California State Parks – Circadianreflections Blog

Wild Wednesday 41/52 The Big Dipper and Bodie Chapel

October 10, 2018October 10, 2018Posted in After Dark Imaging, California State Parks, National Historic Landmarks, Photography, Wild WednesdayTagged After Dark Imaging, Arrested Decay, Bodie State Park, Chapel, Constellations, Ghost Towns, Nikon, Photography, Stars, Wild Wednesday41 Comments

The Big Dipper over the Chapel in Bodie State Park

I made this image back in August when several friends and I went over to the Eastern Sierras for a long week-end. Bodie State Park stays open at night several times throughout the summer so folks can enjoy the old Ghost Town at night.

Someone had put a light in the doorway to the Chapel and lots of photographers fanned out to photograph this iconic building in Bodie myself included, but seeing The Big Dipper above the Chapel is what caught my eye. The clouds were moving in fast so I acted fast hoping to get the whole constellation in my photograph.

The red light cast you see is a light spill from someone’s red headlamp behind me. They forgot to shut it off. This is the only shot of the Constellation I got over the chapel due to the cloud cover.

For the History Buffs:

Bodie was a mining town in the 1800’s. It was booming for several years after Gold was discovered there. What started with 20 people grew to 10,000 in just over 20 years!

It’s said there were once 65 saloons in Bodie. The town teamed with families, miners, farmers, robbers, prostitutes, and of course gaming halls, and opium dens.

In 1898 the mill burned down, and in June of 1932, the second of two major fires destroyed more of the town leaving what we see today.

There are more than 100 buildings in a state of “arrested decay” one can see while in Bodie. Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods.

In 1962 Bodie became a Register National Historic Landmark, and a State Historic Park.

For a timeline of Bodie’s History and more click the link below.

~https://www.bodie.com/

Nikon D810| Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G| Hoodman STEEL Digital Film| PS CC 2018

more to come…

Wordless Wed. 32/52 Alpine Glow over Amador County

August 9, 2017August 9, 2017Posted in California, California State Parks, Landscape Photography, Nikon, Photography, Wordless WednesdayTagged Alpine Glow, Amador County, Clouds, Gold Country, lone trees, Manzanita, Nikon, Photography, Sierra Nevada, Sunset, The Heart of the Mother Lode, Wordless Wednesday27 Comments

Wordless Wednesday 32/52 Amador County

Nikon Df| Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G| SanDisk Digital Film| PS CC 2017

more to come…

Pioneer Cabin Tunnel Tree

January 10, 2017January 10, 2017Posted in California State Parks, Photography, TreesTagged Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Documentary, History, Nikon, Photography, Pioneer Cabin Tunnel Tree, Redwood Trees, Self Portrait, Selfie, Sequoia Trees, Toppled tree, Trees43 Comments

I woke up yesterday morning Jan.9, 2017 to read that the Pioneer Cabin Tunnel Tree in Calaveras Big Trees State Park in Northern California had fallen over on Sunday Jan.8, 2017. What a sad event to the Jan.2017 storm.

I first visited that tree as and others like it when I was a girl with my family, and later when all grown up, married with children of my own I took my children there to see the wonderful Big Trees.

They are Sequoias and Redwoods.

The Pioneer Cabin Tunnel Tree is was over 1,000 years old and still living before it toppled on Sunday. 137 years ago before the land was a state park the owners cut a tunnel out of the tree. I suppose a cabin fit in there at one time or could have hence the name. Once long ago visitors could drive through it. Today it’s a hiking/walking trail only. It was located on the North Grove trail in the park; an easy, flat hike of about 1.5 mile loop.

I was there last in June 2011 to photograph the Dogwoods in bloom (see that post here)

When I got to the Pioneer Cabin Tunnel Tree I made a self portrait in the tree tunnel. A rare thing, but today I’m so glad I did b/c I can’t recall making an image of my kids in the tunnel tree. My photos and albums are boxed up in the garage somewhere. I still haven’t unpacked everything from the remodel, and the photos my Mom had of us kids in it are long gone. Lost in all the moves, or the divorce? Sadly, no one can find them.

Deborah at the Pioneer Cabin Tree

Giant Sequoias and Redwoods have a shallow root system and are so tall they are susceptible to strong winds is what I read.

A sad day. This tree will be missed.

To see the felled tree and read one newspapers account of it click here.

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 17-35mm @17mm| SanDisk Digital Film| PS CC 2017

More to come…

Thursday Doors 16/52 Guest Rooms: Hearst Castle

April 21, 2016April 21, 2016Posted in California State Parks, Doors, Hearst Castle, Photography, Thursday Doors, Travel and TourismTagged California State Parks, door, Hearst Castle, Nikon, Photography, Thursday Doors, Travel and Tourism, Wood Doors28 Comments

In W.R. Hearst’s heyday of the 20’s and 30’s he would invite many of Hollywood elite to “come to the Ranch and ride with me.” Some of the famous who stayed there are:

Winston Churchill, Howard Hughes, Charlie Chaplin, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Mary Pickford, David Niven, and Jean Harlow but, many more influential and famous people stayed there as well.

Hearst had rules that must be followed or you’d be asked to leave. Our guide said if you were asked to leave you weren’t invited back!

The Rules: “No drunkenness, no bad language or off-color jokes and, above all, no sexual intercourse between unmarried couples.”

Unmarried couples had to stay in a room with two beds. Each room had a bathroom.

On our tour of the upper floors we saw several of these lavish guest rooms.

Guest Rm II Door

Guest Room Door-Hearst Castle_Photography

Guest Room door detail

Hearst Castle Guest Room Door detail-Photography

Guest Room II- A dinner suit laid out for a guest on the bed as it would have been in the 20’s and 30’s. Hearst did serve beer, and wine our guide told us, but it wasn’t allowed in the guest rooms, and neither was food.

Hearst Castle Guest Room_Photography

Guest Room Door III

Hearst Castle-Guest Room Door

Guest Room III- these rooms were off a narrow hallway on the north side of the Castle. We climbed a very narrow circular staircase to reach them. The windows of the guest rooms faced East. The artwork, and lamps, and furnishings were gorgeous.

Hearst Castle Guest Room

The separate sleeping beds for unmarried couples was a bit hypocritical of Hearst considering he lived in the Castle with his long time Mistress Hollywood actress, and ex-showgirl Marion Davies.

This door was in the North Bell Tower .

Door in Heart Castle's Bell Tower

Nikon Df| Nikkor 24-70mm| Delkin Digital Film| PS CC 2015| Hand-held

This post is part of Norm 2.0’s Thursday Doors. If you love doors and would like to see the doors others are posting, or post doors you’ve photographed and join other door lovers from around the world click here.

At the end of Norm’s latest Thursday Door post is a little Blue Link-up/View button click it to be taken to a page with all the links, or add your own.

More to come…

Thursday Doors 15/52 Hearst Castle Pt II

April 14, 2016April 13, 2016Posted in Architecture, California State Parks, Doors, Hearst Castle, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Architecture, California State Parks, Casa del Monte, Flowers, Fuschia, Gardens, Hearst Castle, Photography, Thursday Doors, tile, windwos33 Comments

For this week’s Thursday Doors I am continuing on with my recent trip to Hearst Castle, and sharing some exterior doors.

Outer door

Hearst Castle Exterior Door-Photography

Outer Door II- This door was quite plain compared to everything else there. Hearst Castle Exterior Door-Photography

Hearst Castle’s Front Door.

Hearst Castle Front Door-Photography

There are 3 Guest cottages on the property. Hearst lived in one of them while the Castle was being built. This is a back door to Casa del Monte; the view from those windows faces north.

That’s Hearst Castle with the Bell Towers on the left. The inspiration for the Bell Towers was the tower of the Church of Santa Maria la Mayor in Ronda, Spain.

Casa del Monte-Hearst Castle Guest Cottage

There were many flowers and shrubs in bloom while I was there. I really wish I had taken my Lensbaby with me!

and one last view today from the south side of the Castle with two balcony doors.

At the end of Norm’s latest Thursday Door post is a little Blue Link-up/View button click it to be taken to a page with all the links, or add your own.

Nikon Df| Nikkor 24-70mm| Delkin Digital Film| Hand-held| PS CC 2015

More to come…

Thursday Doors 14/52 Hearst Castle Guest Room

April 7, 2016April 6, 2016Posted in Architecture, California State Parks, Hearst Castle, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Architecture, Art, California State Parks, Hearst Castle, History, Interior Photography, Photography, San Simeon California30 Comments

At the end of March while down in Morro Bay, CA. He-Man and I visited Hearst Castle. It had been over 30 yrs since our last visit. The tours and visitors center have changed since our first visit.

We saw a bit of everything back then, but this time that wasn’t an option so, we chose to the Upstairs Guest Rooms, Hearst’s Bedroom, and Marion Davies Bedroom.

I’ll be sharing more doors and rooms in future posts, but here’s a Guest room door.

It was one of the most decorative and opulent doors I saw while on the tour.

Hearst Castle Guest Bedroom Door

The entire bedroom was gorgeous; trimmed with gold leaf, and works of art on the walls, and decorating the furniture.

Guest Bedroom Hearst Castle

Mantle in Guest Bedroom Hearst Castle

A view of the castle while riding up the hill to the castle in the transport bus.

Hearst Castle from the Visitors Center

More about Hearst Castle from Wiki-Pedia

Hearst Castle is a National and California Historical Landmark mansion located on the Central Coast of California, United States. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947^[3] for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951. The California Park Commission voted to approve its inclusion in the California State Park System, which was approved by the California State Legislature in 1954 with a proposed admission charge of $1 per person ($9 adjusted for inflation) and a 50¢ bus ride.^[4] However, ironing out the details with the Trustees of the Hearst Estate and the Hearst Corporation took several years. Agreement was finalized in 1957, and it opened in 1958.^[5] Since that time it has been maintained within the Hearst San Simeon State Park where the estate, and its considerable collection of art and antiques, is open for public tours. Despite its location far from any urban center, the site attracts “millions of travelers each year”.^[6]

At the end of Norm’s latest Thursday Door post is a little Blue Link-up/View button click it to be taken to a page with all the links, or add your own.

Nikon Df| Nikkor 24-70mm| Delkin Digital Film| Hand-held| PS CC 2015

More to come…

P52: 21/52- Teasle

May 24, 2015May 26, 2015Posted in California State Parks, Clear Lake State Park, Close Up Photography, Flowers, TeaselTagged California State Parks, Clear Lake State Park, Close up Photography, Dried Flowers, End of Spring, Spring, State Parks of California, Wildflowers4 Comments

I’m a bit late posting my Project 52 image for this week, but I spent the week-end in Lakeport, CA with good friends. This is an image I made while birding at Clear Lake State Park. I can’t resist Teasel, thistles, and Flowers! 🙂

I can’t wait to show you the Clark’s Grebes doing the Courtship Dance that I observed there!

Nikon D300s| AF-S Nikkor 300mm + Tamron 1.4x TC| Hoodman STEEL Ultra High Speed Digital Film| CS6

More to come…

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