Four images from the top of See Canyon.

Los Osos was fogged in, Avila was hazed out so what about See Canyon? See Canyon is a tiny valley tucked in between San Luis Obispo, Los Osos valley and Avila. As with most places in San Luis Obispo County, it has a very distinct micro climate. Whereas most parts of the county are appropriate for either growing hay, grapes or oysters, See Canyon has just the right climate for apples. It is chock full of apple farms and in the autumn, they open up fruit stands selling some of the best apples and apple juice not to mention vegetables.

So here are four images captured that day.

"See Canyon" looks off into the canyon. The apple orchards fade off into the mist.  If you have not experienced it, then mark your calendar for September/October and drive through for some great apple juice.

"See Canyon pilot" is the pilot/photographer leaning against his truck looking up at his plane/camera looking down at him looking up at his plane/camera looking down at him STOP!

"Prefumo Canyon Road" is looking to the north west. If the fog were not coming in, we could see Morro Rock, Estero Bay, and off into the infinite distance.   In this photo, the road has just climbed up and out of See Canyon and is about to become Prefumo Canyon Road, descending down through oak filled valleys eventually to run along Prefumo Canyon creek.   As seen here, we look out over Clark Valley in the distance but in the foreground is an oak grove nestled at the top of Coon Creek.  Coon Creek winds down and out to the southern end of Montana de Oro State Park.  There is a hiking trail that I have never had the courage to venture up as it often has bowers of poison oak extending from one side to the other... poison oak?  Frak! Now I'm starting to itch!

"Top of See Canyon" is the small meadow near the summit of the road. Usually, there are cows laying here, chewing their cud but on this day, only the shadow of the plane is in view.

If you live here, you know about The Rock. If you don't, then don't feel bad - everywhere has it's own geography. The lay of the land here includes the remnants of the volcanoes that once ruled over the landscape. The most prominent of those that remain is Morro Rock. Seen in the haze here, it seems to stretch up to the stratosphere. But it doesn't; it's only around 570 feet or so above sea level. Just high enough to accommodate a pair of nesting Peregrine Falcons. But seen in the "sea to space" view, it does seem to go on forever...

Last week, the fog was in; today, the sun was shining.

The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright -
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

So begins "The Walrus and the Carpenter" - but today was not the middle of the night; rather it was mid morning. In Los Osos, the winds, how they did howl. But that is not strange as they do that far more often than not, most especially during the springtime. So off I went to try my luck at Avila again. Half way there, going over Prefumo Canyon Road, it occurred to me that there might be a good chance for a snapshot at the summit looking back to the west. But, wait, that would involve me using my CAMERA! DAMN! That's what I forgot! So turn around, drive back and get the camera. Try not to let that bother me and, to tell the truth, it really didn't, not too much anyway.

Finally arriving at Avila, up the road to Pirates Cove I did go. And lo and behold - there was not the slightest breeze. Time to launch!

And here are a few shots from there. To the west is the town of Avila That Is, seen here looking over the remnants of the Union Oil tank farm that destroyed Avila That Was. The oil facility polluted the environment so drastically that the town was torn down and the soil removed. I won't go into it all here, suffice it to say, things have changed.

Looking east is Pirates Cove, the local nude beach. Why is it that a phrase like that is required? In Europe, they are so civilized that upon arriving at the beach, they doff their clothes and sunbathe and swim with no thought of it. Here, it's "the nude beach". Crazy shit. Looking beyond is first Shell Beach followed by Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, the Pismo Dunes and off into the haze of northern Santa Barbara County. Over the hills and far away is first Tiber Canyon, then Corbett Canyon and finally in the haze is Huasna Valley.

And in betwixt the two is the kelp wherein doth the otter play. Not to mention the random diver or two. A hidden interface between the land and the sea, full of it's own ecosystem.

So. That was my morning and it was good. Who knows what the morrow brings?

Always looking for a new place to shoot, I tried Avila Beach last weekend. As I drove over Prefumo Canyon Road, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. But when I arrived at Avila, it was foggy. So... fly anyway. Most images were gray and dull but a few were worth exploring. Looking east up over the fog was Pirates Cove, the local nudie beach. No titties there; too cold. A couple with their dog walking on the beach. The pier fading out into the fog.

And one more I took in the evening at home. A *rare* day in May in Los Osos - no wind in the late afternoon. I launched and flew around my neighborhood. At one point, the sun was backlighting the mist and Morro Rock stood out wrapped in mist.

A good end to an interesting day.

Morro Rock: surfers surfing, walkers walking, enjoyers enjoying.

Earlier I posted a photo of Sweet springs marsh in the fog with a solitary sunbeam. Last weekend I flew there again but in full sunlight.

Kokopelli is searching for his flute.

This photo was taken around a year ago. I liked the image of the dog jumping for joy.

So it took a while... 11 months or so, if you are counting. That's how long since I splashed my last plane and camera at the Rock and finally, I've gone back for another shot at it. It's been more than trepidation - sub-optimal weather, new grandson, work, life, etc. But last Sunday was wind-free as yet again, a storm was on the way in. The 300 photos had more in them in the way of patterns of light and dark so adjustments were made.

Here are four of them.  A backlit scene of surf and sand with a lone surfboard floating in the surf. A surfer heading for the waves with a slight reflection of Morro Rock and the sky surrounding him as he approaches two egrets busy eating brunch.  The pilot, ultrazoomed and contrast enhanced (?).  Finally, a surfer riding in alone on her wave.  Alas, no sealife visible.

More shadow than substance

Reports have been coming in about lots of wildflowers in the wild places so knowing they won't last much longer, I took a long lunch today and drove out to Shell Creek Road and Highway 58 in SLO county and had a look.

The fields are colorful and the hills are still green. A few dozen cars were out there with folks taking in the splendor of it all. The wind was out of the north-east about 15 mile per hour which is just about all my plane can handle. The flight was a bit over 15 minutes and filled the 2gig card with 271 photos.