fstopandsee

This steep set of stairs on the high and narrow trail in Pinnacles National Park is a good reminder to keep on climbing up and up in the new year!

I started off the new year with a great hike at a place that is close to home but new to me, Pinnacles National Park. An afternoon hike led us from green valleys to high peaks, through talus caves and right over these rock pinnacles where it looked like there couldn’t possibly be a trail at all. A great adventure to start a new year!

The big city of dreams, the city that never sleeps, the home of Liz Lemon. All great things. This was a particularly fun night walking around NYC and keeping our eyes looking up. 30 Rockefeller Plaza is spectacular in the way it lights up the night sky.

As you drive into Joshua Tree, you see the namesake trees one by one. Then all of a sudden they are everywhere. I like this particular joshua tree, standing by itself and reaching toward the rocks in the distance.

Point Reyes has many miles of beautiful seashore. The sunset only makes the view better. Walking out to the very tip of the peninsula was fun, and making our way back in the calm after sunset was very peaceful.

The waters of Lake Tahoe might be calm, but the storms keep coming in. The Sierra Nevadas are finally getting some much needed snow!

This really was a super Sunday, no bowl required! Living close to Levi’s Stadium, home to this year’s Super Bowl, meant it was a good excuse to get out of town for the weekend and check out Big Sur. A sunset on Pfeiffer Beach with fewer people than usual was just the ticket for a relaxing Sunday.

I spent Christmas morning with my Dad watching this awesome sunrise. It was the only day that was supposed to be partly cloudy, and there was a light dusting of snow. A perfect moment to take in a sunrise over Lake Michigan!

This was taken in a year when there was more water in California to keep rivers flowing and plants growing. Bassi Falls had plenty of snowmelt from above to create many tiny waterfalls over the granite.

After hiking the Grand Canyon the day before it was difficult to motivate for this sunrise shot. I was worried the sky would be covered in clouds, but I was lucky and there were just enough to make the sunrise even better.