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Thirsty Thursday: Big Sur Bikepacking

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Trader Joe's Pomegranate Limeade

Thirsty Thursday here again...time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. I just got back from a little overnight solo bikepacking trip to Big Sur. I haven't had much time to go through the images yet from this trip, or from my #desertpixelpedaltrip that just wrapped up, but I pulled these two images from the Big Sur trip as a teaser. I'll write more about and share more photos from this trip very soon!

Here was a camping spot for the night off Plaskett Ridge Road in the Los Padres National Forest. That's Chalk Peak in the background. 

Then I decided to wake up at 3:00 am and capture the stars. 

I'm looking forward to more nights under the stars in Big Sur. Get out there and find your own starry night this weekend!

Thirsty Thursday: New Year Stars

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Newman's Limeade

Thirsty Thursday here again. Time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. After a fantastic dinner at our favorite place, I decided to go try to shoot some stars to bring in the New Year. Terry has a sore foot, so I set out on my own at Ft Ord...just me, my camera, my headlamp, and a warm down jacket! 

We get very few crispy clear nights around here, due to our close proximity to the ocean. We also live between Monterey and Salinas, both of which produce plenty of light pollution. But, because it was so clear (and cold), I figured it was a good night to try to shoot some stars. There was also a bright moon, which would help illuminate the the foreground.

My first thought was star trails, but I didn't feel like staying out there that long by myself. So I just did a few long exposures near a couple of my favorite Ft Ord trees. I haven't had much luck with star photography in the past, so my expectations were low. So, if you weren't looking at the stars at midnight last night, here's what they looked like. 

The brightest star in the above image isn't a star at all...its Jupiter! The moon really illuminated this scene. Local mountain bikers should recognize that trail! 

I was really happy to get Orion and this tree in the same frame. 

Looking forward to more night sky experimentation...and hopefully something to share on future Thirsty Thursdays.