Dan's Outside

I go, I see, I do, I walk, I think, I like…

They're Coming!

Wildflowers, that is.

From Tom Stienstra at SFGate:

Rains set stage for explosion. Brace for the flowery onslaught Half of the Bay Area’s wildflower puzzle is in place. It rained like, well, uh, heck in January, and then again in mid-March. To make the picture complete, nature now needs to provide clear skies, a bright sun and warm… By Tom Stienstra. [SFGate: Tom Stienstra]

Several of the wildflower spots on Stienstra’s list are also on mine, particularly some of those in Santa Clara County, along with Mission Peak. (In addition to the flowers he reports on that hike, there will also be spectacular lupine and California Poppies near the summti.) I’d also like to get to Point Lobos.

Plants are coming up all over, the ground is very moist, the weather is beginning to warm up. It’s clear that the wildflower bloom is coming.

(Stienstra also has an interesting article about the west shore of Lake Tahoe.)
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March 23, 2006 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on They're Coming!

Backlit Trees

CastleRockTrees2006|03|19: Backlit Trees. Castle Rock State Park. March 19, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Backlit Trees. Castle Rock State Park. March 19, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
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March 19, 2006 Posted by | Castle Rock | Comments Off on Backlit Trees

Early Morning Jaunt to Castle Rock

I got up early this morning and went up the Castle Rock State Park on the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was surprisingly cold when I arrived, especially in the narrow and wet canyon that the trail follows. Trees were down and the trail was muddy and on the way back out I came across snow patches that still hadn’t melted – it seemed more like winter than the day before spring.

However, I also saw some of the first spring wildflowers poking up from under last year’s dead vegetation. I saw a few small patches of gentian (? – I’m awful at ID’ing flowers.) and lots of new plants that should be blooming during the next month.
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March 19, 2006 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Early Morning Jaunt to Castle Rock

Tree and Chimney at Almaden Quicksilver

AlmadenTreeChimney2006|03|18: Tree and Chimney. Almaden Quicksilver Park. March 18, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Tree and Chimney. Almaden Quicksilver Park. March 18, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

March 18, 2006 Posted by | Quicksilver Historical | 2 Comments

Rocks, Trees, and Grass

AlmadenRocksTreesGrass2006|03|18: Rocks, Trees, Grass. Almaden Quicksivler. March 18, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Rocks, Trees, and Grass. Almaden Quicksilver Park. March 18, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
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March 18, 2006 Posted by | Quicksilver | Comments Off on Rocks, Trees, and Grass

Almaden Valley Oak Trees

AlmadenValleyOaks2006|03|18: Oak Trees. Almaden Valley. March 18, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Oak Trees. Almaden Valley. March 18, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
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March 18, 2006 Posted by | Green World | Comments Off on Almaden Valley Oak Trees

Pacific Ocean Near Pigeon Point

NearPigeonPointHoriz2006|03|17: Pacific Ocean Near Pigeon Point. March 17, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Pacific Ocean Near Pigeon Point. March 17, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
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March 17, 2006 Posted by | Ocean | Comments Off on Pacific Ocean Near Pigeon Point

Lens for Sale?

I may be selling one of my lenses soon. It is a Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-f5.6 IS zoom lens for Canon 350D, 20D, and 20D cameras. (It may work on the 10D, but I’m not certain.) It is a fine “all-in-one” lens for hiking and many other purposes since it covers a 35mm equivalent range of 28mm-135mm. the image stabilization feature allows handheld shots at about 2 or 3 shutter speeds slower than otherwise, and may make a tripod less necessary for some users.

The lens is in fine shape and was just factory adjusted and cleaned by Canon. Although I have used this lens to shoot some of my favorite images, I find I’m not using it much at this point because other lenses I own duplicate its range.

I prefer to sell face to face to a local Bay Area buyer who can see and try the lens before a sale. Contact me if you might be interested.
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March 15, 2006 Posted by | Photography | Comments Off on Lens for Sale?

But is it Really the Backcountry

My buddy Owen Lee provided this photo of himself and George at the top of… Mt. Diablo with full backcountry ski gear on Saturday, March 4, 2006

SkiDiablo2006|03|04: Skiing Mt. Diablo. March 4, 2006. Photo courtesy of Owen Lee. ©
Skiing Diablo. March 4, 2006. Courtesy of Owen Lee. ©

Owen reports that George was able to ski all of about 20 feet along the road way at one point…
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March 13, 2006 Posted by | People | Comments Off on But is it Really the Backcountry

Same Place, Almost the Same Time?

From the description of his snow hike, it sounds like Tom Mangan (from Two-Heel Drive) and I must have been atop Mission Peak yesterday at just about the same time.
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March 12, 2006 Posted by | Trips | Comments Off on Same Place, Almost the Same Time?

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