Category Archives: Travel

Waves at Santa Cruz

While watching the surfers at Santa Cruz, I also was watching the waves. Photographing waves is immensely frustrating. You see a wave do something really cool and want to get a picture of that. However, the waves never do the same thing twice so you are constantly frustrated. However, I did focus on two aspects of the waves while there. The sun angle was behind the waves so, as they started to break, the light would shine through from behind making a lovely green color light up the water. I find this really attractive and often look for it while watching the sea.

The other interesting aspect is the way the water runs off the sand after the wave has run its course. The gentle undulations in the surface cause the most interesting patterns to develop. The water is coming from multiple directions so the interaction of the flows results in some fascinating shapes. Looking down on these from above, they become quite abstract.

Grgich Hills Winery

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We took a quick tour around the Grgich Hills winery when not on the Napa Valley Wine Train. I was surprised to learn that the name is a combination of a Mr. Grgich (of course) and a Mr. Hills (not so obvious). It was a relatively short tour but still informative. We also sampled some of the wine. I won’t tell you much about the wine making but here are some shots of the winery as we went around.

Napa Valley Wine Train

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With Dad and Jan visiting, it was a chance to get out and see some of what the area has to offer. Dad likes trains and is also quite partial to wine so what better trip to make than a visit to the Napa Valley Wine Train. For those who are not familiar with it, the service runs from the town of Napa up through the Napa Valley. It pretty much parallels the main road (or you might argue the road parallels the rail line) and passes by many of the vineyards and wineries as it goes.

We took the trip that included the tour of the Grgich hills winery as well. Lunch was served on the train shortly after we departed Napa and we ate as we gently rumbled through the countryside. Since it was a rather damp day, being inside and watching everything outside while eating seemed to be a good plan. When we reached the winery, the train stopped to drop us off. It then continued up to the end of the line where they ran the locos around to pull them back down the route.

Once we had finished our tour of the winery, the train reappeared to pick us up. At this point, we boarded a different car. This one was a lounge car where we were served our desserts. Sitting inside facing seats eating dessert while watching the vineyards roll past was a great way to wrap up the trip. They ran a second trip later in the day with dinner served on board but, since it is dark so early at this time of year, I think our time was a far better one for the trip.

Fungi to be With

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While wandering through the woods at Armstrong Redwoods SNR, I saw the effect of the permanently damp climate. Fungi were everywhere. I wasn’t traveling with a tripod or a macro lens. The lens was less of an issue but getting shots in the darkness of the woods was a touch problematic. However, the fungi looked cool so it was worth a go.

I know nothing about them so have no idea what I was taking photos of. They could be common or rare. They may be toxic or tasty. None of this is known to me. However, they were interesting to look at and rather cool. That’s all that mattered to me!

Calistoga

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During the summer I traveled to Clear Lake for the Splash In which I covered in this blog post. The drive back from that event took me through Calistoga. You descend from the hills to drop down in to the town. That evening, the sun was settings and the light on the hills was absolutely gorgeous. I resolved to go back at a later stage to check this out in more detail. Our Healdsburg trip had us up in Calistoga so I thought it would be worth a second look. Unfortunately, the weather was not too special and the rain was coming down.

We started up the road climbing as we went. The view back over the valley was pretty attractive and we climbed higher. Of course, it didn’t take too long to get high enough that we disappeared into the cloud base. From there it was just rain. We found the first good option and turned around to head back down. Then we stopped off at some of the overlooks to check out the valley.

The colors of the vines were very attractive and the geometry of the vineyards looked great. The hills in the background were also shrouded in low cloud and there was smoke rising from the fires in the buildings scattered across the low lands. While I did take some pictures – obviously since they are here – I did also just stand and enjoy the view for a while. It isn’t easy to appreciate the scale of a view from a photograph. Sometime I like to get the panorama shots just to have something that gives the width of the view. These are best when printed large so don’t translate well to the computer screen. However, they are always stored for possible future use.

Lifeboat Launch

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As a kid growing up by the sea in the UK, I had a fascination with lifeboats which remains to this day. For those of you not from the UK, the sea rescue service in the UK might come as a bit of a surprise. It is a charitable organization, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) formed in 1824 which has continued to this day to provide rescue services around the coast of the UK and The Republic of Ireland. The government has no role in its operations and it is entirely funded by donations. Various members of my family have been involved in fund raising and serving in the crews and I remain a member of the institution despite having left the UK over ten years ago.

The Isle of Wight, where I grew up, had two offshore lifeboats. Cowes, the town in which I lived for many years, is home to the Inshore Lifeboat Centre for the RNLI where they build the boats while Bembridge and Yarmouth both have boats. Yarmouth’s boat is permanently afloat in the harbor while Bembridge’s boat is housed in a boathouse at the end of a pier with a slipway direct into the water.

A few years ago we were in Bembridge for a family wedding. We took a trip down to Lane End where the lifeboat is based and we timed it well since they have a practice launch once a week. I wasn’t going to miss this.

I actually nearly blew the shot. We were on the shore waiting for the boat to come down the slip. I figured I should get as many shots as possible since I wasn’t going to get a second chance. As it happens, the boat goes down the slipway a bit more slowly than I had anticipated. I started firing as soon as I saw it. On the body I had in those days, the buffer wasn’t huge and I managed to fill it up. However, I did still get some shots as it entered the water.

Since that trip, the old boathouse and pier have been replaced with a new facility. I have a shot of it taken from the air. However, if we go back sometime soon, I would really like to set up something with the crew to get shots of the new boat launching from the new ramp. Ideally, I would like to shoot from a boat out at the end of the ramp. I would aim to have a second body mounted on the boathouse with Pocketwizards mounted on both to get simultaneous shots from two angles with both the side on splash and the overhead view of the boat entering the water. I have relatives who know members of the crew. Whether we can make anything happen I don’t know but it would be cool to do!

Armstrong Redwoods

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Muir Woods in Marin County is a place we have visited on a few occasions. While staying in Healdsburg, we decided to try somewhere that is supposed to be quite similar. This was Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. It was a bit off the beaten path but not terribly difficult to get to (unless you trust your GPS that decides the main road is far too simple and a single width road is somehow more appropriate).

I would say it surpasses Muir Woods. Not only is it a lovely area with some impressive woodlands but it felt like it was deserted. It wasn’t, of course, although the time we were there is probably not the busiest. However, everyone seemed to get lost in the place and you felt surprised when you met someone. Compare this to Muir Woods where the place seems to always be crowded with no feeling of tranquility.

I guess the climate for growing these trees is cool and damp since any of these woods seems to be that way. Armstrong was no different. Additionally, we were there in the early stages of winter so the sun wasn’t getting too high in the sky and the flow of the valley felt very shaded. Of course, you dress warmer for a place like this so, if well prepared, you can enjoy a leisurely stroll through the trees without feeling uncomfortable (although you do tend to be a bit damp by the end).

I do wonder whether the park is very busy at some times of year. I suspect we shall find out when we next go back. It was later in the day when we left with darkness not too far away so our experience may not prepare us for next time. However, there will be a next time!

Medlock Ames

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We took a trip to Healdsburg for a short break. While there, Nancy arranged a visit to a local winery. Medlock Ames is not a famous facility but it is an interesting one. It is a totally organic operation and has set up the operation to not only avoid artificial elements to the grape growing but also to grow other crops in order to encourage soil health and to have a strong insect and bird population to control pests that would normally be dealt with through less natural methods.

We had a tour of the wine making areas as well as through the vineyards and other growing areas. The location is quite isolated and absolutely beautiful. Also, we were the only two on the tour so we had a very personalized introduction to their operation. Needless to say, we also were introduced to the wine itself which proved to be very nice. Not only did we have the finished product but we were able to taste it as it was being prepared which gave an interesting side to the wine making process.

If you get a chance to visit, I would certainly do so. The people were very friendly, the tour was interesting and the location was both tranquil and gorgeous. A half day well spent.

Deutsches Museum

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A friend of mine was discussing his imminent travel plans. Part of this is taking in Munich, a city we visited a few years ago when another friend was living there. The Deutsches Museum is on the itinerary for my friend’s current trip and it brought to mind the aircraft collection there. The museum is a marvelous place covering a wide variety of industrial, technological and scientific subjects. A day is required if you visit but you will still leave much unseen. The location of Messerschmitt and succeeding companies nearby means they have access to many great aircraft and the collection is outstanding.

On a previous visit in the early 90s, they had some other aircraft, some of which were outside. Some of these have now moved to another location where a second museum facility has been established. I was unable to fit in a visit there but if I ever get back to Munich, it will be on my list.

Buckley Field

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Just south of Denver International is Buckley AFB. I don’t know much about the base other than it has a resident F-16 unit that a friend of mine has shot a lot in the past. It also appears to have a helicopter unit that I think he has also worked with before. Anyway, we seemed to do a tour of the base while setting up for the approach to DIA so I got a good look at the base. These images are a quick selection of how it looks.