I just returned from 10 days in California...this was a work-related trip to the Marina/Monterey area. I've been traveling to this area about 1 - 2 times a year since 2003. California has some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere, and my favorite area is the stretch of coastline south of Monterey called Big Sur. I didn't do any painting during this trip - actually took out some supplies (watercolor) but I only had 2 days at the end of the trip and all I wanted to do at that point was sit on the beach, do some hiking, etc. So here I'll post a few photos in lieu of paintings...perhaps some of these photos will be used to develop studio paintings. These were taken during the weekend of November 17-18.
Perhaps my favorite spot along the coast is the beach at the south end of Garrapata State Park. It's a windswept stretch of pristine coastline, usually empty or only a few hardy souls there. The waves can be very large and I almost got caught by one. On Saturday I started out at this beach, and this scene is looking north from the trail leading to the beach, a sliver of which can be seen just below the center of the image.
After spending some time at the beach, I drove down to the "town" of Big Sur and did some hiking at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The trail featured a walk through a redwood forest to a small waterfall, followed by another trail up to a high viewpoint overlooking the valley. On a clear day the coast can be seen, but it was too hazy/foggy on this day. Nevertheless, a nice vantage point.
On the way back down through the redwood forest, I found a big ole redwood tree that had a large hollowed base...large enough for me to fit inside quite easily. It was dark so I couldn't see how far up the hollow extended, so I aimed the camera up and used the flash to illuminate the interior. The hollowed out section doesn't appear to extend too far. Strange feeling standing inside a living tree!
On the way back, the fog that had been sitting offshore all day finally moved in. I spent the last half hour on a rock outcropping somewhere along the coast, watching the waves crash over the rocks. This view is to the south through a gap in the coastal rock formation, and if you look carefully you can see a bridge peaking through the fog (just below the center). I think this is the Rocky Creek Bridge, but it could be the Bixby Bridge.
On Sunday I started out at Garrapata Beach again, the sun was warm but it was very windy! So I sat behind a cliff out of the wind for a while, and even got a little sun burn. Afterwards, I did some hiking in the hills, in Mountain Lion country. Didn't see any lions but did hike through a nice redwood grove. I wasn't able to complete the hike to the top of the coastal mountains as my legs were too sore from the previous day. However, I took some nice photos along the coast...this one is stitched together from two images (I'm obviously not very proficient with photoshop).
Perhaps my favorite spot along the coast is the beach at the south end of Garrapata State Park. It's a windswept stretch of pristine coastline, usually empty or only a few hardy souls there. The waves can be very large and I almost got caught by one. On Saturday I started out at this beach, and this scene is looking north from the trail leading to the beach, a sliver of which can be seen just below the center of the image.
After spending some time at the beach, I drove down to the "town" of Big Sur and did some hiking at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The trail featured a walk through a redwood forest to a small waterfall, followed by another trail up to a high viewpoint overlooking the valley. On a clear day the coast can be seen, but it was too hazy/foggy on this day. Nevertheless, a nice vantage point.
On the way back down through the redwood forest, I found a big ole redwood tree that had a large hollowed base...large enough for me to fit inside quite easily. It was dark so I couldn't see how far up the hollow extended, so I aimed the camera up and used the flash to illuminate the interior. The hollowed out section doesn't appear to extend too far. Strange feeling standing inside a living tree!
On the way back, the fog that had been sitting offshore all day finally moved in. I spent the last half hour on a rock outcropping somewhere along the coast, watching the waves crash over the rocks. This view is to the south through a gap in the coastal rock formation, and if you look carefully you can see a bridge peaking through the fog (just below the center). I think this is the Rocky Creek Bridge, but it could be the Bixby Bridge.
On Sunday I started out at Garrapata Beach again, the sun was warm but it was very windy! So I sat behind a cliff out of the wind for a while, and even got a little sun burn. Afterwards, I did some hiking in the hills, in Mountain Lion country. Didn't see any lions but did hike through a nice redwood grove. I wasn't able to complete the hike to the top of the coastal mountains as my legs were too sore from the previous day. However, I took some nice photos along the coast...this one is stitched together from two images (I'm obviously not very proficient with photoshop).
