Good morning!

Wow what a gorgeous day! So tired from the last few weeks of travel, but up and ready to get right back out there today. Today is Halloween, so we are trying to decide between more pumpkin patches or just going and playing at a California State Beach this afternoon. What would you do? ;)

Only a few more days until voting on Prop 21 here in California. There are some great videos that have been made for the contest with yesforstateparks. Want to see?

Click Here!


Our favorite is this one!



Well, time to wake up everyone else and get on the road! Here's a big hello from some of my friends at Point Lobos State Park!

New pics from the Sierras

Sharing this great video!

Wildlife

Well, we just got back to Morgan Hill in time for the rain! We had a great time today at the wildlife refuges near Los Banos. Even though most of the Tule Elk hid from us and the mosquitos swarmed us and the hunters woke us up at 4am getting ready for opening day, it was a beautiful time!

Here are a few snaps from this morning.....

Have you ever been to Los Banos?

Good evening and hello from The Great Grasslands of the Central Valley. Have you ever been to Los Banos? I thought maybe I'd share a little history about this area in case you'd like to visit some day.



Los Banos history


San Luis Reservoir

Great Valley Grasslands

We are still on the road, back in Los Banos this evening, and then visiting the Tule Elk at the reserve in the am, followed by a nice walk and visit to the San Luis Reservoir, then hopefully we will make it to Santa Cruz by 5pm for the bonfire and smores! Beaches this weekend and then back on the road headed to Sacramento/Truckee/Tahoe and beyond on Tuesday. Happy weekend everyone! ;)

Visit The California State Parks with The Parks!

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We are on the road visiting California State Parks! Please join us virtually and enjoy some pics along the route.

Here are just a few pics from the last few days!

Would you like to be a guest blogger?

As I look ahead this week thinking about all the fun we are going to have visiting California State Parks, I thought it would be great to hear stories from other families that have had fun in the parks. Would you like to be a guest blogger on Parksphotography.net? If you have a story to share, email it to us at parksphotography@msn.com and we will share with others. Can't wait to read them!

Thoughts of the day~

Thinking about the California State Parks today. To us they are one unit....one safe place to play even though they are not in the same location. They have brought us so much pleasure, especially over the last year. My daughter runs there, found her first sanddollar there, saw her first close up of a seal and otter there, learned to build sandcastles there, plays in tidepools there, watches birds there, hikes mountains there, hug trees there, uses bike trails there, and of course we take pictures there! ;)

lazy days

awwwww lazy days in California.....zzzzzzzz

Just a few more reasons.....

Why do I love the California State Parks? Here are just a few more reasons.......

Customize your own free photo slideshow

Henry Coe State Park

Happy Monday! Today we went for one of my favorite drives in the area, up the 10 mile windy road to Henry Coe State Park. This always seems like the longest 10 miles we've ever been on, but it's worth it when we get to the top. The drive goes through beautiful countryside above Morgan Hill, past ranches that have been there since 1877, over a railroad bridge, cattle guards, and gorgeous views over Lake Anderson and the croplands below. Today, like most other times we've driven this road, we were the only ones on the road except for the wildlife.

Once at the top, we ran around looking at the views, stopped by the visitor center and said hello to our friend John, and of course spent money in the gift shop!

ABC's in the California State Parks

My daughter (3) and I have been talking about everything we can see or do in the California State Parks, and just for fun we made a list. I will let you imagine her singing the ABC's with it. ;)

A Accessibility

B birds

C camping

D dunes

E education

F family

G gold

H history

I interpretive programs

J jobs!

K kites

L lakes

M missions

N nature

O ocean

P photos

Q quick access

R redwoods

S school

T trees

U urban

V volunteers!

W wildflowers

X XTML (well you could see this if it is a park with free wifi!)

Y youth programs

Z zzzzzzzz a nice nap!;)

Pacheco State Park

We took a late afternoon drive to Pacheco State Park yesterday. The clouds were moving really fast and changing the light and it made for some really fun photos, and a good run for my daughter.

Pacheco State Park

California State Parks

I am NOT a blogger. You'd think i'd have time to be one, but I am always running about taking photos and chasing the 3 year old which doesn't leave me much time for writing. That being said, I'm going to TRY to start posting again and share more about the photos I take.

We are currently shooting in California, and enjoying life here playing on the beaches and hiking in the parks. My goal is to help my daughter see all of the California State Parks while they are still here. My husband and I want to raise her to love the outdoors!

Hope you enjoy the photos, you can see more everyday on Facebook, our business page is Parks Photography.