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2018 Trip Chronicles: Contents
Almaden Quicksilver County Park 2/27
San Pedro Valley County Park 2/28
The 2017/2018 winter began with modest late November storms. A long dry period lasted through December until early January, then another dry period till the end of the month with a few storms, followed by yet a third dry period. By the end of February, precipitation over the southern part of the state had been exceptionally dry, while the central state was quite dry and the far north coast moderately dry. That lack of storms in the Tahoe Sierra Nevada region limited my snow skiing, so by early February I had only 13 days of skiing. Instead, I had spent weeks during each dry period occupying my fitness needs with local hiking that did not include any photography given the dry conditions.
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On February 25, I joined a California Native Plant Society, aka CNPS, hike into San Pedro Valley County Park in Pacifica where I noted some surprisingly good subjects; thus decided to return as soon as weather was favorable. The only day that had overcast skies necessary for diffuse lighting in understories plus light winds would be Wednesday, February 28. That week I also had Santa Clara County jury duty, and it appeared I might be called on that day. On Tuesday February 27, 2018 my noon jury status showed I was not on call, so I drove out to nearby Almaden Quicksilver County Park, where I spent the afternoon exploring a modest zone on the southwest part of the park. Very few species were blooming anywhere. Although it was breezy, I found some emerging Indian warrior, Pedicularis densiflora, in some dense woods where it was reasonably calm, so I captured the above image.
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And this image above is at the base of a coast live oak. Later, my jury status required checking in again at noon the next day, so that gave me the opportunity to return to San Pedro Valley County Park during the morning.
Thus, on February 28, 2018 I rose at dawn, then drove the 50 miles north, arriving a bit before 8am. The weather was a bit more breezy than forecast, with mostly cloudy skies, then by late morning it was totally cloudy with wet fog mist. I first worked the 3-frame stitch blended image at page top taken from a small wooden bridge across the Middle Fork of San Pedro Creek that is next to the parking lot. A moss-covered aesthetic tree branches over the creek right there, with an amazing tangle of still-dormant deciduous vines and tree branches behind and lots of green plants rising below. On many of the branches is light blue lichen. An excellent subject for a large print with great detail. In a month or so, most of the trees and vines will have leafed out, obscuring this fine winter scene. At frame left are the long bluish-green-hued fronds of western sword ferns, Polystichum munitum. At frame center bottom beside the creek are lighter yellow-green hued coastal wood ferns, Dryopteris arguta. The center slice of the enlarged vertical slice view link shows some white-hued milk maid, Cardamine californica, flowers above those ferns. The left slice at the top shows 4 giant trilium, Trillium chloropetalum, plants with their mottled leaves and large white flowers. At the center below the tree trunk are a few colorful dried leaves of creek dogwood still attached to the otherwise bare branches.
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The Hazelnut Trail winds uphill for a couple miles through coastal chaparral before descending into level San Pedro Valley. The full loop back to the parking lot is about 4.5 miles with 800 feet of vertical rise. A few switchbacks up, I stopped to work the above close-up of a lovely western trillium, Trillium ovatum, that was the most numerous blooming showy species at this early time of the season. Its 3 petals start white, then after pollination begin to curl up while turning light pink to purple. The leaves have a consistent dark green hue.
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The next image above is the mossy burl base of a brittleleaf manzanita, Arctostaphylos crustacea, with its shiny dark wine-red bark that curls and peels away. The green leaves on spiny branches in the foreground are California blackberry. The green leaves mid-frame left are those of young coast silk tassel shrubs.
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As I climbed further up the trail, breezes increased, making close-up work difficult, as I needed still subjects to focus stack blend. About a half mile along were several nice hound's tongue flowers; however, despite using both my disks to block the wind, results were too far out of registration. I needed to climb another 1.3 miles uphill, so I decided to push my pace, breathing strongly, and note that I was carrying two tripods, both my Benbo for close-ups and Induro for landscapes, besides a weighty day pack. About 1.3 miles up the trail, where I had noted a plant 3 days earlier on the CNPS hike, I worked the above giant trilium, Trillium chloropetalum, the flowers of which begin white, then after pollination turn pink. Notice how the 3 mottled leaves are a lighter green than the western trillium, with a larger, more wavy form. Also note the 3 light green, slightly purple-tinted sepals, and red with yellow-sided anthers.
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About 1.8 miles up the trail, at its high point at 1100 feet above sea level, were the most trillium plus other species. There, I found a post-pollination pink western trillium I had seen 3 days earlier, but this time I moved my 60mm lens closer using a 12mm extension tube. By this time in the late morning, cloud fog had enveloped the slope as a large storm a few hours away impinged on the coastline, causing all target plant surfaces to become wet.
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Above are white-hued petals of pre-pollinated western trillium, and at lower mid center is one of our oddest flower-shaped species, fetid adder's tongue, Scoliopus bigelovii. Its beautiful lily family leaves below are oval-shaped with linear segments and mottling. The red-tinged, leafless flower stems droop after pollination; hence its other common name, slink pod.
With time running out, I worked the above western wood anemone, Anemone oregana, that were too wet to have the aesthetic I would prefer.
At 11:09am as cloud mist was increasingly getting my gear and clothing a wee wet, I was about 1.85 miles from the trailhead where I needed to check my jury duty status at 12 noon, as I might be assigned to one of the county courthouses; I would then need to be at by 1:30pm, a distance of 50 miles. So did not have time to dawdle on my hike back, although I certainly saw other subjects I would have spent time shooting. Thus, I pounded my way down the trail at speed, reaching the bottom just before 12 noon. With a bit of hunger gnawing at me, I decided to stop at the McDonald's near SR1 where I used their wifi to access the Santa Clara County court site and found I would not be needed the rest of this afternoon. Thus, I took a more exploratory drive home south on SR1.
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At dawn on March 14, after a dump of fresh cold powder snow I would later ski at Heavenly Ski Resort, I was in the Hard Rock Casino parking garage on floor 4 at Stateline, Nevada, to capture the above snowscape.
The storm track returned to California in the Miracle March of 2018 producing the most rain after a dry winter start since the more famous 1991 season. Between much skiing, I did manage to get out for occasional local hiking. Much of my skiing this winter was at Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe, where most of my time was spent bump skiing, looking down the above Little Dipper mogul slopes.
As a now-retired person able to choose my days midweek while others are working, I did get in a few fine days of fresh powder skiing, including April 16, when I bounced down the above tracks like a happy rabbit on my fat skis off of Crossover Road, a most pleasurable, sensual experience. The resort ski season was ending, and I was already switching seasonal gears for wildflower photography road trips, the first of which was to North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve near Oroville on this next page.
NEXT: Page 2 North Table Mountain ER
2018 Trip Chronicles: Contents
