Peaceful bird soaring over Pacifica’s wild evening surf.
With few places like it California offers nature, open spaces, abundant wildlife, vibrant diverse cities, good food, high quality fresh produce, a great climate … but above all a sense of freedom and optimism!
Below some impressions from across this great State …
Russian River, Harbor Seal sunsetMendocino Harbor Seals resting and one curious specimenGolden Gate and Marin HeadlandsSF skyline newest addition, Salesforce tower, highest building west of ChicagoDowntown LA from Sunset Boulevard, hotel room views …Joshua Tree NP formationsJoshua Tree and snow capped mountainDeath Valley NP former volcanoDeath Valley NPJoshua Trees at Joshua Tree NPDeath Valley NP dust devilsPismo Beach, San Luis Obispo CountyMalibu where stars come out at daytime …Santa Cruz, Steamer Lane surfing hotspotNavarro Beach, Mendocino County driftwoodRooms with a view in Pacific HeightsSF Financial District skylineSkyline Boulevard views south of SFMount TamalpaisSea Ranch surf
Whether in SF, in the desert or on the ocean … flowers everywhere!
Noa Valley colorsCastro colorsIntense colors in SFJoshua Tree NPMount Tamalpais viewsPismo Beach cat and flowersColorful Sea Ranch, unincorporated community in Sonoma CountyCalifornia Golden Poppies SF Presidio
Nestled in the impressive Sierra Nevada a great and deep lake just 16 km away from the Nevada desert … A land of contrasts: from 6 meters of accumulated snow on the Sierras to a dry desert climate just a few kms in between.
Coming from a high latitude region on this planet, the California daylight, sunsets and sunrises amaze me time after time … From Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada, to Napa Valley, to the Pacific Coast …
Very much worth the two-hour drive from SF, Point Reyes is a great natural wonder in the Pacific. It very, very slowly moves northwards thanks to the fact that it lies on the western side of the San Andreas fault. On its western tip, a big rock rises out of the wild shimmering Pacific Ocean providing the opportuntiy to observe migrating Grey whales this time of year (I saw 3). Far away you can see the outline of the Farallon islands, known for its concentration of Great White sharks.
Alongside the northern edge you can walk on miles of unspoiled beaches…with pounding waves and drift wood from forrests up north after all the recent much needed rain.
All good things come to an inevitable ending … 8300 km of driving, 7 major cities, 9 states, numerous national parks and state parks, two oceans and two international borders! Having met old and new friends and made some discoveries … Many interesting conversations with perfect strangers. Experienced intriguing nature, wildlife and wide open spaces as well as vibrant world cities. Above all the trip provided a lot of inspiration to move forward 🙂
La Jolla and San Diego were a relaxing ending to this 5 week adventure. Another nice place with a great lifestyle, to be revisited or who knows … 😉
Sitting on top of the Santa Monica mountains in Malibu, life in the vintage airstream is tranquil and very off-the-grid. What a thrill to be able to see the Milky Way again, ironically only 60 km away from one of the brightest and spread-out cities 🙂 Life in and around the airstream is quite a contrast with LA life of opulence, craziness and actor wannabees … 😉
The vintage Airstream on the Malibu mountain topBeverly Hills opulenceThe City of Angels from the Griffith Observatory
A mix of raw nature and abundant animal life, under and above the ocean surface, the Big Sur and Monterey regions are a must see on the Central California coast. Many poets and writers have come here to find meaning and inspiration … The area, as many parts of California, is also under threat from drought and wildfires. We saw a spectacular demonstration of the California airborne firefighting skills.
Pfeiffer beach, Big SurHelicopters fighting a fire near Big SurA rare Blue Whale diving for KrillA bird and Big Sur