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Thirsty Thursday: New Roads, New Views
Rambler: Beth (but some of the photos are from Terry, too!)
Drink at Hand: Fog Head Pinot Noir...going nicely with my grilled tri-tip (thanks Grilla T!)
Hey there Welliver Photography fans...Thirsty Thursday here once again, so pour something yummy and make those weekend plans! Last weekend was a pretty good here at WP. In true "get out there and do something" fashion, we explored a trail I didn't even know existed until last Friday. It was one heck of a beautiful Sunday morning. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
The trail is the Juan Bautista de Anza Trail, which we picked up at the very end of Old Stage Road northeast of Salinas. This chunk of road is the actual stagecoach road that connected the Salinas Valley to San Juan Bautista, or for those familiar with local landmarks, the route that connected the Soledad Mission to the mission in San Juan Bautista...but I'll save the full history lesson for another day, or go here to read more. The trail itself is 4 miles one way with a decent elevation gain, but the views are worth it!
As Lt Col Juan Bautista de Anza would say: ¨¡Vayan subiendo!¨ Roughly translated, "Mount up everybody!" Or, as we say around here, get out there and do something this weekend!
Thirsty Thursday: Road Less Traveled...
Rambler: Beth
Drink at Hand: 2007 Crianza Old Vine Tempranillo
Not going to lie, this Thirsty Thursday snuck up on us here at Welliver Photography. So while I did pour something yummy (that tempranillo is good!), I haven't had much of a chance to put together this week's entry. We are working on something good for next week, but this week I only have one photo to share.
While this week's post is just a single photo, it pretty much hit the spirit of what we want Thirsty Thursday to be. These posts are supposed to be about getting out there and seeing or doing something different, interesting, exciting, etc. I doubt any reader will know where to find this road. We truly were in the middle of nowhere on a road that doesn't really go anywhere. We didn't see another car for hours (if I don't count the guy and his dog on the 4-wheeler with the shotgun tied to the back). But, oh what an adventure we had this day, and that's what its all about!
Go find a new place to explore this weekend!
Thirsty Thursday: Arroyo Seco
Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: 2008 Ventana Pinot Noir
Last Friday morning I got up super early to make the 50-minute drive to Pinnacles National Monument. I wanted to be there for sunrise, just to see what the early morning light was like in the west side of the park. Its never hard for me to pop out of bed when I'm headed out to shoot a sunrise, especially when I program the coffee pot to grind a fresh cup for me as I wake up. Out the door, down the 101 and right on time for arrival at the west entrance about 20 minutes before the 5:58 am sunrise. As I'm making the final turn toward the park, a waiting CHP car in the intersection flashes its lights. The officer tells me there's a wildfire up the road and the route to the park is closed. Grrr!
After getting up that early and driving all the way down there, I wasn't about to just turn around and go home. I needed a Plan B. I knew I wasn't too far from Arroyo Seco Road, and from my 6-hour bike rides out there, I vaguely remembered some pretty trees in some pretty fields. So off I went, racing to find something interesting as the sky continued to brighten.
I found this spot along Arroyo Seco Road. The trees and the open pasture looked interesting. I paced up and down the side of the road looking for a good composition, but it wasn't easy. I couldn't get the tree completely isolated from the busy scrub brush-covered hills in the background. I enjoyed the challenge though...there is something therapeutic about being out in the chilly morning air, peering through a viewfinder, searching for something inspiring. I love mornings with my camera.
Of course my attention always turns from the wide landscapes to the little details close-by.
The cloudless sky continued to brighten so I headed back down the road toward home...but not before I spotted this old barn in a field down below the road.
I knew I had to make one last stop on the way home. Several times a week I ride my bike out River Road, and recently there has been a beautiful display of yellow and purple wildflowers in a pasture beside the road.
So the morning didn't work out the way I expected, but I still found some nice scenes. More importantly, I still got to explore with my camera. And that makes me happy.
Get out there and explore this weekend!