California Sampler by Dave Wyman
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California Sampler
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  1. Dave Wyman's Gallery
  2. California Galleries
  3. California Sampler
California My Way
California My Way
Sierra Nevada Summer
Sierra Nevada Summer
Sierra Nevada Mountains - East Side Galleries
Yosemite National Park Galleries
California My Way
California Sampler
Sierra Nevada Summer
The Bristlecone Forest
The Carrizo Plain - California
The Central Coast of California Galleries
Backroads of Central California
Pano
Scroll across the monitor to see the entire image, rather than using one of the other sizing options.

The view is from the parking area near the Natural Bridge. Telescope Peak, standing 11,049 feet in elevation above sea level, and the snow-covered summits of the Panamint Mountains are to the west. The temporary lake, well below sea level, was created by some of that melting snow, plus a record winter rainfall in Death Valley in 2005.
April 2, 2005
Desert Wildflowers along Route 66, in the Mojave Desert between the communities of Newberry Springs and Ludlow. The flowers are growing, somewhat incongruously, in and around a vast lava field that flowed out of the nearby Pisgah Crater.
April 3, 2005
Flora
Death Valley
April 5, 2005
Two Temples of God:
Yosemite National Park and the Yosemite Chapel
Mud Flats - West
Sunset over mud flats along the West End Road, a few moments before the sun dropped behind the Panamint Mountains.
April 10, 2005
This weekend I conducted a photography tour to the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, the Carrizo Plain National Monument, and the remote Cuyama and Lockwood Valleys. We enjoyed photographing two kinds of fields: enormous oil fields near the town of Taft - where we spent two nights - and spectacular fields of wildflowers. We also saw and even photographred some elusive wildlife.

This photograph was made this morning in the hills that rise south of Taft. The mountains in the background are part of the Transverse Range of California.
April 11, 2005
Our photography caravan ground to a halt when someone spotted these pronghorn antelope, at the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Though shy, the animals allowed us a little time to photograph them as they cavorted in the grass, before charging away.
April 12, 2005 - Jesus Shaves
"His Barber Shop" is in old downtown Taft, California. One of the photographers in our group spotted the sign in the window, while another gave this picture its somewhat sacreligious title.
April 14, 2005
An old Airstream trailer sits along Route 66 in the Mojave Desert.

More Route 66 photographs are at: http://www.pbase.com/davewyman/route6605
April 15, 2005
In a good year, like this one, the wildflowers are spectacular in the upper reaches along Klipstein Road, in the San Emigdio Mountains.
April 16, 2005
Expansion pipe in the oil fields near Taft, California. The insulated pipes will expand - less than an inch - to keep natural gas, oil and steam heated to different temperatures from damaging the system of pipes that run throughout the oild field.
April 17, 2005 - Black Gold
California pumps a lot of oil - only Texas, Alaska and Lousiana produce more. This well is located near the town of Taft, in Kern County, which produces 10% of the petroleum production in the United States. It is, therefore, not surprsing that this rainbow, which I photographed in early April, ends in an oil field.
April 18, 2005
Wildflowers along Klipstein Road, south of Maricopa, California.
April 19, 2005 - Carrizo Plain
The wild Carrizo Plain is now a national monument. Home to many rare and endangered species, including sand hill cranes, tule elk, and antelopes, Carrizo can put on a showy display of wildflowers during the spring.
April 20, 2005
Thistle at the Carrizo Plain National Monument.
April 21, 2005
Along Klipstein Road, in the San Emigdio Mountains.
April 22, 2005
My new friend sits in front of the Old West bar at the truly remote and old Scheidek Resort, in Los Padres National Forest, on the fringe of the Cuyama Valley.

Photo note - I used Photoshop to blur out the background, not easy to do in-camera when using a 21mm lens.
April 23, 2005
Two days ago I rode my bike up into the Santa Monica Mountains, north of my home in the flatlands of Los Angeles. The sun was about to set over the city, and the wild mustard stood out against the dark background of the next ridge. While much of the mountain scenery has been developed in Los Angeles, there are still many places from which to take in fine views. This photo was made on Astral Drive, above Nichols Canyon.
April 24, 2005
Recent bike riding paid off for me, as I completed the Chico Wildflower Century today, a one-day, 100 mile bike ride in northern California. It was a long drive - almost 500 miles from my home in Los Angeles to the city of Chico. This is a picture of my friend Sam Chin, age 20, who came up with me to participate on his first century ride; he proved to be a very strong rider. Sam is my age when I first attended college at Chico State, 36 years ago.
April 25, 2005
The Chico Wildflower Century is a one-day, 100 mile bike ride in northern California. A generous winter and spring rainfall meant there were indeed plenty of wildflowers.

This is the top of volcanic Table Mesa, which my friends Sam and Silas and I, along with several thousand other riders, gained after some serious pedaling that took us up 1,200 feet above the floor of the Sacramento Valley. It was a mostly cool day, with overcast, but it didn't rain the finish of the ride.

All that is left is the almost 500 mile drive back to my home in Los Angeles, in the southern half of the Golden State.
April 26, 2005
Wild mustard edges an irrigation canal, while flooded rice fields are visible in the distance, viewed along the back roads of the vast Sacramento Valley of northern California.
April 27, 2005 - Have You Driven a Ford, Lately?
Old car, Taft, California
April 28, 2005
These wildflowers - goldfields - covered the landscape in the southern Cuyama Valley.
April 29, 2005
You find them all over the back roads - guard dogs, like this scary looking brute. The reality: he's a pussycat! Photographed alon Old HIghway 58, Barstow, in the Mojave Desert.
May 2, 2005
A rancher and the owner of the Schideck bar, near the Cuyama Badlands.
May 4, 2005
Red Rocks State Park, with its colorful and deeply eroded mudhills, is off of Highway 14, north of the desert town of Mojave. Dawn from the campground can be a very beautiful time to experience the park. This was quite a switch from my trip the prior weekend to the green and leafy hinterlands of northern California.
May 5, 2005 - Scroll It!
Don't shrink down this pano - four photographs stiched together - of Red Rock Canyon State Park to fill the monitor. Instead, use the "large" or "original" setting, so that this photograph can be scrolled across the monitor. Red Rocks is a strange place - these muhills, fossil beds, and amazing, blazing colors (however, the more colorful portions of the park are not visible in this photograph).
May 6, 2005
May 7, 2005
Red Rock Canyon State Park
May 8, 2005
Family-owned farms and ranches are supposedly dying out. It's not happening on this 600+ acre spread in northern California, where three generations of ranchers - and their sheep dogs - have worked the land.
May 9, 2005
This is a view of sunset over flooded rice fields along a backroad in the Sacramento Valley, in northern Califorina (between the towns of Chico and Willows). California grows and exports high-quality, medium grain japonica, a type of rice that is favored in Northeast Asia and in parts of the Middle East and Mediterranean region.
May 10, 2005
San Gabriel Mountains - Mount Baldy photographed from a pull-out along State Highway 2. This photograph appears in my book, Backroads of Southern California.
May 12, 2005 - Condor!
This is a California condor, one of the largest flying creatures on earth; the Andean condor is reputedly slightly larger. Adults can weigh up to 25 pounds and their wings can span almost 10 feet. State and federal programs have saved the condor - once down to about 15 birds in the wild - from extinction. Today, there are about 200 condors, many of them in rugged locations in California.

This is a somewhat special condor. From his markings, I could see that he was AC9, which stands for Adult Condor #9. He was the last condor to be taken from the wild.

After siring several chicks, he was returned to the wild. Condors have been significant to many American American groups, so AC9's release was celebrated with a Chumash Indian blessing.

I photographed AC9 in the beautiful Topa Topa mountains north of the little town of Filmore, and this portrait of him appears in my book about the backroads of Southern California.
May 13, 2005
Pano Experiment - I removed the background - hazy blue skies - from downtown Los Angeles, and in fact if it had been clear, the photo would have shown our local mountains topped with a fair amount of snow!
May 20, 2005 - Flood!
After warm weather followed by heavy rain, Yosemite Valley was innundated with snow-melted water on May 15. The sun came out on the morning of May 16. The Merced River, which runs through Yosemite Valley, became Yosemite Lake. The water here appears placid because it is so spread out, but the main body of the river was moving with some force. Thundering Yosemite Falls appears in the background and in reflection.

I have been in Yosemite Valley the last three times it saw major flooding. The first was the May, 1996 flood, and I was in the Valley the day it flooded on January 1, 1997 (we had two hours to spare before we would have been trapped for the next few days). This is the one flood I've been able to enjoy and photograph.
May 21, 2005 - Yosemite Lake
Another photograph showing the effect of the heavy snowpack, heavy spring rainfall, and unusually warm temperatures on Yosemite Valley. Instead of a ribbon of river running through the valley, there is a calm looking lake.
May 22, 2005 - Mmmm, Strawberries
The Central Valley of California provides much of the food for the United States. At this time of year, fruit stands in the Central Valley are ubiquitous, like this one near Sangor. We had a great time purchasing strawberries from the nice woman behind the counter and then we ate the wonderfully fresh strawberries as we made our way down the Central Valley.
May 23, 2005
Tamarack Creek, Yosemite, runs wild during heavy spring run-off.
May 24, 2005
Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite - with the verdant vegetation and mist, the old hotel looks a bit like a castle lost in time.
May 25, 2005 - Cover Shot?
Potential cover shot for the second printing of my book, the Backroads of Southern California.

The photograph looks north and takes in a slice of Highway 1 between Malibu and Oxnard, as viewed from Deer Creek Road, in the Santa Monica Mountains.

(To me, this brings together several elements emblemataic to the southern half of the state: the coastline on a sunny day, mountains, desert vegetation (the blooming agave or century plant) and spring wildflowers.
May 26, 2005
Cascade Creek, Highway 120, Yosemite.
May 27, 2005 - shroom
I found this little mushroom growing not far from mighty Yosemite Falls.
May 27, 2005
At the Pioneer Cemetery, Yosemite
May 31, 2005
At Happy Isles, Yosemite - an Incense Cedar resists the encroachment of the Merced River.
June 2, 2005
Seaweed - Montana de Oro State Park
June 3, 2005 - What Are You Looking At?
The Tram Tour, Yosemite
June 4, 2005 - Watch the First Step
Launching point for hang gliders in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
June 5, 2005
A hang glider finds a rising column of warm air, soaring above the Ownes Lake after launching from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Photo from my book, Backroads of Southern California.
June 6, 2005
The wildflower season in the desert, even the high desert, is over - but the image of the wildflowers in Joshua Tree National Park this year are staying with me.
Pano

Pano  612 views

April 2, 2005

April 2, 2005  580 views

April 3, 2005

April 3, 2005  580 views

Flora

Flora  580 views

April 5, 2005

April 5, 2005  581 views

Mud Flats - West

Mud Flats - West  580 views

April 10, 2005

April 10, 2005  581 views

April 11, 2005

April 11, 2005  580 views

April 12, 2005 - Jesus Shaves

April 12, 2005 - Jesus Shaves  581 views

April 14, 2005

April 14, 2005  581 views

April 15, 2005

April 15, 2005  582 views

April 16, 2005

April 16, 2005  581 views

April 17, 2005 - Black Gold

April 17, 2005 - Black Gold  580 views

April 18, 2005

April 18, 2005  580 views

April 19, 2005 - Carrizo Plain

April 19, 2005 - Carrizo Plain  581 views

April 20, 2005

April 20, 2005  57 views

April 21, 2005

April 21, 2005  56 views

April 22, 2005

April 22, 2005  57 views

April 23, 2005

April 23, 2005  56 views

April 24, 2005

April 24, 2005  56 views

April 25, 2005

April 25, 2005  56 views

April 26, 2005

April 26, 2005  55 views

April 27, 2005 - Have You Driven a Ford, Lately?

April 27, 2005 - Have You Driven a Ford, Lately?  57 views

April 28, 2005

April 28, 2005  56 views

April 29, 2005

April 29, 2005  58 views

May 2, 2005

May 2, 2005  57 views

May 4, 2005

May 4, 2005  56 views

May 5, 2005 - Scroll It!

May 5, 2005 - Scroll It!  55 views

May 6, 2005

May 6, 2005  56 views

May 7, 2005

May 7, 2005  55 views

May 8, 2005

May 8, 2005  60 views

May 9, 2005

May 9, 2005  61 views

May 10, 2005

May 10, 2005  60 views

May 12, 2005 - Condor!

May 12, 2005 - Condor!  60 views

May 13, 2005

May 13, 2005  63 views

May 20, 2005 - Flood!

May 20, 2005 - Flood!  60 views

May 21, 2005 - Yosemite Lake

May 21, 2005 - Yosemite Lake  60 views

May 22, 2005 - Mmmm, Strawberries

May 22, 2005 - Mmmm, Strawberries  62 views

May 23, 2005

May 23, 2005  61 views

May 24, 2005

May 24, 2005  63 views

May 25, 2005 - Cover Shot?

May 25, 2005 - Cover Shot?  61 views

May 26, 2005

May 26, 2005  62 views

May 27, 2005 - shroom

May 27, 2005 - shroom  62 views

May 27, 2005

May 27, 2005  60 views

May 31, 2005

May 31, 2005  60 views

June 2, 2005

June 2, 2005  93 views

June 3, 2005 - What Are You Looking At?

June 3, 2005 - What Are You Looking At?  97 views

June 4, 2005 - Watch the First Step

June 4, 2005 - Watch the First Step  93 views

June 5, 2005

June 5, 2005  94 views

June 6, 2005

June 6, 2005  94 views

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