A Beautiful Valley View

The other morning, we got up 'crack o' dawn to go bikin' and on the way in, I caught this shot of the valley spread out before us. I almost didn't recognize the place, looked like something Albert Bierstadt would have painted. A great day for a ride.

Once In A Blue Moon

This is the first time our 'Century Plant' Agave has bloomed (and the last...). A special event for us and a beautiful, almost full moon, to boot!

Nice Clouds at Jumbo Rocks

We went out the other afternoon and took a little walk at Jumbo Rocks. As we started out, this is the view I saw, thought you might like it too.

A Little Thunderstorm... A Lot of Clouds!

We got a little bit of a Thunderstorm the other day in the afternoon, just enough to wet the plants, but later in the day, there were some beautiful cloud displays just before Sunset. A nice finish to the day.

Spring Greenery Appears at the Big Morongo Preserve

After a harsh winter of barren, gnarled limbs, the trees at the Preserve have sprung to life practically over night. The Cottonwoods are exploding with lush, green color and the Marsh area is alive with the sound of birds singing and cackling away in conversation. I'm suddenly aware of a sweet, floral scent that charms my spirit as I walk along on a sunny morning. Ah Spring!

Some Black and White Views of the Twin Tanks Area

I got up early the other morning and drove out to the Twin Tanks area to do a little hikin' around. It's a great area to explore with interesting terrain and lots of gullies and canyons to investigate. The early ranchers built a couple of cement and rock tanks to capture water for their cattle, taking advantage of and improving on the many natural tanks that were formed by the rocks in the area. These natural tanks were used by the early Native American inhabitants of the area before the cattlemen arrived. You can easily spend the whole day out there, so pack a lunch.

Winter Trees at Big Morongo Preserve

It was an overcast Sunday, with a gunmetal sky, a typical winter day. After reading the paper, we decided to take a walk through the Marsh area of Big Morongo Preserve. It's our little bit of 'New England' here in the desert. The trees were barren of leaves, open upward to the sky, with a few scattered clouds. The air was not too chilly, but enough to keep you moving forward. In the background, there was the soft burbling of water underneath the boardwalk and the tiny Bushtits, twittering and flashing amongst the silver and black limbs to keep you company. A lovely day.

Interesting Sights On My Morning Walks

I like to get up around 6 a.m. and head in to the Park, pick an area to explore and just walk about, to see what I can see. It's so nice that time of the morning, the air is crisp, it's quiet and it seems you have the whole Park to yourself. A nice way to start the day.

A flowering bush surrounds a young Joshua Tree like a wreath.

Windswept

The skeletal remains of a Joshua Tree flower, looking like a 'Lego-like' reptile.

This Joshua Tree seems to be exploding up and out of the ground in every direction.

Joshua Tree pointing skyward to heaven and downward to... 

Beautiful Morning Clouds

When I awoke this morning, I looked up, out the window and saw these beautiful clouds in the sky. They reminded me of Constable's 'Cloud Studies', which I've always admired. So, I jumped out of bed, grabbed my camera and took a few shots. This is what I came up with. Enjoy.

Rock Stars in Black and White

I went in to the Park early this morning to shoot some pics with my new camera, an Olympus OM-D which will replace my EP-3. I was anxious to give it a little test run and see what 'developed'... On the way in, I happened to look at the temperature gauge in the car and was shocked to see it reading at 19 degrees. I asked myself "Why am I doing this, when I could still be warm in bed?!" Once I got in, it was fine, I had layers and gloves, all was well. The light was sharp and bright, so as I wandered around in the Hidden Valley area, I was able to catch some nice shots. I love this one particular area, the rock formations are very 'fluid', very 'photogenic'.  I finished them using Silver Efex Pro, black and white, with high contrast, to give them a little more oomph. Hope you like.

The Last of the Fall Colors

Soon, it will be winter. The Cottonwoods at Covington Park and Big Morongo Canyon Preserve are starting to lose their leaves. It's still a treat to go early in the morning and catch the first light in the trees and feel the chill in the air. I can see my breath, when I exhale, as I plod along through the fields. Each time I visit, I see something different, something beautiful. I take lots of pictures. Not everything thing turns out the way I'd hoped. It just means I'll have to re-visit. Always a pleasure.

More Fall Colors

I went over to Covington Park and Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, the other morning, early, a little too early, the light hadn't really hit yet, so I wandered through the fields, just enjoying the cold morning air and the smell of the fall leaves crunching under my footsteps. Suddenly, the light came, first in the tree tops and then down through the leaves, lighting everything up. The colors haven't turned fully golden yet, there are still shades of green amongst the leaves, which make a nice contrast. I spent quite a long time, just moving slowly amongst the trees, circling around for another shot. Then, within thirty minutes or so, the light diminished and I continued on my way, through the marsh, to see what I might find there. Another beautiful, crisp, fall morning. (Click on to make larger)

Fall Colors at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

This is my favorite 'go to' place for fall colors in the high desert. I like to go early in the morning and wander about. I usually start in Covington Park and then meander over to the Preserve and the marsh area to see what's happening. I find myself continually looking downward, focusing on the grasses and leaves, looking for color, texture and design, and am always rewarded. Sometimes the 'big picture' isn't everything, sometimes more can be found in the 'intimate' close up.