Thursday, March 2, 2023

A Soggy Situation

 We've been getting rain. LOTS of rain. And hail, wind, and even snow in places that rarely get snow. My granddaughter said she got hit in the head by a piece of hail yesterday walking home from school! We so need the rain, so as long as you aren't affected by flooding or mudslides, it's all good.
It had recently stopped raining, but another storm was moving in, so if I was going to get out for a little hike and a few photos, I better get a move on!
 
First I headed over to my local park because I could see the wild mustard was starting to bloom. But the trails were closed due to all the recent rain, and some of the fields were flooded.
 

No, this water does not belong here!
I know mustard is an invasive weed, but it sure looks nice when it flowers on a hillside!
 
Next I went across the street to a trail that would give me a view of downtown LA. I was carrying my 100-400mm telephoto lens with 2x extender (heavy), camera body with wide angle lens (heavy), and tripod (really heavy) in my backpack. I was curious to see if this setup would give me superior photos of the downtown area (about 20 miles away as the crow flies). Unfortunately, the sky was hazy so not an ideal day for taking photos of LA, but they still turned out better than previous attempts without the 2x extender.

Hollywood sign, with the Griffith Park Observatory below and to the left. I'm not sure about the large building below and slightly right. Church of Scientology, or perhaps the old LAC USC County Hospital?? Pretty darn good for 20 miles away on a hazy day!
 
The sandstone cliffs in Utah the Fullerton Hills.
 


I love those fluffy clouds!
 
I'm so glad I got out for this hike. Not long after I got home, it started raining, and didn't stop until the next day. I woke up pretty sore and stiff this morning. Probably had something to do with lugging all that camera gear up and down hills for 3.6 miles 😅.
 
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you are warm and safe, wherever you may be, and watch out for falling hail!
Linking with Skywatch Friday.

37 comments:

  1. ...you folks sure have had some strange weather!

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  2. Nice clouds in those muddy puddles. My cameras have gotten smaller over the years but I certainly can't get a shot as you've done from 20 miles away. Pretty fantastic! :)

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  3. Amazing that there was no rain and then all the sudden, almost too much rain and parts with huge amount of snow.
    Water here varies immensely from year to year.

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  4. Great shots of LA. And the clouds were so beautiful.

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  5. It snowed in higher elevation here in the Bay Area too. Weird but nice.

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  6. That certainly makes a change from your more usual desert shots. I caught a glimpse of the tower blocks of the City of London from around 20 miles away recently so I have some idea of the challenges you faced. I didn't even think of taking a photo, but I wasn't lugging all that gear around with me.

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  7. nice photos from recent weather - are you too far south to get snow

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  8. I had no idea there were cliffs like that in Fullerton. I have not explored the town of my alma mater nearly enough. (CSUF grad.)

    What you should do now is get some shots of the mountains with snow on them. As I was driving to work this morning, they were up ahead of me, and I wished I had a good camera to catch the image of them in the distance. (I saw an image of the mountains with snow on them from the beach, but that was a couple years ago.)

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  9. All that gear you haul, wow! I couldn´t do it. Kudos to you sir.

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  10. Looks like it's quite soggy. It's a nice photo of LA, even hazy. It makes the city look picturesque, which isn't what I'd usually think of LA! Snow is forecast here in Southern Oregon again this weekend.

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  11. We are awaiting thunderstorms here in India. I love those clouds reflecting on puddle. Eagerly waiting for monsoon

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  12. It is usual to see so much green in your desert photography. Still exclusive and unique landscapes through your lens

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  13. The weather has been crazy! Love the clouds and sky images. The flowers are pretty!
    We are expecting a rainy Friday, we could use the rain here. Take care, have a great day and a happy weekend!

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  14. Not the weather I expected for your surroundings but good shots nevertheless. Must have been a heavy trip with all those photographing tools in a rucksack but they did their work. Very nice to see.

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  15. Sorry you felt sore - but is SO was worth it!

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  16. What amazing photos! My friends from LA are all talking about the weird weather. And I love the wild mustard. Of course I love dandelions too.

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  17. I am watching a news report on the situation in Los Angeles County right now as I read this. They are interviewing a man in Lake Arrowhead who had been snowed in. Now he's enjoying it! Absolutely unreal. We'll need to add you to our New York State Golden Snowball Award contest. We're way below normal now. But seriously, I saw your flooding and muddy water and shuddered. Your long distance photos were amazing; I never could have lugged all that equipment around. I second Liz - if you could get some photos of the snow capped mountains your readers would love it.

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  18. Is that mustard you can eat or some type of noxious weed. Nevertheless you got some great shots, we are heading into Autumn now so some much needed rain has been happening.

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  19. I hope your grand-daughter is okay, hail can be quite dangerous sometimes.
    I especially like your first photo of LA as it has an ethereal quality that makes it look almost as if it is suspended in the atmosphere. Worth lugging all that heavy equipment around! :)

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  20. oh my, I wonder how much your backpack weighs. but LA surely doesn't seem 20 miles away with all that gear in action.

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  21. Wow! ~ These are quite different then the type of photos you post but they are awesome too ~ Glad your grand daughter is okey ~ weather is erratic on the East Coast as well ~ another rain, ice, snow storm predicted ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  22. So glad to see rain in California. You needed it badly for years now. As usual you take the most beautiful photos.

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  23. Beautiful photos! California's constant rain and snow this winter has been so unusual, but in the long run I think it is better than droughts and wildfires. Let's hope it all calms down soon!

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  24. I saw on the news up here in Alberta, how much rain you have been getting down there in California! Your photos are beautiful, so green, lovely clouds and I always enjoy reflections!

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  25. We've also been getting rain-so much rain!- and high winds. No hail, though.

    I'm not used to seeing so much green in your photos. I'm amazed you can get photos of the city from that far away. Nice!

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  26. You take such beautiful and vibrant photos! I particularly like # 5, 8 and 11. Thanks for popping by my blog today!

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  27. WOW!! Everything looks fresh-washed! So, so beautiful impressions!

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  28. Wow! Gorgeous reflection shots, so well done!

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  29. An unusual wet landscape. When we lived in New Mexico we could expect the late summer monsoons to cause flooding of arroyos. Glad you were not exploring any canyons.

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  30. Dearest Peter,
    Yes, Mother Nature sure needs that rain for bridging dry periods.
    Your distance zooms of LA turned out good, regardless the haziness.
    Wish I only felt sore...
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  31. Getting hit by hail is no fun! Is haze still typical in LA?

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  32. I just have to say global warming is real in all parts of the world and like how!

    Having said that I fell head over heels in love with your shots, Peter.

    It must have been such a beautiful walk.
    By the way in my part of the world, mustard is grown and used extensively in our meals and all parts of the plant are used. Makes for some delish Indian recipes.

    Have a wonderful week and was great to see your comment on my blog. Been a while I also stopped by.

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  33. Yep, my shoulder knows the feeling. :-)

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  34. Thanks for creative writing and unique insight which challenges our thinking and expands our minds. Keep writing.

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