Goin' to California (Palm Springs & San Fran)

03/15/2006 09:45:04 PM · #1

You guys are awesome!!! Thanks a ton for all of these great ideas. I am definitely not going to have enough time to do even half of these things, but I'm going to try to squeeze in as much as I can.

rasdub

Nikon D70

03/15/2006 08:14:29 PM · #2

San Francisco ideas that I would suggest:

The Golden Gate Bridge obviously. I'm particulary fond of taking shots from Fort Point and the Marin Headlands (Alexander Drive). I have a bunch of Golden Gate pictures in my portfolio. If you see a particular vantage point that interests you, just send me a PM and I can give you more detail.

(Alexander Drive)

(Fort Point)

Golden Gate Park - All sorts of great stuff here from people watching/shooting, to the Conservatory of Flowers.

(Conservatory of Flowers)

Treasure Island / Bay Bridge - You can get some good shots of the Bay Bridge and the SF skyline from here, especially if you have a good zoom lens.

Ocean Beach - You can get some nice sunset shots, as well as bird shots at Ocean Beach.

Point Reyes & Bodega Bay

(Point Reyes)

(Bodega Bay)

Like I said, most of my shots are from San Francisco and the surrounding areas, so if you see any shots in my portfolio that you want to know more about, just send me a PM. Sorry to post pictures here, but I thought it would help give you a visual image of the spots I was talking about.

Message edited by author 2006-03-15 20:15:10.

sfalice

Canon PowerShot SX60 HS

03/15/2006 07:52:48 PM · #3

Checking in late to read about your trip to the West Coast, San Francisco included. If you'd like, give me a call when you're in town and if I'm free, I'll be glad to show you around some of the good photo sites away from downtown. (you can easily do that on your own)

I'll PM you with numbers, etc.

Alice

tinky2

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

03/15/2006 07:52:11 PM · #4

Gary, you are going to need lots more than two days to see all this! What a lot of great suggestions and this thread has inspired me to get up to some of these places myself this weekend. Even though I am close I haven't done them all, like Naciemento Road.
Have a great trip,
Dawn

th3ph17

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

03/15/2006 07:43:44 PM · #5

you can always look for photo spots using this:

//www.californiacoastline.org/

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

03/15/2006 06:54:37 PM · #6

Originally posted by PhilipDyer:

A few hundred yards north of the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park entrance, on the ocean side, is a small pullout beside a small cabin the rangers use, light green last time I saw it. The waterfall can be viewed (very nicely) from this pullout.

R.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

03/15/2006 06:39:18 PM · #7

If you really want to drive from Monterey to Oakland via Santa Cruz, you can "easily" take Highway 17 over the mountains from Santa Cruz to San Jose, where it will connect up with I-880 and take you up the east shore of the bay to the Oakland Airport.

Tons of people commute (too fast) via Highway 17, so avoid rush hour -- morning in the direction of Oakland.

Pt. Lobos State Reserve

Monterey Bay Aquarium

If you're going to drive up to Santa Cruz, consider driving through the UC Campus there.

Riponlady

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

03/15/2006 06:16:56 PM · #8

In SF go to China Town for some interesting candids and also Haight-Ashbury (spelling?) for candids of aging Hippies! The architechture on Nobs (sp?) Hill is also very interesting. SF is my favourite city I have visited in the USA - a great combination of culture and cosmopolitan life - and I would move there tomorrow if I could!

I found Alcatraz fascinating although very chilling - spiritually and physically!

Don't forget to get your compulsory shot of clouds over the bridge!
P

PhilipDyer

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/15/2006 06:08:36 PM · #9

Be sure to go to that waterfall in the afternoon, otherwise it will be completely in shadow. It's a really cool site, but I think that you can only see it from the bridge on the walking trail, which does have a nice view.

Also, it might be worth making the short trip up to Napa from San Francisco. I believe the mustard festival is going on this week, so there might be some big yellow fields to shoot around there. I'm really not sure about this, so please research it first, though Napa is always worth the trip. :-) There's also a geyser on the northern tip of the Napa Valley in Calistoga, if that interests you, as well as a petrified forest walking trail.

For great cityscape views of San Francisco, I recommend going to Mt. Tamalpais (and Muir Woods, while you're there), the top of Twin Peaks (which is always cold and windy, but has a great view), Treasure Island, and the Vista Point right on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge. You can also exit right past that Vista Point and turn left to drive up into those hills on the northwest side of the bridge. That's where all those pictures of the bridge with the city in the background are taken.

Have a great trip!

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

03/15/2006 05:55:30 PM · #10

BTW, once you've collected your better half, and assuming you bring her back down to the Monterey Bay area (which I'm sure you'll want to), Big Sur is an EASY day-trip from Monterey/Carmel; half-day, even. You can Get from Carmel Highlands to Point Sur in about half an hour. If you want a thrilling place for a romantic dinner, check out the Rocky Point Restaurant, about halfway between Carmel and Point Sur. It's in an older house, right down at cliff-s edge, completely stuck in the wilderness, with floodlit surf at the windowside.

Robt.

(I lived in Carmel for 4 years in my glory days as a landscape shooter, and my sister has a place there where I can stay whenever I go back west, which is unfortunately seldom.)

Message edited by author 2006-03-15 17:56:42.

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

03/15/2006 05:22:45 PM · #11

Thanks, Bear. I'm definitely looking forward to this!

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

03/15/2006 05:15:01 PM · #12

Originally posted by eqsite:

Thanks, Tinky. That's great info. I am really looking forward to this trip. I just wish I had more time!

Oh, and I did find the road that Bear was talking about. It looks like it's just about 16 miles inside of Monterey County coming from the south.

Yeah, that's about right. You enter the road a few yards north of the Mill Creek bridge. Drive uphill maybe 15 minutes, to the second ridge line, then turn around and start working back down slowly, enjoying the view. Go any further up, you enter beautiful country but no more ocean views. It's one of the few places, and certainly the most accessible place, you can get a long view of meadows, ridges, and ocean.

Robt.

And yes, Morro Bay is a fine spot to spend the night, but leave early (just before sunrise) to make the most of your scenic drive up the Big Sur coast. You definitely want the early light there.

R.

Message edited by author 2006-03-15 17:18:28.

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

03/15/2006 04:49:57 PM · #13

Thanks again, everyone for all these great tips. How I get from Monterey to Oakland will ultimately depend on how much time I have left once I get to Monterey. Jason was very right when he said I'd have more camera time if I did that stretch on my own. Either way, I know I'm not going to have enough time to see everything that I want to. That said, Point Lobos is definitely on my itinerary now!

Message edited by author 2006-03-15 16:50:29.

jayjay06

Pentax *ist DS

03/15/2006 04:26:22 PM · #14

Originally posted by BrennanOB:

I used to go from our apartment in Oakland to Aptos ( just south of Santa Cruz) most every weekend and I can tell you that the difference between the fastest route over highway 17 and the more sceinic route over the San Mateo bridge and out 92 to half moon bay to highway 1 is about half an hour, but 17 is prone to massive slow downs if there is an accident (especially on weekends and in bad weather, heck it was closed last week when it SNOWED at the high point). I almost always went the sure and pretty route. Of course because it is so scenic you are going to want to stop and shoot so it may take longer.

Right, I was thinking more cutting over to 101 from Monterey instead of going from Monterey all the way to SF then over to Oakland. That way he could later make the Highway 1 trip from Monterey to SF with his wife since they are going all the way back there anyhow.

Riponlady

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

03/15/2006 04:17:41 PM · #15

Originally posted by tinky2:

From the description, I'm thinking Point Lobos - definitely a worth see!

Yes!!!!
:)

Blame senile demensia for the bad memory!
P

BrennanOB

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

03/15/2006 04:13:42 PM · #16

Originally posted by eqsite:

Thanks for the tips, Jason. I'm still debating the ride from Monterey up to the Oakland Airport. I really want to go through Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz, but I guess it will really depend on how much time I end up with.

tinky2

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

03/15/2006 04:05:24 PM · #17

From the description, I'm thinking Point Lobos - definitely a worth see!

03/15/2006 03:58:31 PM · #18

I'm trying to figure out where this might be. I'm seeing on the map the California Sea Otter State Refuge, but that seems to go most of the length of the road. There's Los Padres National Forest on the east side of the road, but again, that seems to go on forever. Could it be the Point Lobos State Preserve? It sounds very intriguing!

Originally posted by Riponlady:

Somewhere on your route is a nature reserve - Los something - just south of SF between Pismo and SF but nearer SF - and we just saw it by chance and decided to stop for a break. It was one of the highlights of the drive from LA to SF! Sea Otters and seals and birds were abundant and almost posing for you but there were few people around so it was very peaceful.

This was 8 years ago but is still fresh in my memory. And i shall never forget seeing a herd of zebra coming over the hill at full gallop - I closed my eyes, pinched myself and asked John what country we were in! Hearst Castle was ahead!
P

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

03/15/2006 03:55:26 PM · #19

Thanks, Phil. That's a wealth of information on that site. I especially like the link for photo spots. Thanks for offering to mail me the visitor guide, but given that I fly out tomorrow, I won't have a chance to get it. I'm sure I'll find a copy in one of my many stops! Oh, and beautiful photos by the way. They're a great inspiration for what I'm hoping to see out there.

Originally posted by th3ph17:

well, you can't really go wrong along the coast...it is 99% beautiful.

around santa cruz you can hit Capitola Village, The Cement Ship in Aptos, West Cliff drive in santa cruz, Natural Bridges [at the end of west cliff], and there is Big Basin Park and Henry Cowell park...both of which have redoods.

here is a site for Visit Santa Cruz [i work for the company that publishes it. if you want a copy of the visitor guide message me your address and i'll mail you one. I shot the cover and about 50% of the interior.]

Visit Santa Cruz County

a few ocean pics:
//flickr.com/photos/th3ph17/sets/680434/

Message edited by author 2006-03-15 15:55:36.

th3ph17

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

03/15/2006 03:41:14 PM · #20

this is another fun link...

//www.sandylydon.com/html/sec.html

Riponlady

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

03/15/2006 03:27:31 PM · #21

th3ph17

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

03/15/2006 03:26:00 PM · #22

jayjay06

Pentax *ist DS

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

03/15/2006 03:17:29 PM · #23

Originally posted by eqsite:

Definitely take the trip, I meant you should take it after you pick up your wife when returning to SF (or take her from SF to Monterey on Highway 1). Although, taking it by yourself may give you more "camera" time!

DelRioPhoto

Nikon D700

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED

03/15/2006 03:03:50 PM · #24

Oh, in case you do venture up Nacimiento-Ferguson Rd, several miles past the top of the hill (where the view is so good), you will come to an army check point. They will require valid drivers license and insurance card to pass on to the base. I don't think you'll venture that far, but in case you do, I wanted you to be prepared.

Don't worry about the road condition too much as it is in pretty good shape. In fact you don't really need to go all the way up to the top for the view, about half way up just pull over a shoot a few pics. You won't be dissatisfied.