Top 10 California Parks #1: Anza-Borrego State Park

Sunrise light on Fonts Point

I've been exploring California for many years, and one of my favorite parks is Anza-Borrego State Park.  The largest state park in California, Anza-Borrego encompasses an impressive 600,000 acres (938 square miles). For photography, subjects include wildflowers, narrow, winding slot canyons, eroded badlands, cracked earth on a dry lake bed, desert plants including cacti and ocotillo, over 100 large, rusty metal sculptures, and more.

The most comfortable time to visit the park is in the fall, winter and spring months, avoiding the summer heat.  In late February through March, you may encounter a decent wildflower bloom.  

My favorite location in the park is probably Fonts Point, which offers nice views for both sunrise and sunset.  The only problem is that you have to drive for miles up the loose gravel of a dry wash to get there, so it's best reached in high clearance vehicles, even better if you have 4WD.

The rusty metal sculptures scattered around the desert surrounding the town of Borrego Springs often depict animals from the region's past.  They make popular subjects for night photography.  The adjacent community of Borrego Springs has been recognized by the  as a Dark Sky Community for its efforts to preserve visibility of the night sky.  The nights around the new moon dates in the summer are particularly good for Milky Way photography, and any clear night is good for star trails.

Not far to the east is the Salton Sea, and the 200 square miles of dunes at Imperial Sand Dunes can be productive for photographers to explore as well.

As I mentioned here on my blog recently, you can browse the latest photos from California's over 11,800 parks on the new Web site Caliparks.org.  

Later this summer, I’ll share hundreds of my favorite landscape photography locations in my new 320-page guidebook: Photographing California - Vol. 2: South - A Guide to the Natural landmarks of the Golden State.  Connect with me on social media sites for updates on the book's release, including a pre-release offer for author-signed copies.

If you use Flickr, you can also browse my Anza-Borrego album there for more photos from this park, to get an overview of the types of sights that you can see: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreysullivan/sets/72157650176184687 

The 17 Palms oasis in Anza-Borrego

New Google+ Page for Workshops at Bodie State Historic Park

To help people find my upcoming photography workshops at Bodie State Historic Park, I've set up a Bodie Photo Workshops page on Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/116719515450184310739/116719515450184310739/posts
Stay tuned for date announcements, or contact me to get on a list to receive updates.

Find us on Google+

Shooting the Big Sur Coast

Pre-Dawn Light on McWay Falls, originally uploaded by Jeff Sullivan.

If you're ever shooting on the Big Sur Coast, it helps to chat with the officers of the California Highway Patrol there. Aside fromresponding to accidents caused by the ocasional tourist who causes a truck to jackknife due to leaving her bicycle laying down on the road (true story), a lot of their time is spent interfacing with the public. They know every turnout and access point (and have participated in rescues people making their way to inaccessible spots), so they can help you spend your time there efficiently and safely

This waterfall, McWay Falls, is apparently one of two waterfalls dropping into the ocean in the continental United States, the other being Alamere Falls on Point Reyes.

This waterfall is accessed via the parking lot for Julia Pfeiffer State Park, but the park doesn't open until 8am, so I took this from a turnout up on Hwy 1, a few dozen yards higher than the standard path. The park also asks for a $10 fee for entry and parking!

There are some seriously quirkly rules and restrictions for accessing much of the coast, so I'll try to add notes as I add photos. For example, I blew off Pfeiffer Beach, a Forest Service access (due to all of those trees on the beach?), but unfortunately they've allowed a concessionaire to profit from Federal Recreation Passholders who bought the annual pass under the understanding that it would gain them entry to USDA Forest Service sites. They also close at sunset, not 30-40 minutes later when the sunset color is over, so it's virtually worthless to photographers who prefer to shoot in the best light(at least the ones who choose not to risk getting a ticket). I'll be sending the confused USDA bureaucrats some correspondence on that one... and I'll share the names with concerned photographers as well so your voices can be heard and your interests represented. Bureaucrats don't like risk, so I suspect they may show some flexibility if their users start raising a stink about counterproductive policies. Point Lobos State Park just up the road allows photographers to stay until 30 minutes after sunset, stilla bit tight but a far more reasonable compromise.

Bannock Ghost Town, Montana

Bannock, Montana, originally uploaded by Jeff Sullivan (off to OR, WA...).

Bannock is smaller than California's best ghost town Bodie, but a huge plus is that they allow you to go into the buildings. It's also open 8am-9pm, so as long as you don't visit in late June, you should be able to catch a sunset there.

Be forewarned though, the mosquitos are ferocious!

This is a teepee that you can rent for $25/night. This composition jumped out at me as I spotted the setting crescent moon from an adjacent campsite at Bannock State Park.






California is talking about closing 80% of its state parks and raising entry fees to $15, to address politicians' mismanagement and poor planning. In contrast, I'm traveling in Montana this week, and they have no budget deficit, no parks are closing, and state parks are FREE to Montana Residents. Montana also has no sales tax, while many California residents are now paying over 10%. Montana also obviously doesn't have as ridiculous a gas tax as California: gasoline is about $2.59, vs. $2.98 in the Sacramento area (without the Bay Area's add-on) or so when I left California two weeks ago. California's property tax is also among the highest burden per household in the nation, even comparing the percentage of home value tax rate to other states, but the burden is especially high when you consider the sky-high (and now unrealistically high) California property values that the taxes are based on.

Politicians wonder why tax revenues are down, but California's representatives in Congress support importing cheap foreign labor under L-1 and H1-B visas. Since this continues during recessions, half of California's high tech workers were unable to return to the industry during the last recession. The U.S. Department of Labor publishes 6 unemployment figures, all of which under-report the true problem, and the highest one was 16.4% in May 2009 (line U-6 at the following link)!
www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t12.htm
The stock market is already doing worse than any point around the Great Depression.
It's Already Worse Than the Depression
www.fool.com/retirement/general/2009/06/23/its-already-wo...
Unemployment rates increased and home values declined for years after the stock market crash of 1929, and current unemployment is already way ahead of that history. We could still be in for a stunning economic decline over the next few years. Unfortunately the world economy essentially follows the U.S. economy, so there's nowhere to hide. Be careful out there!

I don't waste much time or energy on politics; the entire system far too dirty due to the bribes commonly referred to as "campaign contributions". However, the current depths we've sunk to and the path we're on are simply too much. I refuse to re-elect any incumbent politician next time around, state or federal. FIRE THEM ALL! To preserve what is left of our once-great country, it is imperitive that we completely remove our politicians' ability to pocket "campaign contributions" from special interests. Bribery is bribery, and should be made crystal clear as treason against the nation and against the American public (if it quacks like a duck...). Please contact your elected representative today and make your views on current affairs, and on our prospects for the future, crystal clear to them.

California's North Coast

Fern Canyon, originally uploaded by Jeff Sullivan.

Once or twice a year I head up to Mendocino to go diving for abalone, and I also occasionally reach the California Coast further North on trips to and from the Oregon Coast.  Here are some notes for travelers and photographers if you're heading up that way.

Van Damme State Park just south of Mendocino has a fern canyon (photo at top above) a couple of miles hike from the campground. The cove there can be good for sunset or sunrise if there are clouds in the sky, and you can get a reflection of any sky color in the creek lagoon.

Russian Gulch State Park

Russian Gulch just North of Mendocino has a nice view of a bridge past a cove and tree-topped sea stack. You'll see some wildflowers on hikes in either Van Damme or Russian Gulch State Parks. There's also a small lighthouse just North of Russian Gulch (it requires a 1/2 mile walk to reach). There's also a botanical garden in the area (Fort Bragg I believe).

There's an old railroad trestle just North of Fort Bragg that can have nice backlighting just before sunset. You may enjoy shooting around Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg as well.

Point Arena is about 45 minutes South, and it has the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast, which you can capture in good compositions from half a dozen directions.

Sunset at Greenwood State Beach

About halfway from Mendocino to Point Arena is Greenwood Beach, available via a short hike, where the sun will set near offshore rocks.

Three miles or so further south are Schooner Gulch and Bowling Ball Beach (visit Bowling Ball at low tide to see the round rock formations). Osprey are often diving for surf perch off of Bowling Ball (I watched up to 9 or 10 of them fishing at once).

If you drive up Highway 1 you can stop at Kruse Rhododendron State Park . The flowers peak in May, but may still be around by June. You can catch some fern and redwood shots there anyway.

You'll see some interesting cliff and surf views just North of Salt Point State Park.

The Sea Ranch area has a tiny church with bizarre architecture just East of Hwy 1.

Church in Bodega Bay

Further South, the town of Bodega Bay has a large white church that Ansel Adams took a well known shot of.

Whether you drive to the coast from Santa Rosa to Bodega Bay or Jenner, or via the Anderson Valley, you will drive past vineyards and wineries that could provide photographic opportunities, especially if you call ahead and identify one that will give you a cellar tour.

Driving down the Russian River towards Jenner there's a unique golf course set in old growth redwoods. Just past the town of Jenner near the mouth of the Russian River are a lot of sea lions and elephant seals waiting for steelhead and salmon to snack on.

Further North there's a great fern canyon (photo above) at Prairie Canyon State Park, which is co-managed as part of Redwood National Park. TV host Huell Howser said it was his favorite State Park, and he had seen hundreds of them (literally).

If you want to do something a little different, there's a dive shop in Fort Bragg that can rent you everything you need to dive or snorkel. Call ahead to see if they rent underwater housings that will fit your camera. The cove at Van Damme has abalone, nudibranchs, etc., but the kelp may be getting pretty thick by early June, and the somewhat warmer water in the cove a bit clouded with algae (Russian Gulch may be a better dive spot then, or you can get a recommendation from the shop). Check for particularly low tides during your visit and you may be able to catch some nice shots in tide pools.

Update May 2015: I've been busy exploring Southern California for my 320-page guidebook coming this September (www.PhotoTripUSA.com).  Now that it's off to the printer, I'm looking forward to resuming my broader travels!  In the meantime, if you'd like to buy the Northern California guidebook in the series, written by Gary Crabbe, I've placed Photographing California Vol. 1: North - A Guide to the Natural Landmarks of the Golden State" in my recommendations on Amazon.  If you access Amazon through this link, your purchases there will help fund these travels and reports: http://astore.amazon.com/jeffsulliphot-20 

Point Arena in the fog, across Stornetta Public Lands

Valley of Fire, Nevada

Arch Rock, originally uploaded by Jeff Sullivan (in Zion N.P. today).

A Nevada state park that's a handy place to camp, not far from Vegas.

Sunset Bay Oregon

Sunset Bay Oregon, originally uploaded by Jeff Sullivan.

As its name implies, Sunset Bay can be a nice place to catch a sunset, but it gets even better when low tide is close to sunset.

Preface to California's Wildfires

The storm arrived on the California Coast last Friday evening with a few puffy white clouds punctuated by occasional flashes of lightning and cracks of thunder. Overall it seemed like a very small scale event, with a few light showers that lasted mo more than a few minutes. I even captured a brief rainbow projected onto one of the clouds as sunset approached.

The clouds seemed to grow a little taller as they climbed the Coast Range, with intermittent thunder rolling in the distance. It was an interesting novelty to have rain at all in June, all the more noteworthy with the rare accompaniment of lightning.

By the following morning, the storm had passed from the coast, although thunder could still be heard to the East. What I didn't know at the time was that the lightning has struck over 8000 times, and over 840 fires were burning in the state, at least 90 in Mendocino County alone.

Return to Bowling Ball Beach

I have an obsession. With a beach. I think it's a healthy obsession, but I've never thought of myself as a "beach person". Don't get me wrong, I love the sea, but I'd rather be playing in it or on it than walking or lying beside it.





So this interest in beaches, is it something I've learned, or do I have a "beach gene" that I've somehow overlooked until now? Or is this particular beach attractive specifically for its un-beachly character? What kind of beach is filled with, even named after, a collection of giant rocks? Whatever the case, I returned yet again to Bowling Ball Beach on California's North Coast.

Perhaps I'm just captivated by my own conviction that there are great images to be created at Bowling Ball Beach, while being frustrated by not having caught one yet that fully lives up to my lofty expectations.

So much of photography is the journey... visualizing the concept, preparing, anticipation, enveloping the subject with different angles, perspectives, exposures and filters, then gently teasing out a halfway decent result in postprocessing that might stand some faint chance at fairly representing a unique moment... in time, in place, in your life. The destination, the image itself, typically pales in comparison to the pursuit, but it's all we can offer to those who missed the adventure that led to its creation.

So I'll continue to visit this stretch of coast until the sun, the moon and the planets line up just right and I get the shot that I know will come from there... perhaps with a rising sun with a setting moon, at low tide. In the meantime my exploratory trips there serve as preparation for when I will eventually encounter those few precious moments of precious light that I will have to make the most of.

Back to the Mendocino Coast

With some of my favorite lakes in the High Sierras still under snow, I decided to take my kids up the coast to show them some of my favorite places and to introduce them to abalone diving. First we stopped at Kruse Rhododendron State Park so see if the the flowers were still around. No luck on that count, but the redwoods are always nice, and we found some cute little newts in the creek.

We secured a campsite near the beach at Manchester State Park near Point Arena, and on two evenings we headed down to the beach for sunset. We spent the next couple of days exploring the Point Arena area including Bowling Ball Beach, where we could explore tide pools and interesting rock formations.

Later in the week we moved north to the Mendocino area and camped at Van Damme State Park. We used the fire rings on the beach each night to make s'mores and to toast dinner roll dough over the fire on our marshmallow sticks (great right off the fire, especially if you roll the hot bread on butter).

The cove there is sheltered, so it's a great place to play in the water. We went to a dive shop in nearby Fort Bragg and rented wetsuits so the kids could snorkel around while I looked for abalone. Although we had minus low tides and I did get some abalone when I went out alone, it turned out that the kelp had grown significantly since I had visited in May and it was so thick at low tide that it wasn't practical or safe to bring the kids into the thick floating mats of it in the cove. We had fun swimming around though.

Return to the North Coast

Greenwood State Beach
Point Arena Lighthouse

Schooner Gulch State Beach
Russian Gulch State Park
Van Damme State Park

Kruse Rhododendron State Park

Big Sur

McWay Falls
Pfeiffer Beach

California Coast

Point Dume State Beach
Montana De Oro State Park
Morro Rock
Ant on a cactus blossom

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

"This State Reserve, nestled in the Antelope Buttes 15 miles west of Lancaster, California, is located on California's most consistent poppy-bearing land. Other wildflowers: owl's clover, lupine, goldfield, cream cups, and coreopsis, to name a few, share the desert grassland to produce a mosaic of color and fragrance each spring. As unpredictable as nature - the intensity and duration of the wildflower bloom varies yearly."

The poppies are approximately at peak bloom the weekend of April 19/20, but should be worth visiting for a couple more weeks at least.

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

Bowling Ball Beach and the Mendocino Coast

I've been visiting California's North Coast for decades to go abalone diving, fishing, and for weddings, but I recently decided to try a dedicated photography trip to the area. My main objective was Bowling Ball Beach, where a minus tide is recommended to reach and photograph some unique round rocks that are covered at high tide. The minus tides tend to be in Winter and Spring, so I targeted dome of thelowest tides of the year in Early April when the low tide would coincide with sunrise.

I arrived early enough the day before to scout the area and catch a few nice sunset and dusk shots.

This is a 30 second exposure, which is long enough to abstract the motion of the waves into a misty flat surface. This version of the shot also boosts the saturation of the blue in the ocean and the sunset colors in the sky (Adobe Lightroom allows saturation adjustment of individual colors). Using 30 second exposures, each scene takes over 3 minutes: 30 seconds for the exposure, 30 seconds for the camera's noise reduction, then two more minutes for bracketed exposures. Then add any time for repositioning your tripod and framing the new shot. Sunset passes quickly at this rate, so pick your shots carefully but quickly. This sort of continuous use also drains batteries quickly, so have a spare on hand and consider how you're going to recharge before you go back out at dawn (I use an in-car charger).

The next morning I woke at 5am, well before my alarm, which would have allowed me to sleep in until 5:30. I often sleep in the back of my vehicle so there's no dew-soaked tent to pack. I pulled on some warm clothes and threw enough gear out of the driver's seat to enable me to drive off. I was staying at Manchester State Beach, one of the 48 parks that the State of California plans on closing this Summer due to poor fiscal management, so I only had an 8 mile, 15 minute drive to reach the beach.

When I arrived temperatures were chilly in the 40s with a light wind already blowing, so I bundled up in layers plus a windbreaker, a warm hat and fingerless gloves that convert to mittens so I can operate my camera and stay warm. To handle any shooting angle along the shore, including on slippery wet rocks or partway into the surf, I wore my fishing waders with high traction felt sole boots with steel-cleats. I made the short hike to the beach before sunrise, but there was no sunrise color to speak of, and the light remained uninteresting until sunlight started filtering through the blufftop trees.

There were some nice shots to be found among the rocks, as long as you avoided full sunlight.

Unfortunately one of the best shots showing the "bowling balls" on the leading lines in the bedrock happened to be in full sun, so it was a bit washed out at this tie of day. It will be worthwhile to return some day in the late afternoon to get better lighting.

I'll also want to return to try some very long exposures during a moonlit low tide, when the waves can be even more completely abstracted and star trails can add detail to the sky.

For more examples of images from this area, check out shots like this one and this. See also Jughandle State Park, Kibasilla Creek, Caspar Point / Jackass Creek, and so on.