Dan's Outside

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

Stalking Horsetail Falls

Although I’ve been going to Yosemite regularly since I was perhaps five years old (and I’m not going to say how long ago that was… ;-) I’ve never managed to see the February marvel of Horsetail Fall at sunset. Horsetail is a seasonal waterfall near the east end of the face of El Capitan. During early to mid February (and, according to some a bit earlier and later in the year as well) the light from the sun hits the waterfall just before sunset, creating an amazing light show for those who are a bit east of El Capitan where they can view the backlit waterfall. Galen Rowell made the sight famous with one of his photographs taken several decades ago, and it has since become of of the “must do” photographs in the Valley.

Partly inspired by Edie Howe’s information at The Little Red Tent web site, I made plans to get up there last weekend. The conditions were, indeed, right this time. Several things have to fall into place for this to work. There must have been good snowfall on the area just above the Valley. There must have a been a period of warmer weather that has melted some of the snow in order to get the creek feeding the fall running. The weather must be such that the sun can hit the wall at sunset – either clear weather or else clouds that permit the sunlight to shine through right at sunset.

I went to the Valley on Friday and got myself a campsite in the early afternoon, after which I spent a couple of hours scoping out shooting locations. I found several along Southside Drive on the opposite side of the Valley from the fall. However, the closest location is at the El Capitan picnic area on Northside Drive. Unfortunately (or maybe not so unfortunately…) Northside Drive has been closed by a combination of construction work and some rockfall farther east in the Valley. I finally decided to try for the picnic area. Since this requires a bit of a walk across the Valley, some time in the currently snowed-in picnic area, and a dark walk back across to Northside drive, I dressed warmly and got an early start.

In the end I was rewarded with some quite good photograph opportunities and I made a lot of exposures. However, I decided to go back and give it another try the next night – and that is when I got the image posted below.


Horsetail Fall, Sunset. Yosemite National Park, California. February 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

February 18, 2008 Posted by | Photography, Yosemite | Comments Off on Stalking Horsetail Falls

All Dried Up?

Thanks to Tom at Fluid Flow for referencing this story on his blog…

Lake Mead May Go Dry by 2021:

The disappearance of the manmade lake would create a tidal wave of ill effects for the southwestern U.S. The lake provides water for large cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas, as well as for several agricultural interests. The power also keeps on the lights in that region of the country. Imagine Los Angeles on a summer day with sporadic air conditioning and only a trickle of water coming out of the faucet. Then imagine that goes for a week.

“We were stunned at the magnitude of the problem and how fast it was coming at us,” Barnett said in a statement. “Make no mistake, this water problem is not a scientific abstraction, but rather one that will impact each and every one of us that live in the Southwest.”

“Today, we are at or beyond the sustainable limit of the Colorado system,” he added.

… and …

Currently, the Colorado River system, which includes Lake Mead and nearby Lake Powell, is running a deficit of 1 million acre feet of water per year. An acre foot of water is the amount of water that it would take to cover an acre of land with a foot of water. It is enough water for 8 million people.

February 12, 2008 Posted by | Environment | Comments Off on All Dried Up?

California's Seasonal Transformation

In a decent rain year – unlike last year! – the seasons overlap in California. On a day like today it is a little bit of winter, spring, summer, and fall all rolled together.

I did a short midday hike at Calero Park this afternoon, climbing up onto a ridge that I frequently visit. For the first time in nearly two years, I had to avoid the muddy spots on the trail and step across small, seasonal trickles. New grasses and other plants are coming up, turning the hills green, and some trees are starting to bud. The temperature was around 70 degrees.

February 10, 2008 Posted by | Commentary | 2 Comments

State says many drivers change oil too often

An article in SF Gate (“State says many drivers change oil too often”) reports what many of us have thought for quite awhile: there is no real advantage in changing our engine oil more often than recommended by the manufacturer (note: not the dealer) and there are considerable environmental costs in doing so.

An excerpt:

Like many drivers hoping to coax a long, productive life out of a car, Durand Gist, a mailman from Castro Valley, faithfully changes the oil on his vehicle every 3,000 miles.

“That’s what they recommend – 3,000 miles, right?” asked Gist, saying he got that advice “probably from the oil-changing place. It’s good for their business, right?”

But a new state campaign is urging Gist and fellow California drivers to ignore both conventional wisdom and probably also that clear plastic sticker in the corner of their windshields. The message: Put off that oil change for a couple of thousand miles or more.

“Used oil is so much of a problem in California that if you can change your oil in less-frequent intervals, you not only save yourself money, you help save the environment,” said Jamie Cameron-Harley, a spokeswoman for the California Integrated Waste Management Board, sponsor of “The 3,000-Mile Myth” campaign.

While you certainly should follow the manufacturer’s schedule for changing the oil in your engine, you should think twice about increasing the frequency of your oil changes beyond these recommendations if you think you are going to improve the performance or life of your engine. You almost certainly won’t see any benefit at all, and you will contribute to excess oil consumption and recycling problems.

February 10, 2008 Posted by | Commentary, Environment | Comments Off on State says many drivers change oil too often

Bay Area Waterfalls

An SFGate Tom Stienstra article describes a number of SF Bay Area waterfalls worth a visit.

February 10, 2008 Posted by | Places | Comments Off on Bay Area Waterfalls

OK, this is really outside

I like to think of myself as an outside kinda’ guy. But my brother has outdone me. This morning he shared a photo of a moose that wandered into his back yard. Hey, I saw an opossum in my yard once, so there! :-)

February 10, 2008 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on OK, this is really outside

Rocky Creek Bridge, Surf and Fog


Rocky Creek Bridge, Surf and Fog. Big Sur Coastline, California. February 9, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

A photo. I went to Point Lobos this morning, but arrived before the gates opened. Rather than sit in my car for a half hour I drove south on Highway 1. This was my reward. :-)

February 9, 2008 Posted by | Commentary, Ocean | Comments Off on Rocky Creek Bridge, Surf and Fog

Are Americans Afraid of the Outdoors?

An article in Scientific American poses the question.

Americans have been visiting national parks and other natural reserves less and less since 1987, new research confirms. Outdoor pursuits, ranging from camping to hunting, have entered a persistent and growing decline.

“Folks are going out into nature much less and decreasingly every year,” says conservation ecologist Patricia Zaradic of the Environmental Leadership Program and co-author of the report published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. “It would take 80 million more visits this year to get the per capita number back up to the level it was in 1987.”

There is a suggestion that the fact that Americans increasingly live their lives online (he types into his computer… ;-) may be a factor.

February 7, 2008 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Are Americans Afraid of the Outdoors?

Post-Groundhog Day Hike Delayed

I guess it will still be a post-Groundhog Day hike if we do it in a few weeks, right? Despite the fact that Groundhog Day means nothing in any concrete sort of way – or perhaps because of this – a group of us were going to do a hike at Coe Park. But it has rained for the past month or so. It rained all last week. It rained yesterday. It was raining this morning.

Wishing to avoid hiking in ankle-deep mud we have postponed the hike.

February 3, 2008 Posted by | Commentary, Events | 3 Comments

Death Valley Photos by "w9jim"

I’m enjoying a series of Death Valley photographs posted on Flicker by w9jim, who apparently visited recently.

February 3, 2008 Posted by | Commentary, Photography, Places | Comments Off on Death Valley Photos by "w9jim"

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