Photo Shoot Sierra Madre, Carrizo Plain, Mt. Pinos & Reyes Peak

Looking for a clear day and a view for the camera, Jeff Jones (http://lumnos.com/) and I headed to Santa Maria where we turned right towards New Cuyama. Jeff's current project encompasses a range of landscapes from urban to wilderness with the intent of informing on the scope of what is still wild and what perhaps should be. That's my take, Jeff might describe it differently. We turned right again for the dirt road to McPhearson Peak on the Sierra Madre range. Haze prevailed, not a good omen for the professional photographer. For an example of ideal conditions, go to Jeff's site and the photos from the National Arctic National Refuge. It might hurt your eyes, if like me you've grown accustomed to that soft glow in the sky that prevails especially in the summers; haze, fog, and smog or a combination of all three. It's like the mute in a trombone creating another set of tones, but not the ones desired for every song. The bumping road yields many views as it is on the edge of the San Rafael Wilderness. Long views with close details pop into view. Desirable as they are I note the camera gear stays in the cargo bay. Chia sage is abundant here as well as Joshua Tree. I hear explanations of what might be, on a clearer day, in the early hours or maybe the late. Such is the talk of photography perfection. I click my own snaps. At Miranda Pines we survey the campsites but continue to McPhearson Peak. The solar array glistens, the com towers whistle in a breeze and on the ground we spot a fresh track of the black bear making long distance calls? The characteristic trail of bear paws settling into the same spot over and over tells us this bear has reason to return though it's hard to imagine the allure other than to look over the valleys and the long east-west ridge stretching away into the haze. Good choice that bear makes for this pilgrimage. Short sighted, that's the book on bears, but this one has specs.

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Night on the ridge without too much wind and back up to the peak in the morning bags a few photos as grist for the mill. The morning was hazier and smoggier than the night before. We chose to head down the steep Bates Canyon Road and a right turn past New Cuyama put us well on the way to Carrizo Plain, a National Monument (http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bakersfield/Programs/carrizo/goodwin.html). At the left turn by the collapsing house I once saw a flaming Bullocks Oriel. I looked for another chance sighting, but was disappointed. Later at the KCL campground I took photos of a nesting cousin . Unable to shake the haze, our trip became a scouting effort. We saw potential, but nothing to bring out the tripod and lenses for serious efforts.

The thermometer hit 118F (full sun) as we turned for the high ground at Mt. Pinos, thousands of feet higher and much cooler with shade. The two-lane blacktop twists through miles of great potential on a clearer planet. Near Mt. Pinos we found all the Forest Campgrounds closed! Not helpful when on a camping trip, but a dirt road led to a great informal site where you see my hammock hanging. After a night in the woods we made breakfast and lounged until heading down to Frazier Park and back towards Ojai by way of the Lockwood Valley. More great potential, but too much, what? Yeah, haze!

Near Reyes Peak there are more great views and I clicked off some shots of the Ponderosas, pretty sure this is my totem for life. Trimmed up to park specs, they provide a lofty backdrop to our lunch. You might note blue sky above those trees? Haze and horizon share more than the letters belie.

We covered many miles, talked about the future of wilderness and looked many directions...into the haze. Still a great outing.

For a few people who had trouble getting Santa Barbara Fire Song onto their Kindles I put it up on Amazon where for $.99 you can download it like any normal Kindle book. I received advance copies of The Adventures of Frieda and her Friends and my friend Kaan is coming mid-month with more for sale at a launch party we'll hold.