Elephant Mountain, Marin County, California
This is a sunset photo of Elephant Mountain, aka Black Mountain, shot from across Tomales Bay in the Inverness Area.
Category: Landscape
Favorite Blog Photos of 2019
Here are some of my favorite photos that I blogged about in 2019.
A bull tule elk feeds at sunset inside the elk enclosure at Point Reyes National Seashore.
At Point Reyes National Seashore 400-500 elk are kept locked up behind an 8-foot tall woven-wire fence to keep them away from the ranchers who live on and control 28,000 acres of park land and raise 6,000 dairy cows, beef cattle and sheep. NPS bought their ranches decades ago, but never removed them. The 28,000 acres are managed as the ranchers want, not as lands in a national park are supposed to be managed. I know of no other national park where wildlife is locked up like in a zoo for the visitors to see.
A night view of Angel Island, Alcatraz and San Francisco.
Mountains and fog at dawn in Torres del Paine National Park
A mother guanaco and her chulengo appear before sunrise in Torres del Paine National Park.
A red fox mom returns to her den with an arctic hare to feed her kits in Yellowstone National Park.
Three lionesses are on the hunt in Serengeti National Park.
A bald eagle perches on a limb in Alaska.
A male elephant walks near a wetland in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania.
An African lioness surveys her domain in Serengeti National Park.
A coyote stops just before sunset as it travels across a ranch pasture in Point Reyes National Seashore.
The National Park Service purchased the ranches several decades ago, but it has never made the ranchers leave.
One bald eagle bites another at Homer, Alaska.
A coyote walks across a ranch pasture full of non-native European grasses in Point Reyes Seashore.
The National Park Service prioritizes private ranching over wildlife in Point Reyes National Seashore. This is the worst example of privatizing a national park that I am aware of. It involves 28,000 acres of national park land. If anyone knows of a worse example, please let me know.
Petaluma Riverfront; Petaluma, Calfiornia
Here is another view of the Petaluma River and some of the City of Petaluma’s historic buildings that it passes as it winds its way through the City. Not many cities have a river passing through it. These buildings, and others just outside the photo, house some of the best restaurants in the North Bay.
Petaluma Riverfront; Petaluma, California
Here is another photograph of that footbridge which crosses the Petaluma River in downtown Petaluma with some of the City’s historic buildings in the background. The previous photo was shot looking north. This photo was shot looking south. It was taken after sunset with three exposures to prevent the sky from being overexposed.
Petaluma Riverfront, Petaluma, California
Petaluma is one of those few American cities that has a major river running through it that provides access to and from the ocean. It enabled Petaluma to become an important city in the early days of California. The main section of town is comprised of numerous historic buildings. Many of them are visible in this photograph. The bridge you see in the photo is for foot traffic only. The Riverfront Art Gallery, of which I am a member, is the cream-colored two-story building visible just above the right end of the bridge.
Point Reyes Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes Beach begins at the Lighthouse area and runs for 10 miles in a northerly direction. It is also called Ten Mile Beach (no surprise) and The Great Beach. A better name might be Caution Beach because it can be a dangerous place. A number of people have died along this stretch due to sneaker waves. I believe it has also seen a number of shipwrecks. I witnessed the crashed remains of one myself roughly 25 years ago. I spoke to the survivors. They were starting out on a voyage around the world. They started from Oregon or Washington, I don’t recall for sure. They didn’t get far, but the family survived.
Tree-Shrouded Entry; North District Operations Center, Point Reyes
I drive by this entry road every time I go to Point Reyes National Seashore. I often think to myself that I should photograph it. I finally did. I don’t know exactly what goes on there, but I see Rangers go in and out so I assume the Park Service Rangers have an office there. There’s no sign saying “Public Welcome,” but then there’s no sign saying “Stay Out” either. Some day I’ll have to go in there and find out more.
