SOMA lady

It amazes me that people just randomly 'graffiti' our city with these scenes. Never knowing how long it will last, if it will be destroyed in a day or in a year, and probably illegal. But so impressive nonetheless. Under an overpass near my house, we walked past this new little piece of art.

Summer Solstice

Saturday, June 21st: The Summer Solstice. Soaking in those final moments of sun ... Watching it set over the water ... This is by far my favorite time of day. This light this time of day makes everything seem so warm and calm. Unfortunately this moment comes and goes all too quickly.

Bark or Ancient Script?

I can't help but think this looks just like the writing in my paintings...

Hotel Creek Trail

Day 3: This would be our longest hike, the Hotel Creek Trail, which was 8 miles roundtrip and a 1,200 climb in elevation in the first mile, reaching an elevation of 5,600 feet at the top. This strenuous hike switch-backed through chaparral to a forested ridge at the top with breathtaking views of the Canyon and mountains beyond, still snowcapped.

We encountered rattlesnakes, rubber boas, and only one other couple hiking the trail in a 4 hour period. We continued back on the Lewis Creek Loop, passing a large area which was burned in 1980, one of the largest fires the park had experienced in recent years. We passed through varied landscapes of pine woods, manzanita bushes, meadows, open grassy hillsides and moist streamways.

Beauty is in the Details

Although the parks are so huge and vast, much beauty lies in the details. The environment in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park is amazing for it's diversity. Because of the low canyons, high mountains, varying temperatures and climates, you can find over 1,500 species of plants here. The intense, vibrant colors and textures is exactly what I need for inspiration.

Mist Falls

On Day 2, we met a trailhead at Road's End for a journey to Mist Falls on the South Fork Kings River. The hike was 8 miles round trip and tunnels through riverside forest, rises on granite slopes to gain views of 10,007 foot Avalanche Peak and a granite pinnacle called the Sphinx. Half way through the trial the Kings River plummets 45 feet forming Mist Falls. Just before reaching the falls, large flat granite boulders form close to the water and made an ideal place to stop for lunch, admire the view,  and sun ourselves for a bit.

Summertime

One of my favorite parts of getting out of San Francisco in the summer is the chance to actually experience summer. While there are many things I love about the city, I could do without the foggy summer months and hats and scarves on 4th of July. A sky like this fully reminds me of growing up in Michigan, the outdoors, warm summer evenings, surrounded by trees, the smell of campfire. 

Zumwalt Meadow

Day 1: After driving about an hour on the Scenic Byway into the park and passing below 8,000 foot granite walls, our road dead ended at "Road's End". Kings Canyon is the deepest in North America, even more so than the Grand Canyon. We camped only a few miles from Road's End, which was a beautiful and isolated campsite, and started our exploring on the Zumwalt Meadow trail. The 1.5 mile loop offered views of 8,518 foot Grand Sentinel and 8,717 foot North Dome, the trail bordered by clear river pools and vibrant ferns. We had the meadow to ourselves.

Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Park

Finally - a trip out of the city provided a much needed break and amazing surroundings. Located in the Southern Sierra Nevada - about 5 hours southeast of San Francisco - Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Forest have an amazing variety of mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and dense forests, with elevations ranging from 1300 to almost 15,000 feet. 

John Muir once said this valley was grander than Yosemite.... which seems about right to me. The most surprising and plesant part of this trip was the lack of people in the park: Our campsite was half empty, easy to find an isolated area. Not a soul was seen during our hike to the top of a mountain. Bears roamed the hiking trails freely. No masses, tour buses, tourists. It was amazing.