mentioned fence on the far north side of the property also showed signs of warpage.  Pictures of the fault are displayed below.

Pavement shearing apart due to creep on the Maacama Fault.  Looking south.

Another view of the pavement breaking apart due to the fault.  Looking south.

Slabs of concrete breaking apart and being carried toward the north due to 6-8 mm/year of fault creep. Note the cracks in the parking lot pavement, which offer another marker for the fault location.

Warped fence sitting atop the fault.

Location of the pictures in Willits, CA.

January Landscape Photography Archive: Part II

Interstate-40. Downtown Oklahoma City, OK.

Beach in Humboldt County, CA.

Virginia City, NV.

Beach near Trinidad, CA.

Mouth of the Klamath River emptying into the Pacific Ocean.

January Landscape Photography Archive

Various landscape photographs from the past 5 years:

Decker Way. Juneau, AK.

KTOO Juneau Public Radio. Juneau, AK.

Downtown Juneau, Alaska.

Ice climbers climbing Mendenhall Glacier. Juneau, AK.

Lynn Canal, in the vicinity of Juneau, AK.

Cruise boat docked in Juneau, AK.

Pre-dawn hours over Las Vegas, NV.

Southern Nevada sunrise.

Sunset over Lake Las Vegas, NV.

Death Valley, CA.

Rhyolite, Nevada.

Death Valley, CA.

"The Strip." Las Vegas, NV.

Death Valley, CA.

November Landscape Photography: #2

Eureka, CA.

Zion Canyon. Zion National Park, Utah.

Mission District mural, San Francisco, CA.

Mission District mural, San Francisco, CA.

November Landscape Photography

In the continuing series of greatest misses, here is a sample of pictures that didn't make the final cut in my photography portfolio.

High surf at the north spit, Eureka, CA.

High surf impacting the coast near Eureka, CA.

High surf during the fall of 2017 near Eureka, CA.

Waves crashing against the north spit near Eureka, CA. Fall 2017.