San Diego Mountain Parks

Milky Way, Perseid Meteor, and Jeffrey Pines.

A medium brightness perseid meteor streaks through the Milky Way some Jeffrey pines in the Cleveland National Forest in Mount Laguna. I shot this last night (August 15, 2020) at 10:18 PM with a Canon EOS R and Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art lens at 12 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200. This is a single frame from a timelapse video I'll be posting in the near future. Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres (720 sq mi (1,900 km2)), mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the forest. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service, a government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture. It is divided into the Descanso, Palomar and Trabuco Ranger Districts and is located in the counties of San Diego, Riverside, and Orange. Cleveland National Forest was created on July 1, 1908 with the consolidation of Trabuco Canyon National Reserve and San Jacinto National Reserve by President Theodore Roosevelt and named after former president Grover Cleveland. It is headquartered in San Diego. The Cleveland National Forest was the site of both of the largest wildfires in California history, the 2003 Cedar Fire, and the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889. Both fires widely consumed many sections of the area, and endangered many animal species as well.

"The Year We Make Contact" 👽

Considering the way 2020 has gone so far, we'll likely get attacked by any aliens we make contact with. FAA radar dome atop Mount Laguna, California. This is a single exposure shot with a Canon EOS R and Sigma 24mm f/1.4 lens at 6 sec f/2.0 ISO 4000. Just got a new (actually gently used) Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art lens for my Canon EOS R camera. This is my first shot with the new lens. Lots of people have been asking "Why didn't you get the 20mm?!" I got the 24mm because I already have a super wide 14mm fisheye and a fairly narrow 50mm lens capable of shooting the Milky Way. I wanted something in the middle and I got it. Tonight I plan on shooting the Milky Way with a windmill in the foreground. Stay tuned.

Twisted Tree.

This tree fell in the forest. Did it make a sound? Fallen tree and the Milky Way galaxy in Mount Laguna. This is a single exposure shot with a Canon EOS R and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens on June 28, 2020. Foreground illuminated by a 59% moon. Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres (720 sq mi (1,900 km2)), mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the forest. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service, a government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture. It is divided into the Descanso, Palomar and Trabuco Ranger Districts and is located in the counties of San Diego, Riverside, and Orange. Cleveland National Forest was created on July 1, 1908 with the consolidation of Trabuco Canyon National Reserve and San Jacinto National Reserve by President Theodore Roosevelt and named after former president Grover Cleveland. It is headquartered in San Diego. The Cleveland National Forest was the site of both of the largest wildfires in California history, the 2003 Cedar Fire, and the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889. Both fires widely consumed many sections of the area, and endangered many animal species as well.

The Road Less Traveled.

Me standing next to a quiet and poorly maintained side road in the Mount Laguna Area of the Cleveland National Forest. Foreground illuminated by a 45% moon out of frame to the right. Shot with a Canon EOS R and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens on June 27, 2020. Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres (720 sq mi (1,900 km2)), mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the forest. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service, a government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture. It is divided into the Descanso, Palomar and Trabuco Ranger Districts and is located in the counties of San Diego, Riverside, and Orange. Cleveland National Forest was created on July 1, 1908 with the consolidation of Trabuco Canyon National Reserve and San Jacinto National Reserve by President Theodore Roosevelt and named after former president Grover Cleveland. It is headquartered in San Diego. The Cleveland National Forest was the site of both of the largest wildfires in California history, the 2003 Cedar Fire, and the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889. Both fires widely consumed many sections of the area, and endangered many animal species as well.

Milky Way Shines Through an Opening in the Pines.

The galaxy core shines brightly through the pine branches on a moonlit night in the Cleveland National Forest on Mount Laguna, California. Foreground nicely illuminated by a 35% moon on June 26, 2020. Shot with a Canon EOS R and Canon 50mm lens.

The Milky Way Over Moonlit Pine Trees in Mount Laguna.

The Milky Way galaxy shines over some living and dead pines in the Cleveland National Forest on Mount Laguna, California. Foreground nicely illuminated by a 50% moon (out of frame to the right) on June 28, 2020. Shot with a Canon EOS R and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens.

Stargaze and Chill

Stargazing at my campsite in the Cleveland National Forest in Mount Laguna, California. A 50% moon provided the illumination of the landscape here. My camper and some Jeffrey pines in the background. At the same time, the moon wasn't so bright as to wash out the Milky Way and starry sky. This is a single exposure shot with a Canon EOS R and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens at 13 sec f/4.5 ISO 5000 on June 27, 2020 at 11:08 PM. This is a great place to remote camp / boondock for free and be away from the usual campground crowds. No campfires or charcoal BBQs are allowed here (go to the established campgrounds if you desire a campfire) and please don't leave any trash behind. This night and the night before provided perfect conditions for photographing the night sky with the landscape illuminated by the moon.

Partly Cloudy Milky Way Over Highpoint Fire Lookout

The white blob to the left is, I believe, Jupiter. Shot atop Palomar Mountain on 6/24/2020 with a Canon EOS R. There were once numerous fire lookout towers like this one, but many of these towers were decommissioned in the 1990's. In recent years this tower and several others have been reopened and staffed. It's since been determined that human eyes are still among the best technology at spotting fires. I remember years ago when I posted some photos of another tower - the one on nearby Boucher Hill - in disrepair. After a couple of HUGE wildfires in San Diego County in 2003 and 2007, people would comment on my photos "They should start using these again!" Well now they are. The first Highpoint lookout tower was constructed on the site in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps for the US Forest Service. That tower was replaced by the current structure in 1964. A 13 x 13 foot CL-30 series steel cab sits atop an all-steel L-1600 series 67-6 tower. High Point Lookout is the tallest tower remaining in the Forest Service inventory in California. The Cleveland National Forest last staffed the tower in 1992. The cab exterior and tower are in excellent condition. The interior was removed due to vandalism in 2005. A security gate has since been installed on the tower. Tower restoration with new glass, cabinets and flooring was completed in 2009. The San Diego-Riverside Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association began staffing the tower with volunteers for fixed-point fire detection in 2009. FFLA-SDRC first achieved a 100% staffing during the 2013 fire season. FFLA-SDRC has achieved that same 100% fire season staffing for every year since with few exceptions due to weather.

Partly Cloudy Milky Way Over Highpoint Fire Lookout.

The Milky Way galaxy core of the Highpoint Fire Lookout tower on Palomar Mountain. Shot on 6/23/2020 with a Canon EOS R. There were once numerous fire lookout towers like this one, but many of these towers were decommissioned in the 1990's. In recent years this tower and several others have been reopened and staffed. It's since been determined that human eyes are still among the best technology at spotting fires. I remember years ago when I posted some photos of another tower - the one on nearby Boucher Hill - in disrepair. After a couple of HUGE wildfires in San Diego County in 2003 and 2007, people would comment on my photos "They should start using these again!" Well now they are. The first Highpoint lookout tower was constructed on the site in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps for the US Forest Service. That tower was replaced by the current structure in 1964. A 13 x 13 foot CL-30 series steel cab sits atop an all-steel L-1600 series 67-6 tower. High Point Lookout is the tallest tower remaining in the Forest Service inventory in California. The Cleveland National Forest last staffed the tower in 1992. The cab exterior and tower are in excellent condition. The interior was removed due to vandalism in 2005. A security gate has since been installed on the tower. Tower restoration with new glass, cabinets and flooring was completed in 2009. The San Diego-Riverside Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association began staffing the tower with volunteers for fixed-point fire detection in 2009. FFLA-SDRC first achieved a 100% staffing during the 2013 fire season. FFLA-SDRC has achieved that same 100% fire season staffing for every year since with few exceptions due to weather.

Milky Way Over Lake Henshaw.

Here's a much wider angle shot taken the same night as the meteor and Milky Way selfie I posted the other day. The railing I was sitting on is to the right. Shot with a Canon EOS R and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. Lake Henshaw is a Reservoir in San Diego County, California at the southeast base of Palomar Mountain, approximately 70 miles (110 km) northeast of San Diego, California and 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Los Angeles. The lake covers approximately 1,140 acres (460 ha) and holds 55,000 acre feet (68,000,000 m3) of water when full (lowered in 1978 from its original capacity of 203,581 acre feet (251,113,000 m3) out of earthquake concerns), in addition to groundwater stored in its local basin. It drains an area of 207 square miles (540 km2) square miles at the source of the San Luis Rey River. The lake was constructed in 1923 with the building of Henshaw Dam, an earth dam 123 feet (37 m) tall and 650 feet (200 m) long. It is owned by the Vista Irrigation District and used primarily for agricultural irrigation.

Stargazing Selfie With a Surprise Meteor.

Last night (June 17, 2020) I headed to the Lake Henshaw scenic overlook to shoot the Milky Way. After shooting a few shots of the night sky, I decided to do a few self-portraits. I set my camera rig up on a trail near the observation platform, grabbed my remote control, and headed onto the platform. I shot a series of self-portraits. During the second shot, a meteor appeared right in front of me! What are the odds!? And to think I was shooting at on 50mm (not my usual ultra-wide 15mm fisheye shots of the night sky). This bright meteor appeared at 11:21:05 PM PDT. Shot with a Canon EOS R and Canon 50mm lens at 6 sec f/2.0 ISO 4000.

Milky Way and Pine Trees.

The Milky Way galaxy core behind a pair of Jeffrey Pines in Mount Laguna. I really like the look of the pine trees up here. I believe these are known as Jeffrey Pines (Pinus jeffreyi). They're named after John Jeffrey, a 19th century Scots botanist who traveled in Oregon and California and who found the tree in the Shasta Valley of California. These trees are related to ponderosa pines, but the barbs of the pinecones are pointed inward. Ponderosa pine cones have outward-facing barbs. The scent of Pinus jeffreyi is variously described as reminiscent of vanilla, lemon, pineapple, violets, apple, and, quite commonly, butterscotch; This scent may be sampled by breaking off a shoot or some needles, or by simply smelling the resin's scent in between the plates of the bark.

Highway to Heaven

Milky Way in a partly-cloudy sky over Sunrise Highway in Mount Laguna on June 15, 2020. I shot this last night with a Canon EOS R mirrorless camera and Canon 50mm "nifty fifty" lens. To produce this panorama, I stitched together 10 individual frames shot at 6 sec f/2.0 ISO 4000.

Milky Way Over a Pier at Lake Cuyamaca.

Shot this last night (June 10, 2020) with a Canon EOS R. This was the calmest I've seen the water in Lake Cuyamaca in a long time. Also, light pollution and airplanes were minimal.

Milky Way Glows Over Wildfires Southeast of Otay Mesa in Mexico.

I shot this last night from a mountain near the USA-Mexico border. Canon EOS R and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. Brush in the foreground is blurry due to heavy winds.

Dead And Alive Trees With Star Trails.

It was a cool (but not too cold) low humidity night in the mountains of San Diego County. Conditions were good for shooting the night sky: other than light pollution from the nearly full moon, the humidity was quite low, the sky was clear, and the wind was mild. This image is about 75 minutes total exposure time of some nice star trails above a couple of trees in Mount Laguna, California. Shot on the night of November 8, 2019 with a Canon 6D and Canon 17-40mm f/4L lens. 279 frames each shot at 15 sec f/4 ISO 2500 17mm and then stacked in StarStaX.

Lake Henshaw Star Trails

Another round of Star Trails over a smooth Lake Henshaw in San Diego County. I shot these after midnight on September 7, 2019. This is about 123 minutes of total exposure time. I shot 123 frames each at 60 sec f/4.0 ISO 2000 and stacked them using StarStaX. Canon 6D and Canon 17-40mm f/4L lens. Lake Henshaw is a Reservoir in San Diego County, California at the southeast base of Palomar Mountain, approximately 70 miles (110 km) northeast of San Diego, California and 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Los Angeles. The lake covers approximately 1,140 acres (460 ha) and holds 55,000 acre feet (68,000,000 m3) of water when full (lowered in 1978 from its original capacity of 203,581 acre feet (251,113,000 m3) out of earthquake concerns), in addition to groundwater stored in its local basin. It drains an area of 207 square miles (540 km2) square miles at the source of the San Luis Rey River. The lake was constructed in 1923 with the building of Henshaw Dam, an earth dam 123 feet (37 m) tall and 650 feet (200 m) long. It is owned by the Vista Irrigation District and used primarily for agricultural irrigation.

Another shot of the Milky Way and Highpoint Lookout

I had known about this tower for some time, but finally got around to visiting it last night. I had tried to go to it a few nights ago, but had bad directions and kept encountering locked gates miles below. A phone call with a very nice and helpful person at Forest Fire Lookout Association San Diego-Riverside Chapter (FFLA-SDRC) helped me find the correct way up here. It's NOT an easy road to drive and requires a high clearance vehicle up about 13 miles of rough road. 4WD is recommended. Many of these towers were decommissioned in the 1990's, but in recent years this tower and several others have been reopened and staffed. It's been determined that human eyes are still among the best technology at spotting fires. I remember years ago when I posted some photos of another tower - the one on nearby Boucher Hill - in disrepair. After a couple of HUGE wildfires in San Diego County in 2003 and 2007, people would comment on my photos "They should start using these again!" Well now they are. The first Highpoint lookout tower was constructed on the site in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps for the US Forest Service. That tower was replaced by the current structure in 1964. A 13 x 13 foot CL-30 series steel cab sits atop an all-steel L-1600 series 67-6 tower. High Point Lookout is the tallest tower remaining in the Forest Service inventory in California. The Cleveland National Forest last staffed the tower in 1992. The cab exterior and tower are in excellent condition. The interior was removed due to vandalism in 2005. A security gate has since been installed on the tower. Tower restoration with new glass, cabinets and flooring was completed in 2009. The San Diego-Riverside Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association began staffing the tower with volunteers for fixed-point fire detection in 2009. FFLA-SDRC first achieved a 100% staffing during the 2013 fire season. FFLA-SDRC has achieved that same 100% fire season staffing for every year since with few exceptions due to weather.

Selfie and Milky Way at Highpoint Lookout: Fire Lookout Tower On Palomar Mountain

But first, let me take a selfie. I shot this on August 28, 2019 after I finished several shots of this tower. Before heading home, I decided to take a selfie. Shot with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens at 13 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200. I had known about this tower for some time, but finally got around to visiting it last night. I had tried to go to it a few nights ago, but had bad directions and kept encountering locked gates miles below. A phone call with a very nice and helpful person at Forest Fire Lookout Association San Diego-Riverside Chapter (FFLA-SDRC) helped me find the correct way up here. It's NOT an easy road to drive and requires a high clearance vehicle up about 13 miles of rough road. 4WD is recommended. Many of these towers were decommissioned in the 1990's, but in recent years this tower and several others have been reopened and staffed. It's been determined that human eyes are still among the best technology at spotting fires. The first Highpoint lookout tower was constructed on the site in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps for the US Forest Service. That tower was replaced by the current structure in 1964. The Cleveland National Forest last staffed the tower in 1992. The cab exterior and tower are in excellent condition. The interior was removed due to vandalism in 2005. A security gate has since been installed on the tower. Tower restoration with new glass, cabinets and flooring was completed in 2009. The San Diego-Riverside Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association began staffing the tower with volunteers for fixed-point fire detection in 2009. FFLA-SDRC first achieved a 100% staffing during the 2013 fire season. FFLA-SDRC has achieved that same 100% fire season staffing for every year since with few exceptions due to weather.

Milky Way and Highpoint Lookout: Fire Lookout Tower On Palomar Mountain

I shot this on August 28, 2019 at around 9:20 P.M. This is a panorama (though not unusually wide or long) of 43 individual frames shot with a Canon 6D and Canon 50mm (nifty fifty) lens. Each frame was shot at 6 sec f/2.2 ISO 3200 and then stitched together. I had known about this tower for some time, but finally got around to visiting it last night. I had tried to go to it a few nights ago, but had bad directions and kept encountering locked gates miles below. A phone call with a very nice and helpful person at Forest Fire Lookout Association San Diego-Riverside Chapter (FFLA-SDRC) helped me find the correct way up here. It's NOT an easy road to drive and requires a high clearance vehicle up about 13 miles of rough road. 4WD is recommended. Many of these towers were decommissioned in the 1990's, but in recent years this tower and several others have been reopened and staffed. It's been determined that human eyes are still among the best technology at spotting fires. I remember years ago when I posted some photos of another tower - the one on nearby Boucher Hill - in disrepair. After a couple of HUGE wildfires in San Diego County in 2003 and 2007, people would comment on my photos "They should start using these again!" Well now they are. The first Highpoint lookout tower was constructed on the site in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps for the US Forest Service. That tower was replaced by the current structure in 1964. A 13 x 13 foot CL-30 series steel cab sits atop an all-steel L-1600 series 67-6 tower. High Point Lookout is the tallest tower remaining in the Forest Service inventory in California. The Cleveland National Forest last staffed the tower in 1992. The cab exterior and tower are in excellent condition. The interior was removed due to vandalism in 2005. A security gate has since been installed on the tower. Tower restoration with new glass, cabinets and flooring was completed in 2009. The San Diego-Riverside Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association began staffing the tower with volunteers for fixed-point fire detection in 2009. FFLA-SDRC first achieved a 100% staffing during the 2013 fire season. FFLA-SDRC has achieved that same 100% fire season staffing for every year since with few exceptions due to weather.

Milky Way And 103-Year-Old Campo Creek Viaduct

What was once a creek is Highway 94 aka. Campo Road these days. I'm not sure how long ago the creek dried up (or was possibly dammed up?) and converted to a highway. I've been wanting to do this shot for a while, but didn't want to bother with the drive. The other evening, however, I had a twilight real estate shoot in Chula Vista and this was only about a 45 minute drive from there. This location is pretty close to the USA-Mexico border. While wandering around in the dark here, I got buzzed at least three times by what I will assume were Border Patrol or other law enforcement helicopters. They flew by in total the dark with no exterior lights on each time. I'm fairly certainly they used night vision, zoomed in on me, and determined I wasn't an illegal border crosser and not a smuggler. This steel railroad trestle is in Campo, California - a community in southeastern San Diego County. Shot on August 22, 2019. For the sky, I did a tracked exposure at 240 sec f/4 ISO 400 with a Canon 6D and Canon 17-40mm f/4L lens. For the foreground, I shot six exposures each at 60 sec f/4 ISO 2000. The structure is illuminated by passing traffic below. This bridge is part of the San Diego & Arizona Eastern (SD&AE) railroad. Originally founded in 1906 as the San Diego & Arizona Railway (SD&A) by sugar heir, developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels. Dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" by many engineers of its day due to the immense logistical challenges involved, the line was established in part to provide San Diego with a direct rail link to the east by connecting with the Southern Pacific Railroad lines in El Centro, California. Spreckels donated the organ pavilion in Balboa Park in San Diego and built the Spreckels Theater building in downtown San Diego. He's one of San Diego's premiere philanthropists. Some interesting trivia: In 1908, Adolph Spreckels, heir to the Spreckels’ sugar fortune (along with his brother John), married a woman 24 years his junior. Alma was apparently quite a babe. She called her husband Adolph her “Sugar Daddy.”

Milky Way Over A Pond In Palomar Mountain State Park

I shot this the other night up on Palomar Mountain. Though there's lots of pond scum here, I was still able to get a nice reflection of the sky in the water. The orangish glow is from several low-pressure sodium lights nearby. For the sky, I shot and stacked 7 frames each at 20 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200 with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. The foreground was shot at 50 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200 with the same gear. I originally tried stacking the foreground and doing a median blend for noise reduction, but that process eliminated the star reflections, so I decided to just use a single foreground frame. After chatting with another photographer, I learned how I can have a stacked foreground AND star reflections for future shots though. As for blending the foreground and background exposures, everything is where it was at the time. Palomar Mountain (Spanish: Monte Palomar) is a mountain ridge in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. It is famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for the Palomar Mountain State Park. The name "Palomar" is Spanish for "Dovecote" or "pigeon roost". This comes from the Spanish colonial era in Alta California when Palomar Mountain was known as the home of band-tailed pigeons.

Comet-Like Star Trails Looking Southwest From Palomar Mountain

This was originally an attempt to capture a bright fireball Perseid meteor or two, but that didn't happen. I shot this the same night as the Perseids star trails photo I posted the other day, but this was earlier in the night. Though the nearly full moon was quite bright, I hoped to *maybe* capture a rare bright fireball Perseid over the urban lights in the background. Well, no fireballs, so I decided to salvage these frames and make some star trails instead. This is 147 frames each shot at 20 sec f/4.4 ISO 800 29mm with a Canon 6D and Canon 17-40mm f/4L lens. Total exposure time is 49 minutes. Processed in StarStaX using the "Comet Mode" option. This was shot from a vista point atop Palomar Mountain facing southwest. The urban light pollution is from Valley Center, San Marcos, Escondido, Carlsbad, and Del Mar.

Perseids, Iridium Flares, and Star Trails Over Lake Henshaw

I shot this from 2:34 AM to 5:01 AM on August 13, 2019 at Lake Henshaw in San Diego County, California. This is a stack of 420 individual frames shot with a Canon 6D and Canon 17-40mm f4/L lens. Seeing - let alone shooting - the Perseids this year was quite a challenge due to the nearly full moon that was keeping the sky lit up out here until about 4:10 AM or so. And shortly after the last light of the moon went away, the first light of the rising sun began taking its place. Nonetheless, I managed to see a few meteors and capture some of the brighter ones. To the left are Iridium flares (sunlight reflecting off the Iridium satellites) and to the right are Perseid meteors. I started shooting atop nearby Palomar Mountain as I really wanted to get a bright Perseid fireball streaking over some urban lights in the distance, but nothing was going on up there. Some other skywatchers stopped by and suggested I head on down to Lake Henshaw - so I did. I hung out with them and one other person and we had some nice conversations and enjoyed the sky show together.

Star Trails Over Lake Henshaw

Some star trails I shot over Lake Henshaw last night (well, actually very early Saturday morning). I had hoped to also capture some Perseids, but I didn't see any meteors until I had packed up and was heading back to my truck around 2:30 A.M. It was a bit chilly out here the other night, but the air and water were super calm and reflective. This image is a stack of 161 frames in StarStaX. Each frame shot with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens at 25 sec f/2.8 ISO 2000. Lake Henshaw is a Reservoir in San Diego County, California at the southeast base of Palomar Mountain, approximately 70 miles (110 km) northeast of San Diego, California and 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Los Angeles. The lake covers approximately 1,140 acres (460 ha) and holds 55,000 acre feet (68,000,000 m3) of water when full (lowered in 1978 from its original capacity of 203,581 acre feet (251,113,000 m3) out of earthquake concerns), in addition to groundwater stored in its local basin. It drains an area of 207 square miles (540 km2) square miles at the source of the San Luis Rey River. The lake was constructed in 1923 with the building of Henshaw Dam, an earth dam 123 feet (37 m) tall and 650 feet (200 m) long. It is owned by the Vista Irrigation District and used primarily for agricultural irrigation.

Meteor, Milky Way (obscured a bit by clouds), and Trees in Mount Laguna

While shooting a time-lapse, I managed to capture a nice green Perseid meteor above some of my favorite trees here in the Cleveland National Forest. This was captured on August 4th at 1:40 AM using a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. Note: Although the peak of the Perseids this year will occur around August 11 - 13, these dates will coincide with a full moon. In my opinion, you're better off heading out to here or another dark sky area right now - when there will still be several hours of dark sky after moonset - rather than waiting for the peak. Mount Laguna consists of a small general store, rustic lodge and cabins, local restaurant, rural post office, and campgrounds adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail. The Laguna Mountain Recreation Area surrounds the village, and the visitor's center for the pine-covered area is located here. The mountain backcountry of San Diego County is high enough to receive snowfall in winter months, and the Mount Laguna region offers locally-unique winter recreation in the form of snow play, sledding, and cross country skiing for several days after larger storms. Mount Laguna is part of the Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County. This forest is named after former president Grover Cleveland.

The Halloween Tree

Last night (August 4, 2019) I went on a last-minute night photography trip with a friend to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. This was a few hours after I got home from camping in nearby Mount Laguna. While I was a bit, tired, getting shot like this made the trip worthwhile. We originally set out to shoot the Milky Way over the burnt-out shell of a nearby home destroyed in a fire several years ago, but couldn't find a good angle to shoot the building from. Instead, thanks again to Kamala's keen eyes, she spotted this tree and boulder arrangement. As has been the case here and in the forests of Mount Laguna the last several years, there is a VERY think and tall layer of bushy undergrowth that makes photos like this a bit of a challenge, but we still managed to pull it off. This is a five exposure vertical panorama shot with Canon 6D and 50mm "nifty fifty" lens at 10 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200. I then stitched the exposures together in Lightroom.

Milky Way and Burnt Tree Over the Ruins of Foster Lodge

I shot this last night in Mount Laguna, California (in the mountains of San Diego County). This is what's left of Foster Lodge at the former Al Bahr Shrine Camp here. All that remains is the chimney and some stone stairs. For nearly 90 years, the lodge at the Al Bahr Mount Laguna Shrine Camp survived all of the fires that threatened the area. The lodge, built in 1925 by Shriners with their own hands using wood felled right there off Sunrise Highway, was destroyed by the Chariot fire in July 2013 when flames leaped across the road driven by strong, erratic desert winds. The blaze scorched over 7,055 acres. The fire started near the Butterfield Ranch in the Anza-Borrego Desert, 3.000 vertical feet below here. This photo is a merge of a tracked sky shot and a second shot of the landscape. I used an Omegon Mount Mini Track LX2 fully-mechanical tracker to track the sky. This is a great little tracker and it requires no batteries at all. It's basically a wind-up clock motor, but it works great. I shot the sky at 180 sec f/4 ISO 640 and the landscape at 180 sec f/4 ISO 640. Gentle illumination provided by the rising moon (out of frame). There's an ugly chain link fence around the ruins here - likely to protect against lawsuits... er.. injuries should the chimney suddenly fall over. Shrine Camp is forever closed. After extensive litigation with several parties an agreement was reached with the approval of Al Bahr membership. This agreement closed Shrine Camp and turned the leased land back over to USFS for cleanup. Al Bahr will forever miss this great location and place to have Fun and Fraternity. We have reached the end of the era for Shrine Camp.

Milky Way and Moonlit Twisted Trees

Interesting mix of living and dead trees in the Cleveland National Forest about six years after a major wildfire tore through the area. The foreground here is illuminated by the moon (out of frame to the left. Yes - you can shoot the Milky Way when the moon is out! I shot this last night (July 20, 2019) in an area of Mount Laguna that I had never explored before. This is a tracked blend of two exposures. I shot the sky tracked at 180 sec f/4 ISO 400 and the land at 136 sec f/4 ISO 400. Why 136 seconds? A car on the nearby highway was about to appear in my frame and I decided to close the shutter a little sooner than planned. As with all my tracked and/or stacked photos, everything was shot on location, around the same time, and nothing has been relocated. I can't believe I had never noticed this awesome location until now - despite visiting Mount Laguna numerous times over the years. In July 2013, the Chariot Fire reportedly scorched over 7,055 acres. The fire started near the Butterfield Ranch in the Anza-Borrego Desert, 3.000 vertical feet below here.

Highway To Heaven

Milky Way over pine tree lined Sunrise Highway in Mount Laguna. This is is a two exposure blend shot on July 3, 2019. I did a tracked exposure of the sky at 240 sec f/4 ISO 400 and a stationary exposure of the foreground at 112 sec f/4 ISO 400. Canon 6D and Canon 17-40mm f/4L lens. I shot the car a bit too late, but now I kind of like the unique effect here caused by my slow trigger. Mount Laguna is a small census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. It is approximately 6000 ft above sea level in a forest of Jeffrey pine, east of San Diego in the Laguna Mountains on the eastern edge of the Cleveland National Forest (named after former president Grover Cleveland). The hamlet sits at the high point of a scenic drive on Sunrise Highway from Interstate 8 to Highway 79. Mount Laguna consists of a small general store, rustic lodge and cabins, local restaurant, rural post office, and campgrounds adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail. The Laguna Mountain Recreation Area surrounds the village, and the visitor's center for the pine-covered area is located here. The mountain backcountry of San Diego County is high enough to receive snowfall in winter months, and the Mount Laguna region offers locally-unique winter recreation in the form of snow play, sledding, and cross country skiing for several days after larger storms.

Milky Way, Mountain, and Meadow

The Milky Way over Stonewall Peak and a meadow in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. This is a tracked blend image, but everything is in its true location and true size. For the foreground (meadow and mountain) I shot a 300 second exposure at f/4 and ISO 1000. The background (sky) was shot at 240 sec f/4 ISO 400 and tracked to avoid blur caused by the Earth's rotation. I then masked and combined these images in Photoshop. Both exposures shot with a Canon 6D and Canon 17-40mm f/4L lens on June 3, 2019. The whitish path in the lower right corner of the sky is due to urban light pollution. Stonewall Peak is a prominent mountain located in San Diego County within Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. It is east of the city of San Diego and southwest of Julian. The peak is 5,730 feet tall. Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is a state park in California, United States, located 40 miles east of San Diego in the Cuyamaca and Laguna Mountains of the Peninsular Ranges. "Cuyamaca" is a Spanish version of the name the native Kumeyaay peoples used for this place. In water-short Southern California, the native Americans called the area Ah-Ha Kwe-Ah Mac, meaning "the place where it rains." Even in the summer months - where the rest of San Diego County is almost always dry - it's not unusual for it to rain up here.

See the Forest For the Trees and the Milky Way

Panoramic image of the Milky Way galaxy over some pine trees in Mount Laguna, California on Saturday June 22, 2019 This panorama was made from seven vertical frames shot at 15 sec f/2.8 ISO 4000 with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. Weather conditions were perfect - no wind, clear skies, and pleasant temperatures. Mount Laguna is a small census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. It is approximately 6000 ft above sea level in a forest of Jeffrey pine, east of San Diego in the Laguna Mountains on the eastern edge of the Cleveland National Forest (named after former president Grover Cleveland). The hamlet sits at the high point of a scenic drive on Sunrise Highway from Interstate 8 to Highway 79. Mount Laguna consists of a small general store, rustic lodge and cabins, local restaurant, rural post office, and campgrounds adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail. The Laguna Mountain Recreation Area surrounds the village, and the visitor's center for the pine-covered area is located here. The mountain backcountry of San Diego County is high enough to receive snowfall in winter months, and the Mount Laguna region offers locally-unique winter recreation in the form of snow play, sledding, and cross country skiing for several days after larger storms.

Galaxy Forest

The Milky Way galaxy over some pine trees in Mount Laguna, California on Saturday June 22, 2019 This image is a noise-reduction stack of 5 frames each shot at 15 sec f/2.8 ISO 4000 with a Canon 6D and a Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. This is my first time experimented with aligning and masking multiple frames to reduce noise reduction. Due to the complex foreground - the intricate - details of the pine tree branches - lining up and masking the layers was a lot more challenging. This image isn't as sharp as I had hoped for, but I hope to improve upon this technique over time. Weather conditions were perfect - no wind, clear skies, and pleasant temperatures. Mount Laguna is a small census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. It is approximately 6000 ft above sea level in a forest of Jeffrey pine, east of San Diego in the Laguna Mountains on the eastern edge of the Cleveland National Forest (named after former president Grover Cleveland). The hamlet sits at the high point of a scenic drive on Sunrise Highway from Interstate 8 to Highway 79. Mount Laguna consists of a small general store, rustic lodge and cabins, local restaurant, rural post office, and campgrounds adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail. The Laguna Mountain Recreation Area surrounds the village, and the visitor's center for the pine-covered area is located here. The mountain backcountry of San Diego County is high enough to receive snowfall in winter months, and the Mount Laguna region offers locally-unique winter recreation in the form of snow play, sledding, and cross country skiing for several days after larger storms.

Milky Way Galaxy Arch Over Pine Forest In Mount Laguna

The Milky Way galaxy forms an arch over a nice forest of pine trees up in Mount Laguna, California. I produced this panorama from 11 frames each shot at 15 sec f/2.8 ISO 4000 with a Canon 6D and my trusty Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. I softly illuminated the fallen tree using the screen on my phone. These frames were taken about 40 minutes before moonrise on Saturday June 22, 2019. As with the photo from here I posted the other day, I went with Kamala Venkatesh. Weather conditions were perfect - no wind, clear skies, and pleasant temperatures. Mount Laguna is a small census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. It is approximately 6000 ft above sea level in a forest of Jeffrey pine, east of San Diego in the Laguna Mountains on the eastern edge of the Cleveland National Forest (named after former president Grover Cleveland). The hamlet sits at the high point of a scenic drive on Sunrise Highway from Interstate 8 to Highway 79. Mount Laguna consists of a small general store, rustic lodge and cabins, local restaurant, rural post office, and campgrounds adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail. The Laguna Mountain Recreation Area surrounds the village, and the visitor's center for the pine-covered area is located here. The mountain backcountry of San Diego County is high enough to receive snowfall in winter months, and the Mount Laguna region offers locally-unique winter recreation in the form of snow play, sledding, and cross country skiing for several days after larger storms.

Milky Way Over Pine Trees Moments Before Moonrise

Last night I went up to Mount Laguna to shoot the Milky Way. This is my first post-worthy Milky Way shot up here this season. While I've been to the desert to shoot the galaxy core several times, I haven't come up here to shoot it until last night. Well, I did try to shoot in the night before, but it was too windy and the location I chose - an abandoned barn - didn't work out as planned. So I headed up the mountain again last night and managed to pull off several successful shot. I'll be sharing the rest of them over the next few days. Instead of my usual Sigma 15mm EX DG fisheye, I decided to use my "nifty fifty" Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens. I shot a total of 15 exposures: 5 columns by 3 rows and stitched the images together in Lightroom. Each exposure was shot with a Canon 6D at 8 sec f/2.2 ISO 4000. I generally prefer to shoot these kinds of shots at ISO 3200, but the cooler temperature made me feel comfortable using ISO 4000 and not having to worry about heat-related noise. I didn't have to do a longer exposure for the foreground as the rising moon (out of frame and just barely below the horizon) took care of the foreground illumination naturally. I really like the look of the pine trees up here. I believe these are known as Jeffrey Pines (Pinus jeffreyi). They're named after John Jeffrey, a 19th century Scots botanist who traveled in Oregon and California and who found the tree in the Shasta Valley of California. These trees are related to ponderosa pines, but the barbs of the pinecones are pointed inward. Ponderosa pine cones have outward-facing barbs. The scent of Pinus jeffreyi is variously described as reminiscent of vanilla, lemon, pineapple, violets, apple, and, quite commonly, butterscotch; This scent may be sampled by breaking off a shoot or some needles, or by simply smelling the resin's scent in between the plates of the bark.

Mildred Falls: San Diego County's Tallest Waterfall

These falls are about 300 feet tall and generally only flow this well when there has been unusually heavy rains. After work yesterday (February 18, 2019) I decided to head over here for the first time since 2017. After shooting some vertical stills of the falls, I shot a sunset timelapse. Unfortunately there was no colorful sunset here - all the amazing sunset clouds were visible along the coastal communities instead. So, I decided to just post the three photos you see here - at different levels of zoom. According to "San Diego County Place Names, A To Z) by Leland Fetzer, the waterfall is most likely named after Mildred Williams - a Julian resident in the early 1900's. Mildred committed suicide here by leaping into the falls.

Mildred Falls: San Diego County's Tallest Waterfall

These falls are about 300 feet tall and generally only flow this well when there has been unusually heavy rains. After work yesterday (February 18, 2019) I decided to head over here for the first time since 2017. After shooting some vertical stills of the falls, I shot a sunset timelapse. Unfortunately there was no colorful sunset here - all the amazing sunset clouds were visible along the coastal communities instead. So, I decided to just post the three photos you see here - at different levels of zoom. According to "San Diego County Place Names, A To Z) by Leland Fetzer, the waterfall is most likely named after Mildred Williams - a Julian resident in the early 1900's. Mildred committed suicide here by leaping into the falls.

Mildred Falls: San Diego County's Tallest Waterfall

These falls are about 300 feet tall and generally only flow this well when there has been unusually heavy rains. After work yesterday (February 18, 2019) I decided to head over here for the first time since 2017. After shooting some vertical stills of the falls, I shot a sunset timelapse. Unfortunately there was no colorful sunset here - all the amazing sunset clouds were visible along the coastal communities instead. So, I decided to just post the three photos you see here - at different levels of zoom. According to "San Diego County Place Names, A To Z) by Leland Fetzer, the waterfall is most likely named after Mildred Williams - a Julian resident in the early 1900's. Mildred committed suicide here by leaping into the falls.

Encroaching Fog [2/3]

Some nice fog and sunset shots from atop Palomar Mountain in San Diego County. There are three frames from the timelapse video I posted the other day. When I first started shooting, there was some epic fog rolling up and down the hills. Then - about 5 minutes later - the fog got really thick and turned to being overcast. At first I thought my sunset timelapse was a bust, but I decided to keep recording. Fortunately the sky went from fully overcast back to rolling fog about ten minutes after that. Shot with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. Palomar Mountain is a mountain ridge in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. It is famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for the Palomar Mountain State Park.

Encroaching Fog [3/3]

Some nice fog and sunset shots from atop Palomar Mountain in San Diego County. There are three frames from the timelapse video I posted the other day. When I first started shooting, there was some epic fog rolling up and down the hills. Then - about 5 minutes later - the fog got really thick and turned to being overcast. At first I thought my sunset timelapse was a bust, but I decided to keep recording. Fortunately the sky went from fully overcast back to rolling fog about ten minutes after that. Shot with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. Palomar Mountain is a mountain ridge in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. It is famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for the Palomar Mountain State Park.

Encroaching Fog [1/3]

Some nice fog and sunset shots from atop Palomar Mountain in San Diego County. There are three frames from the timelapse video I posted the other day. When I first started shooting, there was some epic fog rolling up and down the hills. Then - about 5 minutes later - the fog got really thick and turned to being overcast. At first I thought my sunset timelapse was a bust, but I decided to keep recording. Fortunately the sky went from fully overcast back to rolling fog about ten minutes after that. Shot with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. Palomar Mountain is a mountain ridge in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. It is famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for the Palomar Mountain State Park.

Nice Autumn Colors Reflecting on Doane Pond in Palomar Mountain State Park

I took a random trip up to Palomar Mountain on Friday - and I certainly wasn't disappointed in what I saw. While the fall colors here pale in comparison to what people enjoy on the East Coast this time of year, this year's autumn is quite nice for San Diego County. This is yet another reason why I love San Diego. We have it all: beaches, deserts, and mountains with four seasons. Shot with a Canon 6D and Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L lens. Palomar Mountain is a mountain ridge in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. It is famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for the Palomar Mountain State Park.

Take Me Home, Star Trails Road

After shooting the sunset, I stuck around a while longer to shoot some star trails with some autumn colors in the foreground. As I was wrapping up my sunset timelapse, I noticed that to the north the sky was nice and dark - even though the moon was somewhat to my back and doing a nice job of illuminating the trees and the road here. This was shot with a Canon 6D and Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L lens. I shot 49 exposures each at 40 sec f/5 ISO 800 and then stacked them in StarStaX to produce the image you see here. This is the equivalent of a 33 minute total exposure. Mount Laguna, California is in San Diego County and is only about a 75 minute drive from downtown San Diego. San Diego County is a big county and has very diverse climates: beaches, mountains, inland, and deserts. This is why I love living here - despite the high cost of living. I often tell people that, if given the choice, I'd rather live in a trailer in San Diego than a mansion elsewhere.