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California boasts 9 different national parks (the most of any state), 280 state parks, and numerous regional parks. California is full of variety in climates, landscapes, and species. I have far too many pictures of California, so to help break them up a bit more, I've divided most of my pictures regionally.
Yosemite National Park at California - April 2013
I really went back into the archives for this picture! I have to admit that I can’t remember too many specific details from this trip, but my 8+ year old pictures managed to jog my memory a bit. I’ve been to Yosemite numerous times with family, but didn’t stay in the area overnight too often. This trip was a little different and we had time to explore and take in the sights without any rush to get to the next destination. When travelling in general, I would highly recommend taking your time rather than trying to hit main attractions and tourist destinations. Just spending some energy learning about the natural and cultural history of a region can make your experience much richer.
This was definitely one of my more awe-inspiring photographs from my archives and its geometry and composition fascinates me. While perusing my archives, I was reminded of how much I’ve improved and learned and how much I have yet to learn about both photography and the world around us.
*CONTENT WARNING: Themes of violence and trauma* Though we often see grand landscape pictures of Yosemite, full of granite, trees, and wildlife, we rarely hear about or see mainstream media highlight the people of Yosemite. Yosemite was originally the lands of the Ahwahneechee people, Southern Sierra Miwok people, and Northern Paiute people. The rush of white settlers for California’s Gold Rush starting in 1848 played a large role in the genocide of California Native American tribes and their violent removal from Yosemite. As recently as the 1960s, National Park Service burned down Miwuk and Paiute homes in Yosemite. After decades of organizing and negotiating, in 2018 the park finally guaranteed Southern Sierra Miwuks more access to “their homeland and to cultural practices” and allowed them to develop their village (wahhoga). One of the organizers and an Ahwahneechee elder, Les James, aims to ultimately own the land and not need permission to use it.
This is only a small portion of the story. I encourage everyone to continue engaging with these histories. I do want to give the disclaimer that the information presented here is based on various links with slightly varying information. So if you know of any information that is missing or inaccurate here, please let me know!
Sources: Yosemite Online Library & Indian Country Today & CapRadio & Outside
Shasta Dam, at Shasta, California - August 2016
No matter how often I visit Northern California, I make it a point to always visit Shasta Dam if I'm in the area. The sheer size of the dam and feats of human architecture it represents amaze me. Watching the dam at work is always inspiring and serves as a reminder of the abilities of human technology and innovation. This time around, I was able to catch a look at the dam and lake as the sun was setting on the vivid landscape.
Dam building has been a controversial topic for many years. Dams like Shasta Dam are capable of generating a great deal of sustainable energy by harnessing the energy of moving water. The electricity produced from the dam earns the federal government more than $50 million every year! However, dams can have negative environmental impacts, permanently changing the landscape and ecosystem of land for the worse. In 1945, Shasta Dam was primarily constructed to control flooding in areas downstream of Shasta Lake which it does effectively. However, this cut off native salmon from about half of their available breeding grounds, which was detrimental to the population of fish.
The most recent discussion surrounding Shasta Dam is about the federally proposed project to raise the dam by 18.5 feet. This would increase water retention in the lake and provide water for up to 2 million people every year. This push comes specifically from the Trump administration which wants to focus on water storage in California. Unfortunately, this does not come without a heavy cost. Native lands, including burial grounds would be further swallowed up by the lake and salmon would face even more difficulty in ensuring survival of their species.
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