Fall Tree Tunnel - Fremont, CA

San Francisco Bay Area isn't usually on the list of places to see the fall change of colors. But if you slow down and look around, you can spot some awesome fall colors. I was running errands, taking the inner roads to avoid traffic in Fremont, a city in south east part of the bay area, when I noticed a long row of trees with pops of reds, yellows, oranges on my drive. With the chill in the air and and holidays around the corner, the colors seem more vibrant, really bringing the spirit of fall to Fremont.

I didn't have to look far to find this picturesque tunnel. Who knew I could find a fall tree tunnel right in my backyard. I encourage you to slow down, take in the crisp air, and look around, and fall in love with the season.

The High One - Denali National Park, Alaska

They say it creates its own weather patterns, locals call it Denali but the official name is Mount McKinley. It is the highest mountain in North America reaching the elevation of 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level. On clear days, which are few and far in-between, you can see it from as far away as Anchorage which is approximately 150 miles.

For the most part the peak is obscured by the clouds and is visible only for a few days out of the month. We were lucky to have mostly clear weather with a clear view of the Denali Summit throughout most of our stay around the Denali National Park. Here is one of the "classic" pictures of Mount McKinley taken from Stony Hill Overlook on June 22, 2013.

Remember - Point Loma, San Diego, CA

It is a day to remember all those who have served our country to protect the freedoms we hold dear and thank those who continue to do so, so we can do what we love everyday.

This picture was taken at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery close to Point Loma Naval Base in San Diego, CA.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Shadows and Light - Point Arena, CA

As we were driving back from Point Arena Lighthouse, we saw this beautiful landscape mostly under the shade of thick clouds with sun light peeking through in some areas resulting in awesome shadows. I think the clouds, the haze and the blue sky add even more character to this picture.

Living on a Cliff - Fort Bragg, CA

This long exposure picture was taken at a beach just north of MacKerricher State Park, Fort Bragg, CA. The thing that stands out to me in this particular composition is that house on the edge of the cliff with nothing but the ocean as far as the eye can see. The waves flowing back into the ocean in the foreground also add a nice visual touch.

Tufa Sunset - Mono Lake, CA

Mono Lake is a large, shallow saline soda lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in a basin that has no outlet to the ocean. The lack of an outlet causes high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake. (wikipedia)

This picture of the suset was taken last year in October from the shores of Mono Lake. In the foreground, you see the Tufa's that were formed by interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water.

Tree Tunnel - Highway 1, CA

This is from our last trip up north on Highway 1 in February 2013. I had seen pictures of this tree tunnel online but couldn't find any information on the exact location. So as we drove up, I was on the constant lookout for this tunnel. We came across few different tree tunnels but this was the best of them all. It is located just north of MacKerricher State Park, Fort Bragg.

Vancouver Downtown - Vancouver, BC

Here is another picture taken during a recent trip to Seattle / Vancouver for a friend's wedding. This is a night shot of Vancouver downtown with TELUS World of Science in the foreground to the right, BC Place stadium in the middle and some canoes docked on the left.

Vancouver Downtown, Vancouver, BC -- by Harpreet Grewal

Civilization & Nature - Seattle, WA

Here is another photograph of the Seattle area landscape. It was taken from the Space Needle observation deck looking east. In the foreground you can see Capitol Hill district which is the most densely populated residential district in Seattle. The tall buildings at distance is the city of Bellevue with the Cascade mountain range in the backdrop.

Civilization and Nature, Seattle, WA -- by Harpreet Grewal

Pigeon Point Sunset - Pescadero, CA

This lighthouse is located approximately 50 miles south of San Francisco and is visible from highway 1.

Pigeon Point Sunset, Pescadero, CA -- by Harpreet Grewal

Sunset at Glass Beach - Fort Bragg, CA

Glass Beach is a beach in MacKerricher State Park near Fort Bragg, California that is abundant in sea glass created from years of dumping garbage into an area of coastline near the northern part of the town. (wikipedia)

We climbed down the cliff to the glass beach and over the rock formations to get to this spot, which was about 100 feet from the beach. My cover photo, taken by my wife, gives you behind the scenes look at me setting up to take this shot.

Sunset at Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, CA -- By Harpreet Grewal

Space Needle & Mt. Rainier - Seattle, WA

Perspective and composition are the 2 most important aspects of a photograph, this is particularly true for this picture of Seattle downtown with Mt. Rainier in the backdrop. For comparison, Space Needle stands about 604 feet tall and Mt. Rainier is 14409 feet high and is about 60-70 miles from Seattle by air. This picture was taken from Kerry park which is a small park north of Seattle downtown and is a famous tourist spot because of the view.

Space Needle and Mt. Rainier, Seattle, WA -- by Harpreet Grewal

Seattle at Dusk - Seattle, WA

Here is a picture of Seattle downtown taken at dusk from the Space Needle observation deck.

Seattle at Dusk, Seattle, WA -- by Harpreet Grewal

Space Needle - Seattle, WA

Here is a closeup of the Space Needle under cloudy skies.

Space Needle, Seattle, WA -- by Harpreet Grewal

Cloudy Sunset - Seattle, WA

Seattle's landscape is pretty unique where you can see from sea level to snow covered mountain peaks, and everything in between, from the same spot. This picture was taken on a cloudy day during sunset looking west from Space Needle.

Cloudy Sunset, Seattle, WA -- by Harpreet Grewal

Golden Sunrise - Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

This is one picture that does not need any introduction or explanation. Enjoy the photo and feel free to hit the share button to share it with your friends and family.

Circular Blur - Oakland Fair, Oakland, CA

Here is a long exposure picture of the Oakland fair taken from Oakport St. This fair is setup next to highway 880 across Oakland Coliseum.

Circular Blur, Oakland Fair, Oakland, CA -- by Harpreet Grewal

Hazy Lights - HWY 1, Pescadero, CA

At first we drove past those lights on Highway 1 while coming back from Pigeon Point Lighthouse. As we got close to the lights we noticed the haze being created by the lights falling on the fog and it looked beautiful. So we stopped and turned around to find a safe spot to pull over so we could take some pictures. In this picture you can see the rear lights of the car as it drove past me and past the street lights.

Hazy Lights, Highway 1, Pescadero, CA -- by Harpreet Grewal

Mustard Sunset - Fremont, CA

Sometimes Mother Nature surprises you in your own backyard! These mustard fields are only a quarter mile from my house and I pass by them every day to work and every time I pass by, I think about coming back in the evening to capture the sunset. After all these years it finally came to be, better late then never!

Mustard Sunset, Fremont, CA -- by Harpreet Grewal

Dormant Vines - Ridge Vineyards, Healdsburg, CA

Sonoma county is known for a lot of good wines and is sub divided into various regions like Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley. Each year, wineroad.com puts together a Barrel Tasting event where you can taste the future wines straight from the barrel with over hundred wineries participating in this event.

We attended this event the first weekend of March 2013 and stopped by Ridge Vineyards in Healdsburg amongst others. They have beautiful grounds and this picture was taken directly outside their main tasting room looking over the dormant vines with beautiful rolling hills in the backdrop.

Dormant Vines, Ridge Vineyards, Healdsburg, CA -- by Harpreet Grewal

Stuck in Nature - Paradise Ridge Winery, Santa Rosa, CA

One of the various sculptures in Marijke's Grove at Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa, CA. The sculpture exhibit is nestled in a four-acre grove of ancient gnarled oaks.

Stuck in Nature, Paradise Ridge Winery, Santa Rosa, CA - By Harpreet Grewal

Beached Boat - Inverness, CA

Inverness is a small community in Marin County located on the southwest shore of Tomales Bay. As such, there is not a whole lot to see here other than a old beached fishing boat. Most people pass through this small town on their way to Point Reyes lighthouse, never stopping to take a closer look at this boat as there are no signs on the road. I also missed this last time I went to Point Reyes lighthouse couple years back. So this time when we made plans to drive up north of San Francisco on Highway 1, I made sure to locate this on Google maps. The boat is located directly behind the grocery store and there is a nice picnic area and a small trail that runs along the shore and out to the south side of a small creek which leads you to this boat. Searching for "Point Reyes Shipwrecks" on Google maps will give you the exact location.

While doing some research, I came across couple different stories about the boat. One of them is from Sandra Rocca Racine who says that this boat belonged to her father Merrel S. Rocca Sr. who built it in 1951. He was a commercial fisherman and use to fish in this boat. Another is from a Inverness local who said the boat is owned by Andrew Romanoff, the grand nephew of Nicolas II, the last Tsar of Russia, interesting indeed. You can read the rest of this story athttp://austingranger.com/elegy/text/chapter2

Anyhow, hope I didn't bore you with the small tidbit. Enjoy the photo and feel free to hit the share button to share it with your friends and family.

Armed With Light - Point Arena, CA

Apparently, Point Arena lighthouse is situated on the closest point of land to the Hawaiian Islands in the Continental United States. Though we didn't see any hula shows or have mai tai's ;), it definitely was a breathtaking view.

After driving north on PCH on a bright and clear California day, it got very cloudy by the time we arrived at Point Arena in the late afternoon. As I was scouting the area to set up the shot, I noticed the sun peaking through the clouds and "lighting the lighthouse" momentarily. Once I found a good spot, I set the camera on the tripod and had it ready to go. Now it was a matter of time before I was able to capture this beauty.

Armed With Light - Point Arena, CA -- By Harpreet Grewal

Green Hill - Valley Ford, CA

When travelling on Highway 1 along California Pacific Coast you are presented with an unlimited number of opportunities to photograph all different types of landscapes ranging from cliffs gutting out of the ocean to rolling hills.

Here is a picture of a hill in Valley Ford, CA. This was one of the few random places I stopped to take a picture after I saw a decent composition while driving.

Green Hill, Valley Ford, CA -- By Harpreet Grewal

Last Bridge Standing - Santa Cruz, CA

This is last of the three original arches still standing off of the coast of Santa Cruz, CA. The other two arches, that were connected to either side of this, fell in the 20th century due to storms and strong waves from the pacific. This picture was taken at sunset as the rays lit up the arch.

Rising Redwoods - Yosemite National Park, CA

This was taken in Yosemite National Park off of highway 120 before Tioga Pass back in October 2012. We pulled off the road and walked few hundred feet through the Redwoods to find a decent cluster of trees close to each other to setup this shot.

Sunrise Lake - Mono Lake, CA

Here is a picture from our Mono Lake trip few months back. In order to capture the sunrise, we got up in the wee hours of the morning and drove to South Tufa area on the southern end of Mono Lake. It was a short drive from where we were staying in Lee Vining, California. Though we had to sacrifice some sleep but it was well worth it in the end. :)

Milky Way - Mono Lake, CA

Here is a shot of our beloved galaxy, the Milky Way, taken near Mono Lake back in October 2012.

Rusty Classic - Bodie, CA

The ghost town of Bodie is located in the eastern Sierra's at an elevation of 8379 feet. The town was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and it has many abandoned artifacts, such as this 1937 Chevrolet coupe.

Fire in the sky - San Diego, CA

Here is a shot taken from Harbor Dr., next to Maritime Museum of San Diego looking across the north end of Coronado Island and over the Point Loma Hills.

This was taken back in December 2012. It was a perfect mix of clouds and the setting sun that turned everything bright orange and created this illusion of fire in the sky!

Golden Hour - Golden Gate Bridge, CA

Continuing with another picture of the Golden Gate bridge, here is a panoramic shot of the bridge during sunset. This was the real 'Golden Hour' ;-) as the sun lit up the Golden Gate bridge with the beautiful city of San Francisco in the backdrop.

Willie McCovey - ATT Park, San Francisco, CA

This picture of Willie McCovey status with San Francisco Bay Bridge in the background was taken during game 1 of the 2010 World Series between the Giants and Rangers which the Giants ended up winning in 5 games.