I missed my weekly photo a few weeks back. Now I’m making up for it with two photos from the same day. Banana slugs are common in the Santa Cruz Mountains if you keep your eye out for them. This one must have thought these leaves were delicious, he looked like he was going to eat the whole thing.
California redwoods grow in some rugged and beautiful places. Butano State Park is full of steep ravines and trails that will take you through them. It is a great place to check out the redwoods in all their glory.
I had a great long weekend in Boise, hit some mountain bike trials, floated down the river, and generally enjoyed the vibe of the town. Just don’t tell people you are from California or about half of the folks you meet might suggest you go back to where you came from. What people in Boise do love is marble, as they have used literal tons of it to build the very beautiful Idaho State Capitol.
The sharp cliffs and rocky arches of the Mendocino Headlands can be overwhelmingly beautiful. Best to take a step back and try to appreciate the sea, the sky and the land all spreading out before you.
I’ve wanted to experiment with day time long exposures to capture waves like this for a long time. I finally got the right ND filter to smooth these waves out and make them look more like smoke floating around than waves. The jagged rocks of the Mendocino Headlands provide contrast to the soft look of the waves with their crazy shapes and unique arches.
Hiking up and down the hills of Butano State Park led to lots of different climates in a short distance. This particularly misty section was beautiful and thick with a green covering on the floor of the forest.
California has seen a lot of rain this year, so much that we are out of a drought! I celebrated by checking out Sempervirens Falls for the first time. Big Basin Redwoods State Park never disappoints, and this waterfall is easy to get to and great to photograph.
It is starting to feel a lot like spring here recently. I hiked this hillside awhile ago, but it reminds me of today with all of the green from the rain and new growth in the trees.
I found this banana slug just sliding around the floor of the redwood forest. He can’t really see, just detect light and movement, which might explain why he thought it was a good idea to go over this stick but ended up searching around in the air for his next move.
A rainy day and all things are green. Spring time means everything is growing and bright green on the rolling hills of Henry Coe State Park.
