California

Floris van Breugel on February 11th, 2015

Last weekend Aubrey and I escaped the rare southern California rain by going for a short hike on the northern (leeward) side of the San Gabriel Mountains. The light storm filled the Los Angeles valley and the southern slopes of the mountains with clouds and moisture, but on the leeward side, we were under sunny …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Mazanitas – San Gabriel Mountains, CA

Floris van Breugel on June 9th, 2010

For the past three years I’ve made a point of going to King’s Canyon / Sequoia National Park near the end of May or early June to catch the blooming Dogwoods in their prime. It’s a magical experience to see the giant white flowers glowing in the sunlight, sparkling like giant snowflakes and twinkling stars. …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Gift of Life

Floris van Breugel on May 2nd, 2010

During spring and summer months you can experience one of the strangest natural phenomena in southern California: the midnight Grunion run. On the four consecutive nights following full and new moon (in tune with the highest high tides of the month) thousands of little wriggling silver fish come ashore to flat sandy beaches to mate …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Midnight Fishing

Floris van Breugel on April 9th, 2010

California is just about covered in flowers right now, and I figured where better to see it from, than from the air itself? That’s right my friends, here’s what California looks like from a small plane right now! A friend of a friend who owns a Cessna 172 graciously offered to fly me around some …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Spring is in the Air

Floris van Breugel on April 6th, 2010

For the last two months or so I’ve been following the progress of the impending wildflower bloom in Death Valley National Park, waiting for the moment everything would jump into bloom. Well, that moment has arrived! My first destination was to a spot where a friend and I discovered the tiny beginnings – cotyledons – …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Desert Blooms

Floris van Breugel on March 26th, 2010

California has experienced a strange winter and early spring season thus far this year. Typically the annual desert wildflowers would be winding down in their activity over the next few weeks; this year, however, some of the desert areas are just getting started! I spent the previous weekend touring various parts of Death Valley with …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Spring Fever

Floris van Breugel on February 24th, 2010

One of my childhood hobbies was to go out to the desert with my dad to explore abandoned mines and collect fluorescent minerals at night (fossicking is the Australian term for collecting minerals). Once the sun had set, which happens pretty early in the winter, we’d head out onto the mine tailings with a portable …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Moonlight Fossicking

Floris van Breugel on February 2nd, 2010

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a Hermit Crab? Or a Sea Urchin, Anemone, or Starfish? These, and countless other critters, make their homes in shallow pools in the tidal zone along rocky coastlines, such as Palos Verdes in Southern California. This little paradise is far enough removed from the …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Urchin World

Floris van Breugel on January 29th, 2010

Standing in half an inch of water on the flooded Badwater salt flats is a magical way to start the day. Fortunately, in a place like Death Valley, it really is just the start of the day! (as opposed to many areas, where once the sun is up, photographic opportunities are rather limited). Unfortunately this …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about Under the Desert Sun

Floris van Breugel on January 26th, 2010

Once in a great while, storms laden with sufficient moisture make it past the coastal ranges and Sierra Nevada to create the opportunity to see one of the more magical moments of the California Deserts: water and snow. The most memorable of such storms in the past 100+ years was the winter of 2004-2005, which …Read the Rest…

Continue reading about The Rains