La Jolla Shores Lobster

Three spiny lobsters hanging out at La Jolla Shores / Marine Room on August 8, 2014.  The yellow sponge? is interesting too.  The Marine Room area is southwest of the Marine Room restaurant.  Taken while snorkeling with an earlier version of the Panasonic DMC-TS6A LUMIX Camera.

La Jolla Sea Caves

The La Jolla California Sea Caves from the Marine Room area.  Taken while paddle boarding on a calm morning.


Taken on September 10, 2015 with an older version of the Panasonic DMC-TS6A LUMIX Camera.

Kelp Bass - La Jolla Shores

I saw these Kelp Bass today in La Jolla Shores San Diego while snorkeling near the Marine Room.  These white belly and mottled black and brown top bass are common in Southern California and I've seen them in sea grass and kelp.  They will sometimes congregate around floating pieces of kelp.  They seem to mostly eat small crustaceans off of the kelp.  They will sit pretty still and let you get close enough for a good picture if you swim slowly.

I took these pictures with the Panasonic Lumix TS4 12.1 TOUGH Waterproof Digital Camera  which I feel is currently the best waterproof point and shoot camera you can now buy.  Panasonic also makes a cheaper camera (model TS20) that it is hard to tell based on the specifications that it is significantly different, but the underwater picture quality is much worse.

Huntington CA Dog Beach

Huntington Dog Beach is right off the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Huntington Beach California.  The whole point of the beach is your dog can run around off leash.  It is pretty much the only decent beach in the LA / Orange County area you can do this.  A few tips:

• Bring quarters for parking (currently $1.50 an hour, so don't bring 4 quarters and think you're good)
• Come early if you want to park close (this means before 10) otherwise be prepared to park 1+ miles away
• There are two lots, but they fill up fast and people hover for spots creating a long line
• The best thing is to throw your bike / scooter / skateboard in back of your car, drop your kids off then find parking wherever and ride to meet up
• There are only two bathrooms, which usually have 4-5 people in line, so plan ahead
• If you don't have a dog go to the main beach (Huntington beach...), which has more bathrooms, more parking, and shops close by
• If you get tar on you, it comes off with nail polish remover, it won't just wash off

Orange County Park

I said before that Sacramento had the best parks, but Orange County certainly gives them a run for their money.  This is a random Orange County park, one of many small ones scattered around.  Sacramento parks can have giant trees, Orange County's are smaller and better manicured overall.

Scott's Flat, CA

Scott's Flat Lake is about 90 minutes from Sacramento, California up highway 49.  The campground is big, expensive, and crowded on weekends.  They do have pay showers and reasonably nice restrooms though.  In July the lake water was perfect and swimming was great, the lake wasn't that crowded, boats and water skiing are allowed, personal watercraft are not.

Lake Tahoe, California

The water is warming up right about now, making late September and into October a great time to go.

K Street, downtown Sacramento, CA

K Street is a closed off street in downtown Sacramento, California. Unfortunately most of it is rundown and not really worth walking past, although the trees are nice.

Point Reyes Beach

The beach at Point Reyes.

Free range chickens at Point Reyes

Free range chickens living at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Lake Del Valle

Lake Del Valle near Livermore is popular on hot summer days.

The Truckee River

The Truckee River near Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe from the top of Squaw Valley Gondola

Lake Tahoe Beach

Some pelicans by the freeway

Pelicans enjoying their own little slice of the San Francisco Bay a stone throw away from I580.

Squaw Valley, California.

More Sonoma Coast scenes

Ready to visit yet?

Russian River

The Russian River in Sonoma County is a fairly popular place for bay area residents to kayak, swim and raft. Right now the river is pretty tame since it is a low water year and late in the season.

More tidepool pictures

Here is another picture of the tide pools at Point Reyes National Seashore, about 1.5 hours north of San Francisco.

Tide pool

A tide pool at Point Reyes.