It was a nice day and I had some free time, so I decided to explore a place I’d never seen before. I took the bus to the literal end of the road – Geary Boulevard, specifically – and ended up at Sutro Baths/Point Lobos. This is at the distant northwestern tip of San Francisco, and more remote than most touristy places. Aside from the long ride, it takes a little climbing to get down to this beach. Definitely worth the effort, though! Larger version is viewable here.
This was taken at the beach below the Eagle’s Point Labyrinth, about three miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge. This is at the bottom of the Land’s End trail, far from the more populated and touristy areas. I had planned to keep walking along the coastline, but the rising tide make it too risky. Larger version is viewable here.
This was taken at the beach below the Eagle’s Point Labyrinth, about three miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a brief – but strenuous and quite vertical – hike away from the Legion of Honor. This isn’t the kind of beach you visit to relax. Be sure to bring a good pair of shoes and even better balance; falling off the cliffs here is deadly. Also, come early; I only had about half an hour before the rising tides came close to sweeping me out to sea! Larger version can be viewed here.
Did you know there’s a waterfall in the middle of Golden Gate Park? I didn’t until a couple of weeks ago. Huntington Falls looks small at the ground level, but then you notice the stairs that go up along its side. Here’s how the falls really look, from the top of Strawberry Hill to the bottom at Stow Lake. Hiking this area was the culmination of a great summer day in San Francisco. These photos are also viewable here.
Another day at the ocean. Here’s what the view looks like from the hut in the previous photo. It’s too dangerous to go out on the very tip of the rocks, but it’s home to a small group of sea birds. When the tide starts rising, the spray from the waves make it all the way inside the hut. Large version available here.
This week’s challenge calls for a muse. You might have noticed I have a thing for the ocean and sunsets. Granted, I’m a nature lover in general, but there’s something alluring about the ocean; it gives you a sense of scale and your location on the Earth. You can watch the sun vanish before your eyes, giving you a greater insight of the astronomy and physics involved. The horizon practically begs you to venture forth and find out what’s out there. The ocean is one Earth’s great remaining mysteries; you can just stand there and wonder what lurks beneath the surface. You can breathe in the salty air, feel the wind your skin, and hear the waves endlessly crashing onto the shore…Yeah, I love it. This is one of many photos I took during my most recent trip. I’ll be posting more throughout the week; though they won’t all be sunsets, they’ll definitely involve oceans.
As a follow-up to the previous post, here’s the waterfall at the El Eden Zip-Line. I didn’t have enough time to set up and take some really good shots, and it was crowded with people jumping from the rocks. At least I managed to get one decent photo as a souvenir…Larger version available here.
This week’s challenge calls for something vivid, and I can think of few things better than this Bengal tiger at Paradise Village in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. The three or tour tigers there tended to lounge in the distant shade, ignoring any passersby. One afternoon, however, I happened to catch this one cooling off in the waterfall in its enclosure. It was only for a few seconds, but the sight was something to behold. Large version available here.
Ryan Deboodt takes you on a journey through Hang Son Doong, the largest known cave on the planet.
This week’s challenge is all about depth. It reminds me of the afternoon I spent at Kilauea on the Big Island. It rained for about 90% of the time I was out there, but the skies cleared up long enough for a glimpse of the volcano’s sprawling range and depth. This was taken at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Polymathically 