California in December

[D60DIETER]

Hi to everyone,

I plan to stay in CA in the time form the 17th Dec until the 23rd Dec. My starting position is LA an a have a RV. Any suggestions for a good photographic trip?

thanks

Dieter

[deztoys]

December is desert time for us. You may want to head out to Joshua Tree or Anza Borrego. But then again, anywhere along the beach will be fun too.

What do you want to photograph? Preferrences?

[Phil Hall]

You could follow old Highway 1 along the coast to San Francisco.

[Belmondo]

I agree with deztoys. I live in the desert and endure 3-4 months of hellishly hot temperatures to be there when things cool off. It's also an RV-friendly area with several parks just about everywhere.

If you want to see a California city, go to San Francisco. It's one of the most photogenic cities in the world, although the weather, especially in winter, can be a little wet and/or chilly.

California is a huge, diverse place. Tell us what you like, and we can probably point you to it.

Tom

[defordphoto]

Hiway 1 for sure. Pebble Beach. Monterey. Santa Cruz. Great for both ocean landscapes and people shots.

Yosemite is a must. Yosemite is photographic heaven any time of year.

Lake Tahoe.

Hiway 49 though the Gold Country.

The Redwood forest.

Man, you could spend a few years just in Cali shooting...

[D60DIETER]

Some more details!

I will arrive in LA and I have to be back in Ojai on the 24th of Dec. The time in between is free for me having fun and taking pictures. I´ve been to SFO and I´ve done the No. 1 several times.

The dessert seems to be a good idea. I take landscapes and structures, etc. and now and then I do people photographie.

Dieter

[Belmondo]

It's a day's drive from L.A., but have you done the Grand Canyon yet? It might be more appropriate to plan an entire trip around that, but there is truly nothing like it in the world. December can be a dicey time for weather, though. (They do get snow there occasionally).

[robertwgross]

In December, the desert can be nice in terms of solitude, but March is so much better for spring flowers that I wait until then. December is one of the good times to visit Death Valley, since the weather is tolerable then.

Heading up into the mountains (of Yosemite and Tahoe) can be problematic due to unpredictable road conditions for the RV, and especially for an unfamiliar RV.

The California coastline would be most predictable.

Unfortunately, lots of Southern California has been burned in the recent wildfires, so the forests there are not predictable.

---Bob Gross---

[D60DIETER]

Thanks to all your advice.

I plan now to look for the dessert, especially Death valley. If possible I will take the chance of some winter shots in yosemite.

Dieter

[robertwgross]

If you live outside of California, then you need to be aware that most of the trans-Sierra Nevada highways close for the winter (in fact, some closed yesterday). Therefore, it is extremely awkward to try to drive from Death Valley to Yosemite via the short way. All highways close from Walker Pass in the south up to Carson Pass in the north.

---Bob Gross---

[defordphoto]

Yes. Watch the weather. Yosemite is very accessible most times of the year from the main SW entrance through Mariposa via Hiway 99. Yosemite would be a very long drive from the desert around the snowy mountains into the park. Definitely doable though. Just a long drive as many of the roads will be closed.

[deztoys]

D60..... Let us know when you get a better idea of what you would like to so, we may tag along with you if your interested in a desert trip. We are also looking at making a couple trips to some of the "ghost towns" (really most are just abandoned places.

Scott

Send emails directly to snj@snjphoto.com

[robertwgross]

Yes, some of the ghost towns can be photogenic. However, many are difficult to even locate. When many of the old mining camps closed, they picked up every scrap of wood and left. The ghost towns that were thriving to the point where they had stone, brick, or concrete buildings have a little more that you can point a lens at. Weathered wood planks can be nice, but you need some good light.

Bodie and Rhyolite come to mind, but they make for a lot of driving miles. Skidoo is hard to see. Harrisburg is easier. In general, the old mines are difficult to call "pretty" unless they have a good deal of mining hardware sitting out for the photographer. The Keane Wonder Mine and Mill comes to mind for that.

Besides mining, some of the old ghost towns had other industries. In Rhyolite, you have to photograph the two-cot cat house.

---Bob Gross---

[openspace]

Take Highway 395 out of the LA area to the Owens Valley on the southeast side of the Sierra Nevada range - Bishop, Lone Pine, Big Pine, Mammoth, Mono Lake. It's Galen Rowell's old stomping grounds.

Check out some of his eastern Sierra Nevada work here...

http://www.mountainlight.com/gallery.easternsierra/gallery1.html

[D60DIETER]

Thank you openspace,

I will look to get my trip planed adding your suggestions, they sound good to me.

Dieter