Sportsmobile: Northern California Coast/Redwoods Trip...

TWOLOST

My wife and I just recently returned from a twelve day trip down to northern California - from Washington State. The trip was part business (to get some service work done on our camper van) and part vacation. Below are some pics from the vacation part of our trip. If you are interested in viewing a more complete trip report, I posted the full trip report on a forum dedicated specifically to our type of van... here


Skipping the business part of the trip and starting out at Lost Lake Park, some 30 miles north of Fresno, CA...



In one of the more interesting things that happened today, I witnessed a heron stalking some fish right outside of our campsite (approx 100 yards away). This was an incredible experience. The heron would find a potential fishing spot and then stand perfectly still waiting for something to travel by. Like a bolt of lightning, the heron would strike with amazing speed and with precision accuracy. Below is a sequence of pictures I captured while this guy was fishing. During the strike on the below fish, I could hear the impact of the heron’s beak hit the fish like someone whacking a pumpkin with a 2x4. It was really vicious. The heron would spear the fish (impaling the fish over the heron’s beak), scrape the fish off of the beak, coil back and strike again (five more times). Then it was down the hatch.


Stalking Prey:



Attack



Gulp:









For the sequence above, I was shooting with a Canon EOS 1d MkII with a 400mm F2.8 L lens and a 2 x extender. The sun was falling fast and light (or lack of light) was soon to be an issue.

TWOLOST

After our camper van was serviced, we drove west out to the Pacific Coast and then headed north up Hwy 1. Here are some select shots along the coast as we drove north:

Along Hwy 1



Random surf turf (actually, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Waddell Beach):



California Turkey Vulture:



View from Muir Beach Overlook (Seascape Drive):



Trees that lined part of our route:



Chasing the sun into the horizon (near Westport, CA):

TWOLOST

This image is from the RV Park (Westport Beach RV and Camping) that we stayed at overnight:




Continuing futher north that morning... we opted to drive along some of the more primitive parts of the California coastline (Usal Road, Usal Beach).

Usal Beach:



Usal Road:





Among tall trees (California Redwoods):



More primitive coastal roads (Briceland Road, Needle Rock Road):



Seals at Shelter Cove:

TWOLOST

We found another (relatively) remote camping spot right on the beach at Gold Bluffs Beach State Park:









Wind started to kick up the surf:

TWOLOST

All in all it was a great trip and the weather cooperated very nicely (with no rain). The temps ranged from 35 degrees (F) to 50 degrees (F) and we only had one day where winds were sustained at or above 35 mph. As this was still considered early in the season and as we tried to stay off of the main routes, we encountered very few other people on this trip.


For reference, here is a link to a map of the King Range National Conservation Area (aka The Lost Coast) which we were fortunate enough to spend a couple of days:

King Range Map (658KB)

Art Scott

What a great journey......Keep'em comin'!!thumbthumbthumbthumbbow

Ed911

Art Scott wrote:

What a great journey......Keep'em comin'!!thumbthumbthumbthumbbow

Ditto...very nice photography. Thanks for sharing.

ian408

The lost coast is a special place. The rugged coast and remoteness make it a place few people visit--which is cool considering how close it is to major metropolitan areas.

Cygnus Studios

Fantastic series. You captured a lot of great stops that make northern Ca. what it is.

btw, that is a Turkey Vulture, not a Condor. Almost as ugly though

TWOLOST

Thanks everyone for the comments. I definitely have a new appreciation for NOR-CAL and the many amazing natural jewels that can be found there.

Also, thanks for identifying and correcting me with regard to the vulture picture (much appreciated).

anonymouscuban

Very cool shots. Who was driving the van... B.A. Barackus or Murdock?

Tango

sweet ride! sweet photog!....just a big wow altogether!

first time i seen a sportmobile was over in Toroweap Grand Canyon area and i thought it was the coolest thing ever...if you ever need a place to store that baby just let me know...hahaha

Every Miles A Memory

Awesome Post and Great Photography!

In that shot where the van is pulled over along the edge of the road, we camped in that exact spot last spring:D Light was failing and we were listening to the waves crash and the seals bark in the water and both said "Ahh screw it, lets just sleep here for the night!"



The sequence of the bird and the fish is great. At first I thought the bir was never going to get the fish in his mouth, but then you see him looking like it's stuck in his throat

grimace

Another great looking series of photos Bruce!!

a110p0

Great Journeys thread!

The Sportsmobile looks like the ideal rolling photo studio.

Alvin

dadwtwins

Great read and series of shots. Thanks for the share

bskaran

Great shots. I particularly like the beach shots.

TWOLOST

Thanks all.

Regarding our Sportsmobile camper van... it does make a pretty decent photo home-base. It is relatively small, has solar panels on the roof plus an inverter so that we can charge all of our batteries, run the fridge and microwave, etc... (without the need to turn the van on or be restricted to campgrounds that offer electrical hookups). This van allows us to stay out longer than tent camping on our motorcycle and we can now travel during more inclement times of the year too. That said, I still use the m/c for various solo camping adventures.


Here is our motorcycle, packed for two:





Here is my brother learning first hand about soil stability and influences of a rising water table on an incomming tide (i.e. sinking kickstand). Note, it took three people to lift the fully loaded bike:




The van is a little more comforting when it starts to snow as well:

ian408

Nice 1150

Great combo too. I don't know if you're following Ara (BeemerChef) & Spirit but they're doing something similar.

Every Miles A Memory

Bruce, I think I like your BMer's more than your Sportsmobile, and that;s a hard decision.

In the first picture, how does you wife fit into those green bags? Is she some sort of controtionist?:D

TWOLOST

Hey Ian, yep... I am aware of BeemerChef's journey and I check into his latest thread on ADVRider once in a while.

As for how my wife fits up and between all of our luggage on the bike... well, somehow she makes it work. What amazes me is that the harmonics of the bike going down the road tend to put her to sleep.



I can tell when she dozes off because her helmet continually crashes into the back of mine on deceleration. On stretches of really twisty roads, it becomes somewhat comical as she will slump over like a sack of rice while in the middle of a corner and then I will use just the right amount of throttle to pick her up again as we exit the corner - never waking her up. Good times. With all of that stuff surrounding her, at least I dont have to worry about her falling off on her own.

Every Miles A Memory

Hey Bruce, I knew how she sat up there, I was more or less joking because in the shot you posted, all you could see was her head sticking out of the green bag

My wife tends to fall asleep on the back of our bike too, but we just have a little dual sport DRZ and there is nothing to hold her up there.

I have to give her a quick jab with the elbow when ever I feel her nodding off. I'm afraid one of these times she's going to fall right off the bike

ed_h

The 1150 looks great, and i thought we were packed:D The pictures of the coast on shot 4 is very nice.
ed