John & Anne Wiley

2011/03/28

Private Paradise

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 06:35

There’s an old Woody Guthrie folk song named “This Land…” that included a verse about private property, and I’m reminded of it by a discussion in the Comments to some of my aerial photos of waterfalls published lately on the Edhat.com local community website. I know several hikers who tend to be creative in their interpretation of private land rights, and many who would never cross a fence of any kind even if no signs are posted.

An especially beautiful set of at least four waterfalls just South of Hwy. 154 and East of Old San Marcos Road is a case in point.

6315 Secret Scene

6315 Secret Scene

While someone on Edhat has said these falls are on private property, it does seem a shame that the only people who get to see them other than the owner and authorized guests or trespassers, is a pilot like me who takes time to “smell the roses” rather than just race from one airport to another. I wonder if people routinely visited these falls for countless millennia up until a few decades ago, and whether we may see a change in laws and norms that would allow that again. Meanwhile, this is yet another reason I love to fly!

2011/03/27

Way Back

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 01:25

Looking way back into the Sierra Madre, the different ridges lead up to snow with white puffy clouds above that.

6301 Up To White

6301 Up To White

Way back in our “front country” South slope of the Santa Ynez Mountains are some remarkable rock formations that few people may have seen, like this channel cut deep into the crossing layers of sandstone.

6311 Rock-Water Intersection

6311 Rock-Water Intersection

Way back in time, maybe this elegant seasonal waterfall was a gathering place or a ceremonial landscape.

6324 Thin White Line

6324 Thin White Line

Way back on the 22nd is when I shot these and perhaps a dozen other waterfalls. One of these days maybe I’ll catch up with all the pix I’m excited to share. Maybe instead I’ll get over this falls fetish and find my way back to the present. Could happen…

2011/03/26

Fall Guy

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 01:07

The title of this post might become one of my Santa Barbara nicknames, because like last year I’ve been having lots of fun flying around the Santa Ynez Mountains spotting seasonal waterfalls. After so much rain over a prolonged period, waterfalls appear where you’d never normally see them. Today I spotted this one next to a road, that I haven’t seen before. I got a better pic that I’ve sent to Edhat and will put a larger version of that one on our Photo Page.

6547 Goleta Motor Falls

6547 Goleta Motor Falls

Another one I enjoyed today was this wispy mist off a rock ledge on the North face above Nojoqui Falls. I wonder how many people know it’s there, and have ever made the arduous trek up for a look.

6501 Mist & Stone

6501 Mist & Stone

I love the wizened stone, and imagine Indigenous people taking vision quests in those little caves.

2011/03/23

Another Look

Filed under: Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,People,Random,SB Region — John @ 03:02

We flew a little earlier today for another look at the local waterfalls, but I haven’t yet downloaded the pix into my computer and besides there are some from yesterday I’d like to share first. Cachuma Lake’s spillway in Bradbury Dam, for instance.

6221 Water Slide

6221 Water Slide

From this far way, doesn’t it look like a water park ride? Maybe not so fun to actually slide down it maybe. And the hills, good golly the Hills!

6216 Wearing the Green

6216 Wearing the Green

Massive patches of light and dark beneath the clouds seemed to struggle over whether it was night or day, Winter or Spring.

6231 Back to Winter

6231 Back to Winter

There were zillions of waterfalls as you’ll see on our Photo Page as we upload them, but one last pic of yesterday to share here is a bit of chance dusk magic. It was the first time we’d seen many twinkling lights on Oprah’s estate. It was enchanting in that dim light, how there seemed to be flocks of fireflies.

6245 Oprah's Magic

6245 Oprah's Magic

After snapping this, it turned into many small yard spotlights coming in and out of view between the trees. For that first moment though, we saw faeries.

2011/03/22

Clouds roaming hills

Filed under: Aviation,by Anne,Flying,Has Photos,Nature,SB Region — Anne @ 06:52

SB had record rainfall yesterday the 21st, its highest in history ever recorded for ANY day, at 5.23″ in one day.  Today, the 22nd, was supposed to be clear so we intended to fly for a photo shoot of waterfalls which we figured would be abundant.  It did not clear up all day – until late in the afternoon.  I was about to end a phone call as John came in the room making flying motions.  So off we went and he got some BEEutiful shots which he will share but he can’t get to it yet. In the meantime I’m posting one I took and also encourage you to look at his “Flickr” page (see right and click on “More Photos”) to see one of the prettiest he took.  Here is my humble offering of our spectacular flight in the meantime…

1879 Clouds caressing hills at sunset

1879 Clouds caressing hills at sunset

~by Anne

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