Boucher Hill in the Mist

This past week brought rain and snow to the the San Diego Mountains. I took advantage of the “bad” weather to get out each day to scout for photos. The first outing brought me to Boucher Hill on Palomar Mountain. A few days later I returned with about 4-6 inches of fresh snow on the ground, but more on that in another post.

The Misty Forest – Black Oaks are the main tree in this area.
Three Douglas Firs – While hiking, I came across several Douglas Fir trees that had been drilled and filled with acorns by woodpeckers.
Acorn Alley – The mist was drifting in and out.
Acorn Store
Full Cupboard

To see these photos and a few more in my gallery, click here.

Exploring Joshua Tree National Park

Last week I drove out to Joshua Tree National Park to explore some new areas and to spend the night in a favorite backcountry area in the open desert.

Camping in the open desert and being there for sunset was the best part. In fact, I specifically headed here because I saw high clouds in the forecast. High clouds at sunset means the possibility of nice colors. That’s what I got: a beautiful sunset with a slow burn afterwards. I had been waiting for a long time to catch this.

Joshua Tree Silhouette
Hidden Desert
Through the Branches
Joshua Tree Moon

During the day I explored some other areas of the park. There are so many interesting rock formations.

Dwarf Juniper in Wash
The Keyhole
Juniper

Click here to see more photos.