Tag Archives: trees

Muir Woods

Having visitors is always a good excuse to go to places that you haven’ been to for a while. Muir Woods National Monument was one such destination. If only we had known just how many other people had the same idea, we might have aimed to get there a lot earlier in the day. As it was, we got there a bit alter in the afternoon. A short while later and it might have been a lot easier to park. Of course, late in the day in winter means fading light and being in a heavily wooded area means even less light!

Muir Woods is a great place to wander. Having a lot of other visitors means it is a little less tranquil. My previous visits have obviously been off peak and usually involved colder and damper weather. This time it was dry and warm(ish). The trees are majestic and often interestingly shaped. However, being so close to such large trees as coastal redwoods does make it hard to get the images that you have in your mind.

The light is tricky and the angles wide. Some playing with HDR and panoramas certainly helped out. Sometimes it was just fun to look straight up. The shapes there are exactly as you imagine them. The dynamic range is so large that even HDR doesn’t always cover it (at least the way I was bracketing the shots) but it still worked out okay.

Russian Gulch State Park

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While eating lots of good food is a fun part of a trip away, it does provide you with some encouragement to have a bit of exercise too to try and offset what you have consumed. Combine that with some scenery and a plan starts to emerge. Nancy had found out about a trail at Russian Gulch State Park that led to some waterfalls. This seemed like a worthwhile venture so off we set.

Sadly, our planning did not prove to be quite as good as we had hoped. The access route to the park was closed off at a certain point which we assumed to be the normal starting point. Instead, I think we were a bit further out that the distances in our guide suggested. Also, the distances they gave, even assuming the change in start point, were a bit optimistic. Consequently, as we headed further in and the clock ticked by, we realized that we were not going to get all the way to the falls and get back out again before it started getting a bit dark.

The valley is very sheltered, particularly at this time of year, so the lack of direct sunlight means it is a bit darker in there and, as the sun drops, it will get a lot darker than the surrounding area. It also gets a bit cold since the area is very moist. We wisely turned back to ensure we weren’t going to get uncomfortable. Besides, judging by the flow of water in the river along the valley floor, the falls were probably not at their most productive.

The valley itself was really pretty. Combinations of all sorts of plants that like damp environments and tall trees reaching up to gather sunlight at their highest reaches made you feel like you were in a scene from the Hobbit. I was particularly impressed by some young trees that had chosen the stump of a chopped down tree to use as their base. The little trunk rising out of roots that were drooping down the sides of the stump looked very cool.

When we had finished the walk, we headed around to a sinkhole in another part of the park. This is apparently quite impressive at high tide and when the waves are strong since the hole makes all sorts of sounds as the air is compressed by the water. Sadly, it was low tide while we were there so it was just a big hole. However, the walk there did give us a great view of one of the bridges along the Pacific Coast Highway.

Sheffield Park Gardens

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One of our transit days in the UK had us moving from the Cotswolds back to Surrey for my Dad’s birthday party. En route, we decided to take a detour to an old favorite location of ours. When we lived in Sussex, we were not too far from Sheffield Park. This is an estate that has been divided up with the National Trust owning the gardens and parkland and the house being privately owned. The gardens are a delight to visit.

Over many years, a collection of different botanical species have been cultivated at the gardens so they have a great diversity of plants and trees including some sequoias. The gardens are built around a series of lakes that make the whole place look just gorgeous. Some of the older trees are really solid and gnarly looking. Nancy thought it looked like something from the Wizard of Oz. One of the National Trust guys told us to look for a spot that had a great view back up the lakes to the house. It took a bit of searching since the tree cover is quite dense but we found it. It was certainly a nice view.

Great to get back to this place after being away for so long and to see it on a lovely day was even better. If you are ever thinking of visiting, they apparently have a nice day trip from London to get there. You can take the normal train to East Grinstead and from there the Bluebell Railway runs a steam service to Sheffield Park. A shuttle from the station operates on busy day but it is not a long walk if not. Not done this myself but it sounds like a nice way to make a day trip of the whole thing.

Snowy Trees

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Unlike last winter, this one has been a bit colder in the Chicago area. It hasn’t been consistently cold but there have been some cold times and we have had a bit of snow. We don’t tend to get too much snow in the city itself. It does happen but usually the areas around the city get hit a lot more than we do. It is easy to forget this but, when we head out to other places, we get a reminder.

A recent trip out to Barrington was one of those times. As we drove along the roads through the country, there was plenty of snow about. Lots of it was attached to the trees and it had clumped together in quite an interesting way. It looked like large cotton balls attached to the branches. Sadly, when you are driving along a road with nowhere to pull off, you can’t easily get a picture.

Once we got to Barrington, though, I saw some trees near the parking lot that looked similar. Nancy headed inside (it was cold so she was no fool) while I wandered across the lot. Just a phone to take the pictures with but you use what you have. The location wasn’t quite as pretty as the roads we had come along but you get an idea of what it was like. The sun was out and the temperature was rising so some of the snow was already melting off the branches so I think I was quite lucky to get what I did.

Unplanned Sunrise

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Through an unfortunate set of circumstances, I happened to find myself parked up at an interchange along I-80 early one morning. I had the misfortune to be just behind an accident on the interstate and ran over the bumper of the car that had just crashed in the dark ahead. This did not please two of the wheels on the car and I had limped off an exit road to sit and wait for the tow truck to come and rescue me.

As I sat there, in my wing mirror I saw a hint of morning light in the sky followed by the appearance of the sun through the trees. I had my camera gear in the trunk so went to grab it. As is the way of these things, the sun moves quite fast and by the time I had got my stuff out, the image had change a bit. However, it still looked basically as I envisaged it so I got a few shots before it had risen too far. Then i hopped back in the car (it was a bit chilly) and resumed my wait for the tow…

Onset of Fall Colors

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When talking about fall, the most obvious photography option is foliage. A favorite spot to go to see the fall colors is the Morton Arboretum out at Lisle. The full colors had not come into their own but, with a number of trips coming up for work and pleasure, I wasn’t going to have a chance to get out there before it was all likely to be over. When it is done, it is done very quickly. Therefore, an early visit seemed worth a shot.

We were certainly too early. However, there was still some interesting color developing with some of the trees. You could see what was going to look very good before too long so, while the conditions this year might not have been ideal for fall color, I suspect the large number of visitors they get at this time of year won’t be too disappointed. We got there later in the day to make the most of the nicer light and had a wander amongst some of the trees. Irrespective of the color or time of year, the arboretum is one of the more pleasant places to be.

I also wanted to play around with the fish-eye amongst the trees. This was something I had been thinking about for a while so had a quick roam amongst some of the stands. However, it was getting a little late so I had to get some quick shots. This is something I will come back to try again and spend more time finding the sort of trees that might suit what I have in mind.