California

Mountains.40

Mountain views and a few California poppies, all from a lovely day’s walk in central Mendocino County on the last day of April. If you’re on the full view website here, you can look for “Mendocino County” as a “tag” further down, and select it to view past Mendocino posts which explain a bit of what you’re seeing. Orr Hot Springs is tucked deep in a canyon in the photo above and some of the photos below.

From the Air.50

If look closely at the above photo, you’ll see a bay coming in from the Pacific at the top right, carving inland to the top-center. That’s Monterey Bay. I’m posting all the remaining photos from our mid-April approach to SFO, following the flight from Amsterdam which, as we’ve shown you in prior posts, cut over the norther half of Greenland before plunging south along the Pacific Coast. This photo was taken in the midst of our complex circling in order to line up for (north-facing) approach to SFO. If you’re interested in better understanding the geography, just open a map and see how the “peninsula” sits between the (more enclosed) SF bay and the open, further south Monterey Bay. Here we’re beginning a clockwise circle from our southbound course, so I’m looking south and we’re still turning west and north. The shots below follow the rest of that trajectory in order, although the first shot was taken a minute or so before the one above. Enjoy 🙂

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Urban Garden.199


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Coasting.99


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Signs of the City.89


Lake Living.29


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Urban Entrances.129


County Views.139

These are all taken on the Ukiah-Comptche Road in Mendocino County – a road that’s not very long but runs from nearly sea level (well downhill of the shot just above), to a reasonably high crest in the coast range (a bit further above the images below), before dropping down to Ukiah in its narrow valley. At that bottom, Lake Mendocino on the outskirts of Ukiah.

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Country Canals.69


Village Views.79

Sebastopol’s annual Apple Blossom Parade, during my visit in late April. Ah, the joys of small town parades 🙂


Islands.58

As our plane traveled east and inland after the photos I showed you yesterday, we saw first the west end of the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta (below left), then these islands and more clearly delta-like elements (above), the the more open norther central valley stretching up north towards the city of Sacramento itself (below right).

From the Air.48

Above: San Pablo Bay at top left, Oakland & Berkeley bottom left. Top right you are also seeing the end of the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta, which empties into the bay. In the photo below, you see a bit more of this & the Carquinez Strait over which I-80 passes en route between SF & points east. I plan to show you more of the Delta (also called Suisun Bay at times) in our next entry, most likely :-).

Mountains.38

In this case, really one mountain – Mt St Helena. This mountain of volcanic origin has several peaks, the highest of which reaches 4,342 ft (1,323 m) in Sonoma County – other peaks are in Napa and Lake Counties. It’s also the highest peak in the bay area, which includes all the counties bordering SF Bay. You’ve seen it often before when I was still based in Santa Rosa, but I devoted more time to contemplating it on this last trip and am sharing my favorite photos of it in various moods and lights here. It’s easily recognizable and always fun to contemplate at all times of day, from many perspectives.

County Views.138

The remaining photos from my lovely drive along Rte 1 through Marin County, mostly along Tomales Bay in this case though I think the one above was along Bolinas Lagoon…


Small Wonders.238