Wow! Such a busy day. It started with a “lets get at ‘im” breakfast. Immediately following we drove to the end of the peninsula and the Tule Elk Reserve. Yes, we did see many elk as well as numerous wild flowers. Following this we walked down to McClures Beach and our first “up close and personal” encounter with the Pacific Ocean.

We picniced for lunch in a group of Douglas firs and coastal live oaks. It was there that I got a series of images of the Acorn Woodpecker.

Soon after we were at Point Reyes with its lighthouse, sweeping ocean views, and various sea mamal viewing locations. The rain and following fog of early morning were now completely gone and I was able to take some, I hope, remarkable images.

Judy and I both walked down to the lighthouse  AND the 309 steps back up! They say this was like climbing a thirty story building.

After dinner we arrived back at our room about eight-thirty.

The adventure continues.

It rained today.

Despite the wet, the day was full and we saw much.  After breakfast we drove through San Francisco and walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. The rain was light the first half and moderate the other.

We drove California Route One – a rather narrow, twisty highway going up the coast and into the Point Reyes National Seashore. Along the way we topped Mount Tam, observed Harbor Seals and had lunch in a bird blind at Audubon Canyon Ranch. Yes, there were many birds and the large and unattractive banana slug.

We continued up Route One leaving it to make our way over to Chimney Rock at the Pacific Coastline. We observed the elephant seals along the beach and the many wild flowers in the fields along the trail.

By five we were at PR Seashore Lodge our home for the next couple of days and rather tired. Supper was at seven-thirty. I am finally now at ten o’clock getting ready for bed. Tomorrow morning comes early.

We are in San Francisco after easy flights that were spot on time. Our group is assembling. The first get together is tonight followed by dinner out. Eric and Colby our guides from Natural Habitat (www.nathab.com) greeted us. I am ready for a great experience out in the various habitats along the California Coast. Eric is a professional wildlife photographer – I hope to learn much from him.

Presently it is raining here at the Inn on Oyster Point. The locals are delighted. It’s been dry. Our room at the Inn over looks San Francisco Bay. The fire place warms us as we nap and relax overcoming jet lag. My stomach and body tell me it is six-thirty. My watch tells me it is three-thirty.

After arriving, camera in hand we walked along the Bay. Yes before the rain. There were various duck species in the Bay. A dowitcher was runing in the mud flats. While watching the ducks, a pair of Night Herons flew up – impressive.

Okay that’s it for Friday, May first.

view from our room

Adventure George and Judy are heading west. West to San Francisco, Point Reyes and Yosemite. “Eight days,” says George of great picture taking.” “Not more pictures,” says Judy, getting in practice for the trail.

“You can follow our Adventure by logging back into this blog daily. As long as the technology permits, there will be a daily post.”

+ ROC_2842, originally uploaded by Adventure George.

On the way home from a recent visit (April 4) with daughter Amy, Mark, and their three girls, I stopped at the overlook for Taughannock Falls. It was rainy and the Creek was flowing strongly. The result was much water making the drop.

The cloudy day makes it easy to get the exposure right for taking the picture.

Truly I am blessed to live in an area with so many natural wonders.

The short blues are through the ground and blooming. Friday morning with the sun shining and the temperatures cool, I took my Nikon D700 camera with my Garmin GPSmap 60CSx connected and headed out. I went to Highland Park in Rochester, no more than a couple miles from my home.

The short blues, Siberian Squills, were beautiful. Large concentrations of them gave the look of a blue carpet covering the ground under and around trees and bushes. The color is one from a distance, but a closer look at the bloom reveals a dual coloring.

One patch of daffodils was blooming. This patch was on a bank that gets direct sun from early morning through early afternoon.

While there I saw Ginger whom I know from our time together with Third Church folk. We helped with restoration work in New Orleans. She was out for morning exercise so our visit was short. This sort of happening just adds to the enjoyment of the moment.

After an early morning of enjoyment taking pictures of the flowers, I headed off to the rest of my day’s activities.

This first post starts a record of my Adventures near and far.  As the first post, it is highly experimental. That is, I am experimenting using the features of this blog. For example, I am trying out different themes to get one with which I feel comfortable. Second, and as important to me, is the ability to use digital images in the blog itself. Finally, I want to be at ease in writing short descriptive records of my adventures for both myself and others. Practice, it is said, is the secret.