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Thread: LF photogenic sites in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, Santa Cruz, Monterey

  1. #41
    Drew Wiley
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    Sep 2008
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    Re: LF photogenic sites in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, Santa Cruz, Monter

    The San Rafael Bridge is a roll of dice. Timing can be everything, even on weekends. Same with Hwy 101 in the vicinity. Traffic can back up horribly. Then returning on a loop trip headed back over the Bay Bridge and freeway can be even worse! Whatever direction you go, I strongly recommend crossing any necessary bridges mid-morning, around 10:00 AM, then staying in Marin County till after the evening rush hour, and returning after 8:00 PM. There will be plenty of things to do, and good places to eat etc. For example, hang around Pt Reyes Station when you're done shooting. Trying to fight traffic can be exhausting even if you've learned a few shortcuts. Not worth it on a vacation. Find a destination and relax. I personally regard Sausalito as a tourist trap, and am thinking more of quieter areas well away from Fwy 101 cities, along Hwy 1.

  2. #42

    Join Date
    Jul 2016
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    los altos, CA
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    47

    Re: LF photogenic sites in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, Santa Cruz, Monter

    if you like coastlines, the drive south on hwy 1 from SF to santa cruz or all the way down to big sur is nice. lots of pull offs from just past devils slide all the way to DT santa cruz. I really like bean hollow and the area around pigeon point light house. on weekdays, most lots do not charge for parking, but you can pull of the side of the raod in so many places with lots of trails, that there is no need unless you need to use the restroom. greyhound rock is also nice, as is the light house in santa cruz. surfing museum is a nice touch. dont forget to take a photo of the giant dipper roller coaster.

    if you are heading south, I think big basin park is worth a stop. if you like hiking, and want to just pack a small 35mm, then there are some great parks on skyline blvd. I love russian ridge park. some of the peaks give you great views of the pacific ocean on 1 side and the SF bay with Stanford bellow on the other.

    there are so many photographic places, that I agree with all the others who say pick a direction, north or south. that will make you planning easier.

    funny, but I remember growing up that my grandfather told that the original plan for the golden gate bridge was that when the loan was paid off, there were not supposed to be any tolls. Guess thats why the GG bridge board has salaries over 2 million, so that it never gets paid off. and yeh, having to paint every 2 years or so does not help. just throwing out the bureaucracy thing here.

    john

  3. #43
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: LF photogenic sites in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, Santa Cruz, Monter

    Stop continuously painting the Bridge and all your worries are over. It will rust to bits in that salt air, and you'll be back to ferries entirely, with their own fares. Or maybe swim across? Interestingly, when they DNA tested the coyotes living on the SF Presidio grounds, they discovered they'd crossed the GG Bridge from Marin, and not just wandered up the coastline. But as I recall, the troop of Caesar the chimpanzee in Planet of the Apes commuted the opposite direction, into the woods of Marin. That might certainly explain a lot of the weird behavior of the residents or Sausalito.

  4. #44

    Join Date
    Sep 2012
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    Sunshine State
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    Re: LF photogenic sites in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, Santa Cruz, Monter

    I returned from my SF trip and went to many places you guys recommended, many thanks again! Below is a photo I took in Muir Woods. We were lucky, when I took this photo a guy behind us about 10min hiking/walking hit by a 200-foot tall tree, which measured 4-feet in diameter, and died.(https://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...uji-story.html).


  5. #45
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: LF photogenic sites in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, Santa Cruz, Monter

    Glad you survived!

    I always fear death from above...
    Tin Can

  6. #46
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Re: LF photogenic sites in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, Santa Cruz, Monter

    Walking thru the redwoods during a big wind storm can be quite exciting...
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

  7. #47
    http://www.spiritsofsilver.com tgtaylor's Avatar
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    Re: LF photogenic sites in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, Santa Cruz, Monter

    The next time that you visit the area during the rainy season (that is when it's really raining and not drought) try some of the waterfall trails such as Alamere Falls which drops into the Pacific from an overlooking bluff, Cataract Falls trail a very popular and scenic hike along Cataract Creek, and Carson Falls. All are in Marin county and not far from Muir Woods. I have images posted of each of these locations in the Color Galleries on my website. One of these days I am going to edit the site placing related images together by subject.

    Thomas

  8. #48
    LF/ULF Carbon Printer Jim Fitzgerald's Avatar
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    Re: LF photogenic sites in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, Santa Cruz, Monter

    Quote Originally Posted by Vaughn View Post
    Walking thru the redwoods during a big wind storm can be quite exciting...
    Also terrifying! I've seen the huge "Widow Makers!"

  9. #49
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: LF photogenic sites in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, Santa Cruz, Monter

    That was a close call ! I never camp or set up a camera around a creaky sounding tree. A slider or uprooter might not give an advance warning, but suspect conditions are often detectable. I once saw an entire subdivision slid off a suspect hill - entirely predictable; but the developer didn't have an ounce of ethics (also predictable).

  10. #50
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Re: LF photogenic sites in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Muir Woods, Santa Cruz, Monter

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Fitzgerald View Post
    Also terrifying! I've seen the huge "Widow Makers!"
    You mean the funny dead trees that somehow grew wider as they grew up, but broken off 15 or 20 feet up?

    I am so spoiled having spent the last (almost) 5 decades in the far northwest of California. Taking my boys to the redwoods, creeks and beaches and most times see no one else. Bah Humbug, I say! Looking at photos of Alamere Falls all I see are people. Good on them for taking the hike and it looks wonderful...just glad I have experienced such beautiful places way up here without the people. But I'll be camping in Yosemite Valley in February, so I'll be one of those blasted tourists! You can't win...

    I was photographing along Mill Creek (a narrow dirt road runs along it, thru great redwoods -- a popular route best traveled in winter) a few days ago, working with the 11x14 out of the trunk of the car. I found a possible image where I could pull the car far enough off the road, set up the 11x14 and exposed a couple sheets of film...a 5.5"x14" images, then moved over ten feet, a full sheet of 11x14, pointed about the same direction (4 to 12 minute exposures). Several vehicles passed by, but oddly none stopped to make comments, chat or ask questions. A guy on a mountain bike came by and asked what kind of gun I was packing...I realized then that in my open trunk very visible to passing cars was my leather holster for my Pentax Digital Spot Meter. That kept the tourists moving! LOL!

    The guy on the mountain bike tried to BS me with tales of Bigfoot, but I refrained from planting a size 13 up his arse.
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

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