A Weekend in Benbow

Ray and I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in August up in Northern California at the historic Benbow Inn, which will soon turn one hundred years old! For anyone who’s travelled the 101, three hours north of San Francisco, she stands right off the highway in glorious splendor. The Eel River meanders over and under the 101 like a shimmering snake. We were able to visit some of the local towns and do a few hikes through the majestic redwoods. Hopefully you’ll enjoy some pictures of our weekend get away.

Up north of Santa Cruz

One of our favorite places to stay is up north of Santa Cruz. It is a campground called Costenoa, located between Davenport and Pescadero. We spent a week up there in early July. The temperature didn’t get higher than 65 degrees which for us, especially my wife, was blissful. Since it was located right off the Highway 1, the views were spectacular. We went to Pigeon Point and saw the lighthouse. We also went to Ano Nuevo and saw Elephant Seals, surfers, and maybe a Great White shark. Can you see it in one of the pictures? We also went to Big Basin to see the Redwoods. We didn’t know that there had been a big fire there a few years back, but the Redwoods, those tall giants, were amazing and mostly survived the fire. There was much to see and so many hikes. The ocean, contrasted with the darker clouds is the perfect opportunity to experiment with my camera. I hope you enjoy!

Click on a picture for a larger view.

Northern California Adventure

Ray and I went to Northern California for around three weeks in May. We enjoy the weather and we have an absolute love of the Redwoods. I was able to take some pictures of the redwoods, northern beach, and a trestle. Hopefully you will enjoy them. Feel free to leave a comment. These pictures were taken with the Fuji GFX. I’m trying something new this time, so maybe the pictures will be more accessible.

A Day trip to Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Corona Del Mar

It is a wonderful way to start our little adventure! Ray and I had breakfast at the Urth Cafe, though I can say I previously enjoyed Greeter’s Cafe. After breakfast, we walked down to Main Street Beach and discovered the California Coastal Trail and Heisler Park; all along the trail and at the parks are incredible views of the ocean and beaches. You could walk the coastal trail, but we drove to Crescent Bay Point Park for more amazing view of the Pacific and her beaches. Then we headed off for the Newport and Balboa Piers which are both beautiful with great views.  We did see Arches at Corona Tide Pools as well as Inspiration Point. We went to the Wedge. It’s well known as a body boarder heaven, but it appears as though skim boarders have learned to make use of the wave pattern. Across from the Wedge you can see Pirate’s Cove. I believe Gilligan’s Island used that spot a few times. There are many amazing sights to see. Some that we missed included: El Moro Trail, Crystal Cove, Shake Shake. Balboa Island, and the Back Bay,

Camping in Pescadero

Ray and I took a wonderful vacation to Costenoa RV Resort, a beautiful place located near the town of Pescadero. There are many hikes to enjoy. The campground is near the ocean. There are several small towns nearby to discover. The campground is just a little north of Santa Cruz. I hope you enjoy the pictures from our stay. Please feel free to leave comments. Pictures 8, 9, and 10 were taken by Mark Sandhoff. All pictures were taken with a Fujifilm GFX 100 SII.

Camping in March

Ray and I had a wonderful little vacation in March. This vacation also gave me the opportunity to try out my GFX lens. We went to Paso Robles and visited a couple of amazing places. We went to Willow Creek Distillery, which is also a winery, sampled some whiskies, and eventually came home with a bottle. We also went to another fantastic winery named Sculpterra Winery. The place had so many amazing sculptures and great wines. We were in Petaluma a few days and were able to visit several of our regular places and take a nice little hike. Last we went to Buellton which also has many fine wineries, but we ended up going to Figuroa Brewery and played a little trivia. A great little get away.. Swipe on picture

January 31

Ray and I had a wonderful anniversary trip. I wanted to focus on some ocean pictures. These ae all pictures from Northern California. I so enjoy pictures of the ocean, especially waves hitting rocks. I find the northern coast line to be exhilarating. Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Dana Point - Laguna Beach Trip January 2025

Ray and I had a great trip to Dana Point and South Laguna Beach. Doheny State Beach is an amazing place. It has a beautiful beach, a wonderful visitors center with a small aquarium, and is very kid friendly. It also has a cool looking cafe. We went by the Dana Point Pier with its restaurants and shops, all overlooking the grand Pacific Ocean. The Dana Point Bluff Top Trail and lookout are a fun and easy hike with similar views. The Lantern District is a shopping area in Dana Point.  In Laguna we went to the beautiful Salt Creek Beach, but beware of the long downhill walk which is not so bad, until you have to start back up, although for $2.00 each you can take the shuttle. It is a beautiful beach with a great play space and a nice restaurant. Aliso Beach is also a beautiful beach. It had been a long time since I went to so many beaches in South county. After Aliso, I went to Victoria beach and Pirate Tower. The beach is easy to get to and quite beautiful, but the Tower is a difficult walk. It is, however, a very interesting structure. Lastly we went to Alta Laguna Park  with an amazing view of the Aliso and Wood Canyon Wilderness Park and the ocean. If you take this little day trip, give yourself anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. There are some amazing places we did not see such as: Laguna Canyon Winery, Crystal Cove Shake Shack, Laguna Beer stand (might be inside the Sawdust Festival), Dawson Cole Fine Art, Laguna Art Museum and Sawdust Art Festival.

Solvang in December

Every year we take a trip to Solvang during Christmas time. It is a wonderful little slice of Christmas, set in a Danish town, and only a couple of hours away. I’m now shooting with a Fujifilm 100S II, a megapixel monster. These pictures are all night shots without flash. I thought this would be an awesome place to try out the camera’s nighttime capabilities.

Yucaipa in November

Ray and I just spent a week in Yucaipa. It is a beautiful place. It is very warm in summer. Yucaipa has seasons and it is beautiful in Fall. The colors of the trees are incredible. Our oldest daughter just bought a house out this way. So with my new Fujifilm 100S II I thought I would take some pictures We were staying at the Regional Park. It is an amazing campground. These are some pictures I took during a walk around. The pictures you see are after using Abode Light Room.