Georgia trip ~ quick stop on Amelia Island, Florida

MUSAP on the beach

Perhaps I need to start a blog page about places that I hope to visit again some day… either because I’d like to spend more time there or because I’d like to be there in better weather! Amelia Island would be on the list.

My March destination was the Golden Isles of Georgia. I flew to Jacksonville, Florida so I decided to make a stop at Amelia Island ~ a barrier island in the northeast corner of Florida on my drive north. I found Burney Park Beach, but it certainly wasn’t a beach day.

near American Beach

I was the only person around. It was cloudy, about 45º and the wind was blowing. I am a Yankee, I can handle a little bit of weather. Plus it was warmer than the weather I had left behind in Massachusetts. I parked in the empty parking lot and headed down the boardwalk to the beach.

boardwalk over the dunes

There are lots of dunes along the beach. I found plenty of things to photograph - grasses, flowers, patterns. Plus it was a little more protected from the wind up in the dunes.

sea grass and sand

Being down by the water it was just plain cold. The clouds looked like they were ready to open up any minute so I had a good excuse not to walk too far.

not a beach day

I only spent about an hour on Amelia Island so I didn’t learn much about it. There was a sign by a sand dune nearby saying it was the highest sand dune in Florida. Fernandina Beach is on the north end of the island, as is Fort Clinch State Park. If the day had been nicer I would have done more exploring.

from the dunes

There were lots of shells along the beach - great for macro shots. My hands started getting cold pretty quickly so I was happy to have gloves in my pockets - didn’t expect to use them in Florida. By the time I got back to my car the rain had started so I headed north to Georgia.

lots of shells

There is a lot of history on Amelia Island - native Americans, the Spanish, pirates! Perhaps I will return some day and learn more about it.

CLICK HERE to see more Amelia Island beach photos.

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California ~ San Francisco Flowers & Trees

Again we woke up hoping for California warmth and sunshine. Again it was not to be. Monday was another cloudy day, but it wasn’t raining so we were able to be outdoors. Susie and I had toured San Francisco together in 2009 so we didn’t repeat all things we did on that visit ~ a duck boat tour, a tour of Alcatraz, and time exploring Fisherman’s Wharf.

MUSAP with air plant in San Francisco Botanical Garden

We decided on spending time in Golden Gate Park to see the San Francisco Botanical Garden and the Japanese Tea Garden. Both are lovely, quiet places to wander and enjoy. For 2 New Englanders it was a treat to be photographing flowers outdoors in February.

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First stop was the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Admission is just $7, and Susie got the senior discount. There are a series of gardens ~ Australia, Magnolia, Ancient Plants, Andean/Chilean, Redwoods, Garden of Fragrance, and more. I don’t think we saw all of them while we were there. Things were still damp from the rains and the air was chilly.

flowers in February

After a quick stop at the tiny gift shop we crossed the street to see the Japanese Tea Garden. This garden has a wonderful sense of tranquility. It is a small garden, about 5 acres. Susie and I usually stay together, this time we split up and explored on our own for a while. Susie enjoyed photographing the classic stone lanterns while I searched out reflections in the ponds.

Arch (Drum) Bridge

CLICK HERE to see my photos of Flowers in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Flickr

Zen Garden

When we were chilled from being outside we were happy to go and enjoy a home cooked dinner prepared by Susie’s brother in law Rico.

Susie, Rico, and MUSAP

Tuesday was our final day in California. There was no sign of rain and there were hints of sunshine when we woke up that morning. After a busy week we enjoyed a slow morning and started our day meeting with my cousin Mary. Mary lives further north, but often comes to the San Francisco area for work. We met in Corte Madera and enjoyed a nice lunch and the chance to catch up for a little while.

Mary & me

After lunch Susie and I returned to Muir Woods. We had visited the national monument in 2009 - in the rain. We wanted to return in nicer weather. After all the rain in the previous days the stream that runs along the trail was bubbling and running quickly over the rocks. I asked a park ranger about it and she said that the previous week it had just been a trickle.

plenty of water after the rains

Walking through Muir Woods is an other-worldly experience. The trees tower overhead, often blocking the sunlight. There is a quiet to the woods. Walking through any woods (or gardens) should be treat to your senses - what do you see? what do you smell? what textures do you see or touch? and what do you hear?

old growth redwood forest

CLICK HERE to see my Muir Woods photos on Flickr

mossy stump

After 9 busy days of California family, friends, and photography Susie and I were both tired and ready to head home. But there is still much to see and do in California, so we hope to return.

MUSAP on redwood tree

2/10/14 & 2/11/14

California - Pacific Coast Highway

Okay, so we’ll wake up to California sunshine after a day of rain. Right? Wrong. Woke up to clouds and a gloomy forecast. Still it was vacation and better than the cold and snow at home!

MUSAP at Elephant Seal Trail

First stop was one that we weren’t too sure about ~ the Elephant Seal Boardwalk and Trail a short drive north of San Simeon. Several people told us to stop there and insisted we would like it. They were right - it was pretty amazing to see and hear so many elephant seals!

Elephant Seal Trail

There were hundreds of seals all over the beach. The sounds were unexpected and constant. The big males were busy defending their territories and trying to mate with any available female. The females were lying in the sand dealing with the males and nursing their pups. The pups were sticking close to mom and trying to stay out of the way of the males. Sadly there were many dead pups that were most likely crushed accidently by the males.

male elephant seal

CLICK HERE to see photos of the elephant seals.

We stayed longer than planned photographing the seals. That was okay because with the weather were didn’t expect to look for many Vista Points as we continued up the Pacific Coast Highway. We drove through rain and for, and clouds, and clear sky. We saw trucks with plows that were there to clean up any rockslide damage caused by the rain.

the fog assured that I kept both hand on the wheel

We did have a stop planned for Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and the Mcway Waterfall. Our nephew Mike insisted that we stop here to see the view and enjoy the majesty of Big Sur. The parking lot was packed despite the weather. I can’t imagine what it’s like on a sunny day in the summer. It was clear that it would be beautiful in the sun. With the clouds it was lovely, but not spectacular. Again, an excuse to return to the area.

McWay waterfall

Of course raindrops do provide opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise be there. So I switched to my macro lens and had some fun.

when life give you raindrops ~ take photos

CLICK HERE to see more pix of the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park on Flickr

Back in the car and heading north. We checked into our motel in Millbrae and then went to Daly City. Our nephew, Mike, was celebrating his 40th birthday (how did that happen?) and we were invited to the party. It was wonderful to see more family on this adventure. Wish we had had more time to visit!

California nephew & niece with their children

CLICK HERE for some party photos

Sarah & Andrew with MUSAP

2/9/14

California - Hearst Castle

me enjoy the view along the Pacific coast

After 5 wonderful days in Santa Monica it was time for Susie and I to start our drive north up the Pacific Coast Highway. California has been suffering because of a drought. They yearn for rain, they need rain. We brought them clouds and rain.

rain? really? isn't there a drought here?

The views as we drove up the coast were not as beautiful as we had hoped because there was lots of fog and we kept driving in and out of rain areas. As suddenly as it would rain it would clear and we would have a stretch of blue sky and sunshine. There are parking areas along the highway called Vista Points where we could safely pull over and enjoy the views.

vista

I found this one and pulled in to check it out - it was worth it! The clouds parted briefly and showed us some blue sky in the distance. There was a short path off of the parking area so I checked it out. When I got to the top of the path I heard the unmistakable sound of a hummingbird in flight. I quickly spotted the bird and he stopped and posed for my camera. He was an Anna's Hummingbird. These are native to the west coast. Here on the east coast we only have Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds so seeing a different species was a treat.

Anna's Hunningbird

While we had enjoyed getting out of the car and stretching our legs we soon headed on so we could visit Hearst Castle. When we got there the rain was coming down steadily, which is not good news for going on a tour. The parking area was near the road and tour goers take a bus up the hill to see the Castle and the grounds. It’s a 10 minute ride and we couldn’t see much out of the bus windows because of the rain and the fog that had rolled in.

Hearst Castle tour guide smiling through the rain

After a quick outdoor welcome by our tour guide we were happy to get inside to see the Hearst home. There are several tour options and we took the Grand Rooms Tour. This tour shows you the rooms you would have seen if you were a guest of WIlliam Randolph Hearst during its heyday in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Flash photography isn’t allowed so I didn’t get too many photos of the interior.

the Assembly Room in Casa Grande

Normally after your house tour you can wander the grounds until you are ready to take a bus back down to the Visitor Center. The day of our visit was not a day to enjoy the property. Good excuse to go back again some day.

rain, rain go away

It was raining too hard to even walk over to see the Neptune Pool, which was sad because it’s so beautiful. Instead we headed straight to the Roman Pool, which is covered, to wait for the next bus.

the Roman Pool

MUSAP spent most of the day in my pocket to keep dry. He found some Hearst Ranch wine. The Visitor Center also sold beef from the Hearst Ranch.

CLICK HERE to see Hearst Castle photos of Flickr.

2/8/14