We went to the coast this past weekend and stopped in Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, part of California Redwood National Park, along the way. I never tire of this place even though I’ve been there many times now.

Posted on September 4th, 2012 under nature, outside of ashland, places. Tags: california, nikon d7000, stout grove, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon, trees. Comments Off on Stout Grove

If you are in Southern Oregon this weekend, don’t forget to check out Brandi Carlile at Britt this Friday night (August 31, 2012). Reserved seats are now sold out, but there are some lawn tickets still available here.

Posted on August 27th, 2012 under outside of ashland, people, places. Tags: brandi carlile, britt festivals, concert photography, jacksonville, nikon 18-200mm vr ii, nikon d7000. Comments Off on Brandi Carlile @ Britt Festivals in Jacksonville this Friday

Photographers often talk of the “blue hour” after the sun sets when the sky can appear a wonderful shade of blue if you leave your shutter open long enough. The blue hour can happen in the morning as well, before the sun rises, as you can see in this photo that I took earlier this year at about 5:30 in the morning in Napa, California.

Posted on August 26th, 2012 under outside of ashland, places. Tags: blue hour, napa, nikon d7000, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon. Comments Off on Silverado Championship Golf Resort

During our only full day at Lake Siskiyou we drove about 8 miles to Castle Lake (elevation 5436 feet). From there we went on a 5-mile (or so) hike to Heart Lake (elevation 6035 feet) and then above it to Castle Peak (elevation 6617 feet). The views are best from Heart Lake and above Heart Lake on Castle Peak where you can see the lakes, Mt. Shasta, Castle Crags and a lovely 360 degrees of wilderness. Today’s photo isn’t from the top though. The lakes are obscured by trees, but you can see Black Butte and Mt. Shasta, as well as some of my hiking party.

Posted on August 24th, 2012 under nature, outside of ashland, places. Tags: california, castle crags, hike, lake siskiyou, mt. shasta, nikon d7000, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon. Comments Off on Descending from Castle Peak

We just returned from a few days in California. We camped near Lake Siskiyou which is near Mt. Shasta in Northern California, only a little over an hour south of Ashland. The lake was chaos on hot days in the afternoon on a weekend in August, but I took today’s photo in the morning with few people around.

Posted on August 20th, 2012 under nature, outside of ashland, places. Tags: california, lake siskiyou, mt. shasta, nikon d7000, photoshop photomerge, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon. Comments Off on Lake Siskiyou panorama

Today’s photo is from last week’s trip to the Howard Prairie Lake Resort Marina. Today we are heading down to California to do a weekend of camping at Lake Siskiyou.

Mount McLoughlin can be seen in the distance in the center. In real life the mountain stands out much more, but with a wide angle lens everything seems more distant than in reality.

Posted on August 17th, 2012 under nature, outside of ashland, places. Tags: clouds, howard prairie lake, mount mcloughlin, nikon d7000, photoshop photomerge, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon, water. Comments Off on Fishing anyone?

Last month we hiked up Upper Table Rock to watch the sun set. It’s not much of a hike really–more like a good walk. I’m not sure the exact distance we walked, but I doubt it was more than 5 miles including exploring the top. There is a bit of elevation gain on the way up, but it isn’t strenuous. In the summer you probably don’t want to do it in the afternoon or it will feel difficult from the heat. Go up in the morning or just before the sunset (with a flashlight for the way down) if you decide to visit on a hot day. Bring water.

Directions: To get to the Upper Table Rock trailhead from I-5 take the Central Point Exit 33 (just north of Medford and about 20 minutes north of Ashland), drive east on Biddle Road 1 mile, turn left on Table Rock Road for 5.2 miles to a curve, and then turn right on Modoc Road for 1.5 miles to the trailhead parking lot on the left. There is a sign as you approach Modoc Road so it is hard to miss.

Posted on August 13th, 2012 under nature, outside of ashland, places. Tags: hike, nikon d7000, sunset, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon, trails. Comments Off on Table Rock sunset hike

Twenty miles east of Ashland you will find Howard Prairie Lake. We headed up there yesterday to escape the heat and take a bike ride. At an elevation of over 4500 feet (Ashland is at 2000 feet), the temperature is usually about 10 degrees cooler.

Today’s photo is a three pic photomerge (with a wide angle lens to begin with) so it covers almost 180 degrees. If you look really closely you can see Mt. McLoughlin to the right of center.

Posted on August 10th, 2012 under nature, outside of ashland, places. Tags: clouds, howard prairie lake, mount mcloughlin, Mt. McLaughlin, nikon d7000, panorama, photoshop photomerge, signs, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon, water. Comments Off on Howard Prairie Lake

Today’s pic is another of one of the cars on display at the Southside Tattoo Customer Appreciation BBQ and car show a few weeks ago here in Ashland.

Posted on August 9th, 2012 under only in ashland, places. Tags: funky cars, nikon d7000, southside tattoo, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon. Comments Off on Nevada Brothel Inspector mobile