California, July 2012

[Shrike]

I thought I'd share a few pictures from a trip to California this past summer. Over the course of ten days we put some miles on a rental car and went to San Francisco, Napa, and Yosemite.






Alcatraz




The thieving gulls of Alcatraz


A sea lion.


The "painted ladies" of Full House fame. I can now die a happy man.


The best greasy spoon in San Francisco. You can't beat the view.


The view. These are the ruins of an old bath house.


A hawk hunting the ruins of the bath house. Can anybody identify it?


Driving over the Golden Gate on the way to Muir Woods/Beach




Muir Beach overlook


Muir Beach


Zonbonzovi, I'll see your zombie carp and raise you a zombie sea lion.








Muir Woods


Napa countryside


A lizard in Napa valley (Sceloporus sp?). Because that's what you do in Napa. You take pictures of lizards.


I approve of this place.




Entering Yosemite


Half Dome


I enjoyed seeing this.


Taking up residence in a fallen sequoia. I kept my distance.




Sequoia sempervirens. These trees are the real deal.


Scleroporus sp?


Squirrel don't care.


Steller's Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri


Mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus


Vernal Falls

 

[zonbonzovi]

Beautiful Yosemite shots! I need to get back down there for millipede season...

 

[Shrike]

It's absolutely gorgeous there. When I go back I'd like to get off the beaten path a bit more. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir doesn't get as many visitors and is supposed to be a hot spot for rattlesnakes and other wildlife.

 

[tarcan]

excellent shots, great scenery! Did you see many bugs? Amanda and I are planning a trip there eventually.

 

[BrettG]

Loving every single picture,except the In and Out pic,LOL.

 

[MarkmD]

Love the pics strike, and looks like you had a really nice time.

 

[Terry D]

Shrike, Thanks for sharing these nice photos of your trip! I'll bet you got a lot of lifer bugs, herps and birds while you were there. Although the subject is a bit distant, the hawk at the bathhouse ruins appears to be a light morph "western" Red-tailed- Buteo jamaicensis calurus. Speaking of birds, we're still waiting for your user-name-sake Northern Shrike to show in La. Over the years, there have been several records west of here in Texas at about the same latitude or slightly north of Shreveport/Bossier- so it's just a matter of time..........(-;

Thanks again,

Terry

 

[Shrike]

Shrike, Thanks for sharing these nice photos of your trip! I'll bet you got a lot of lifer bugs, herps and birds while you were there. Although the subject is a bit distant, the hawk at the bathhouse ruins appears to be a light morph "western" Red-tailed- Buteo jamaicensis calurus. Speaking of birds, we're still waiting for your user-name-sake Northern Shrike to show in La. Over the years, there have been several records west of here in Texas at about the same latitude or slightly north of Shreveport/Bossier- so it's just a matter of time..........(-;

Thanks Terry! I thought it might be a red tail, but couldn't say for certain. We also saw a beautiful Anna's hummingbird in San Francisco--nice to see something other than a ruby throat. I hope you get your shrike! Awesome little birds.

---------- Post added 12-13-2012 at 04:26 PM ----------

excellent shots, great scenery! Did you see many bugs? Amanda and I are planning a trip there eventually.

Unfortunately I didn't see many bugs. I just didn't have the time to do much flipping or get off established hiking trails. Other than deer and squirrels that were extremely habituated to the presence of people, we did see a gorgeous "cinnamon" black bear as we were driving out of Yosemite. It ran across the road about 20 years in front of our car and went barreling down the mountainside. I hope you guys can get out there soon!

---------- Post added 12-13-2012 at 04:28 PM ----------

Loving every single picture,except the In and Out pic,LOL.

I couldn't resist. A bit of a novelty for us East coasters.

---------- Post added 12-13-2012 at 04:29 PM ----------

Love the pics strike, and looks like you had a really nice time.

Thanks Mark!

 

[advan]

Awesome pics Matt! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Shrike]

Awesome pics Matt! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Chad!

 

[Chicken Farmer]

really cool pics. love the lizards. they're so cute!

 

[Introvertebrate]

A lizard in Napa valley (Sceloporus sp?). Because that's what you do in Napa. You take pictures of lizards.

Precisely.........or anywhere else for that matter.

 

[Shrike]

really cool pics. love the lizards. they're so cute!

Thanks, and I agree!

---------- Post added 12-16-2012 at 03:57 PM ----------

Precisely.........or anywhere else for that matter.

Very true...I just wish the Napa lizards hadn't given off such a yuppie vibe

 

[Storm76]

Matt,

nature park wise you have some amazing spots over there in the US. I'd love to visit some of them at some time! Great series of shots from Yosemite there!
Those trees seriously make you feel small just by looking at the pictures!

Best
Jan

 

[Shrike]

Matt,

nature park wise you have some amazing spots over there in the US. I'd love to visit some of them at some time! Great series of shots from Yosemite there!
Those trees seriously make you feel small just by looking at the pictures!

Thanks Jan! There's more to see out there than I could appreciate in one life time. You'll have to come see those trees for yourself some day. Believe me, they're worth the trip! Their size and age (some are approx. 3,000 years old!!) just blew my mind.

 

[macbaffo]

nice pics and lovely places!
the squirrel is so funny

 

[josh_r]

You drove right through some prime habitat for calisoga theveneti! I love California wilderness!!

 

[Shrike]

nice pics and lovely places!
the squirrel is so funny

Thanks! I got a kick out of it as well.

I love California wilderness!!

Me too. It was amazing.