California Photo Trip Thanksgiving Week

[Brian Vuillemenot]

Hello all,

I'm planning on hitting the road with the camera gear Thanksgiving week somewhere in California. I was originally planning on doing Death Valley/ Joshua Tree/ Anza Borrego, but I'm a bit concerned about all the recent fire activity, and perhaps it would be better to go in the spring for the wildflowers. So now, I'm also considering a few alternate destinations:

1) Sequoia/ King's Canyon- would be pretty much empty, but snow may limit access

2) North Coast- Medocino, Lost Coast, lighthouses, redwoods, etc.

Does anyone have any opinions about which of these three itineraries would be most productive for a week in late November? Also, are there any specific locations in these three areas that you would recommend? Thanks!

[John Kasaian]

The central coast & big sur is very nice that time of year unless you're after fog. Kings Canyon/Sequoia is always nice but don't plan on getting into the back country unless you want to ski or snowshoe. I think the year 'round passes that cross the sierra (88, 50, 80 etc...) offer some great landscape opportunities in the winter, especially if there is snow, as does 395 especially if you take the June Lake Loop or head up to Lake Tahoe.

[dyuhas]

The fire was nowhere near Death Valley. I just got back from a week there. The nice thing about DV is that it's a contained environment. You don't have to spend a lot of time in the vehicle looking for photo opportunities.

Dave

[Jack Flesher]

Hi Brian:

I just got back from a shoot at the Salton Sea, just beyond the Beaumont/Banning fire (we could see it from the freeway). Anyway, it was no big deal for us, but some of the lesser highways were closed to through traffic.

If you're interested, I posted a few quickly-processed digital images from the trip on my blog (the top two entries). Give the page a few seconds to load as there are some good sized images on it: www.jack.omniblog.com.

I will get some of my LF film images up as soon as I get them back from the lab -- probably next week.

Cheers,

[Doug Dolde]

I am going up the East Side myself. Lone Pine (Alabama Hills) and the Bishop area.

[Brian Ellis]

Hi Brian:

I just got back from a shoot at the Salton Sea, just beyond the Beaumont/Banning fire (we could see it from the freeway). Anyway, it was no big deal for us, but some of the lesser highways were closed to through traffic.

If you're interested, I posted a few quickly-processed digital images from the trip on my blog (the top two entries). Give the page a few seconds to load as there are some good sized images on it: www.jack.omniblog.com.

I will get some of my LF film images up as soon as I get them back from the lab -- probably next week.

Cheers,

Very nice work Jack. The Salton Sea has intrigued me for a long time. I've never been there but I've read quite a bit about it and from what I've read you really captured the feel of the place. I especially liked the skateboarder photographs.

[Jack Flesher]

Very nice work Jack. The Salton Sea has intrigued me for a long time. I've never been there but I've read quite a bit about it and from what I've read you really captured the feel of the place. I especially liked the skateboarder photographs.


Thanks very much Brian! Intereting thing about the skaters is I happened upon them totally by surprise while searching for landscape oppportunities one afternoon. I only photographed them as an afterthought and was surprised a second time by the results.

[Brian Vuillemenot]

Great shots Jack- looks like I may be headed down to the desert after all. Is the Salton Sea similar to Mono Lake?

[Jack Flesher]

Great shots Jack- looks like I may be headed down to the desert after all. Is the Salton Sea similar to Mono Lake?

Hi Brian:

Late fall through winter and early spring are my favorite times in the desert -- the low angle of the sun allows longer shooting times and the increased RH generates a bit softer early and late light.

Salton Sea is not really very similar to Mono Lake. One, it is a *lot* larger, probably 100 miles of shoreline and second, there is no tufa. It also has several communities built directly on its shore and obviously a few of these communities are approaching ghost-town status.

Cheers,

[Brian Ellis]

Great shots Jack- looks like I may be headed down to the desert after all. Is the Salton Sea similar to Mono Lake?

If you Google on Salton Sea you can find a lot of information about the place. LensWork had a great photo essay on it maybe four or five years ago, I don't remember the photographer's name unfortunately.

[Jim collum]

i was there with jack, and have some stuff at

salton sea (http://web1.omniblog.com/_smartsite/modules/local/blog/blog_display.php?cmd=show_blog&user_id=10004&type=entry&map_id=1247)

other than about 30 min at the beginning, then end of the day, the light is normally * very* harsh. I'm hoping on getting back there during the winter when things are a little stormier.

there are a few places to stay.. some much less pleasing than others.. nothing in the luxuray catagory. You can PM jack or myself and we can point you to some specifics

jim

[Harley Goldman]

I am heading up to Yosemite over Thanksgiving. I think that your original desert plan would be a good one. Should be nice this time of year. Alson consider the eastern Sierra, including the Alambama Hills, Mono Lake and Bodie.

[Saulius]

Back in the early 1990's I wound up in Yosemite around Thanksgiving weekend. It was crowded and all the campsites were packed, I just did find one. However come Sunday night and Monday morning the place all but emptied out. There was just me and one other camper in an area that was filled with many many people. It was great, felt like I had the valley to just myself and a few other souls over those following few days. Harley, if you stay there beyond the weekend you may just have the same experience, enjoy!