CARRIZO PLAIN IN SPRING
This photo shows how wide the Carrizo Plain is. Just imagine the Central
Valley, five times as wide and ten times as long as this, in its natural state.
FIERY SUNSET NEAR BIG SUR
This was the most amazing sunset--especially after a long day of dealing with
poison oak, rattlesnakes, running out of water, and bushwhacking through thick chaparral.
At this beautiful moment, we saw a water source, found the trail, and promptly
decided to ruin our good fortune by spending a cold dark night in shorts and
t-shirts and space blankets on a grassy oak-studded knoll overlooking the
Pacific Ocean. On top of it all, Drey, in the photo, got carsick on the way back
the next morning, and his mom later suggested, "Maybe you shouldn't go
hiking with Greg anymore." This was by far the most epic adventure I've
ever had, and this is also one of the most intense pictures I've ever taken.
This was the only hike I ever took with Drey.
WIND SCULPTED OAKS IN GRASSLAND
This was taken on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus, where I really think I
fell in love with grassland and oak woodland. From my dorm room, just
minutes up Poly Canyon was an explorer's paradise. An hour hike or run or
mountain bike ride would take you through breathtaking scenery like this--I was in heaven,
and never wanted to go back to the L.A. area, where I grew up.
SAN LUIS OBISPO FROM CUESTA RIDGE
The Highway 41 Fire burned Cuesta Ridge in August 1994, and the following spring
the California Poppies were covering the burnt area in profusion. You can see in
the distance the interplay between oaks and grass, making the border between
grassland and oak woodland hard to define. Some think this area used to be more
oak woodland and less grass, and seasonal streams used to be perennial before
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa (and associated grazing and
other new land management practices) was established at the top of the photo. U.S. Highway 101 loops through the
upper right corner.
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Copyright © 1998-2008
Gregory J. Reis
