Northern California Looks Beautiful Now

Here we go zipping through September, dipping our toes into Autumn, peering down the line to Winter.

In Monterey and Pacific Grove, summer is showing its shy face, late to the party.  Anyone who has ever been here for a year or more knows what to expect and somehow survives a very long cold spell during June, July and August.

Now, with tourist season quieting down gradually, the really pretty weather is here.  This is worth waiting for.  If you are considering visiting Northern California or the Sierra foothills, all the way up to Yosemite or Lake Tahoe, the beauty is undeniably special.  Except for lack of lush green and gushing waterfalls, colors are richer, the sky is more clear, and the night air is refreshingly cool even if its warm in the daytime.

Long-time Californians know the look of folded hills covered with pastures of dried grasses, bent and aged oaks or redwood groves standing in the crooked angles of steep ravines.  Go out with your camera early in the morning or late in the day and watch how the sun plays across the tips of those grasses and gilds their edges and tips with a beautiful light.

California's natural places are uniquely appealing, beautiful and dramatic panoramas to feast your eyes on.  Just one look at the golden rolling hills with the sun glancing off them really does something to those who love the sight.  I am immensely grateful that places are preserved simply because they are beautiful and still wild.  That is priceless.