R. Doug Wicker — Author | Stories of Mystery and Adventure

October 24, 2012 · 5:40 am

Cruising the West Coast — Mission Santa Barbara

After twenty-four hours (five spent stranded in the middle of the bay because of some idiot at Homeland Security), it was time to weigh anchor and head south. Our next destination was Santa Barbara, a coastal gem I had yet to adequately explore before this voyage. Our last cruise stop to Santa Barbara was spent visiting wineries and the charming Dutch community of Solvang. This time Ursula was insistent upon viewing what Santa Barbara had to offer.

We took public transportation inland and then hoofed it to the Mission Santa Barbara, established by Spanish Franciscans in 1786. The current mission you see below was started after the great earthquake of 1812 and completed in 1820.

The church itself is not the only attraction on this walk, however. The area through which we made our approach on foot is repeat with splendid examples of homes in the California Spanish Colonial Revival style.

As Santa Barbara presents plenty of photographic opportunities, we’ll see more of this California coastal gem in another blog or two. Meanwhile, enjoy the views:

: A prickly stairway to a unique window

: Saint Francis in the garden

: Spanish Colonial Revival home

: Mission Santa Barbara

: Mission courtyard view

: Mission Santa Barbara

: Spanish Colonial homes

: Inside the mission chapel

: A mission door

: Mission Santa Barbara

: A tree with a twist

: Spanish Colonial Revival architecture

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as Mission Santa Barbara, photography, Santa Barbara, Sapphire Princess, travel, West Coast cruise

October 22, 2012 · 5:40 am

Cruising the West Coast — Muir Woods

The day following our ridiculously silly five-hour Homeland Security Quarantine and Alcatraz at Night Adventure, we awoke very early for an organized tour to Muir Woods and the artsy community of Sausalito.

The featured trees of Muir Woods are prime examples of the prehistoric coast redwood, or sequoia sempervirens — a direct ancestor of the tree that dominated North American forests some 150 million years ago. Many examples here are between 200 and 300 feet tall. The tallest reaches 379. Age wise, these trees can live up to 1,800 years.

Along the way we stopped for some spectacular views of the Bay area and, of course, the Golden Gate Bridge.

Photographically speaking, Muir Woods can be a bit of a challenge. The thick growth overhead blocks most of the sun. As a result, you’ll be hard pressed to produce handheld shots even at ISO 800 to 1600. Make sure you take at least a monopod (preferably a tripod) or be prepared to use something else to steady your camera for slow shutter speeds.

: The remains of a 1,021-year-old coast redwood

: Not a coast redwood, but surprisingly colorful

: Deep in the forest

: The giant coast redwood

: That’s a LOT of patio furniture

: Don’t forget your trunks

: Entry into the Muir Woods National Monument

: Marin County, just over the Golden Gate

: Beauty everywhere

: Fallen tree

: Up the creek

: A bridge like no other

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as Muir Woods, photography, Sapphire Princess, Sausalito, travel, West Coast cruise

October 19, 2012 · 12:00 am

Cruising the West Coast — Alcatraz Island at Night

As you know from Wednesday’s blog article, some mental midget at Homeland Security decided the passengers aboard the Sapphire Princess were either too dangerous or were seriously endangered if we docked at our scheduled 1:00 P.M. time, but all those dangers would all miraculously disappear if we were allowed to dock some five hours later. And so it was that we nestled alongside Pier 35 with the clock ticking. Ursula had made prepaid reservations for a very special nighttime tour of Alcatraz Island, which was scheduled to depart from Pier 33 at precisely 6:45. We would have no time to spare, and there were no refunds for missing the boat, as it were.

We got in line for disembarkation and then proceeded to wait . . . and wait . . . and wait some more. Hundreds of anxious, time-pressed passengers stood before us, the long line snaking around the central portions of the ship and winding around the pieces for sale in the art gallery. Hundreds more lined up behind us as we waited for the gangway to be secured. It was nearly 6:30 by the time our feet hit the pier. We took off at a near run, dodging left and right around passengers who were in no rush having already missed their scheduled activities.

With just minutes to spare Ursula pulled up to the booth to claim our tickets, only to find her progress impeded by a couple before her, a couple with a never-ending list of questions and who obliviously continued to eat up valuable time even as the passengers started boarding the ferry. When Ursula finally reached the teller, the last of the passengers were already approaching the ferry and less than two minutes remained before the scheduled departure time.

With tickets in hand, we and another couple behind us became the last passengers to board.

We had made this journey once before, but during the day. And if you must choose between the two times, I would definitely suggest the nighttime tour of Alcatraz Island. The ferry arrives at twilight with just enough time to capture images of the exterior:

A Guard Tower

Alcatraz in Twilight

It leaves well after dark has descended upon the bay, providing you with a stunning view of the lights defining the San Francisco skyline:

San Francisco’s Night Skyline

The images below were captured without the use of a tripod or monopod. Most shots were made using the “Handheld NightScene” mode on the new Canon G1 X. “Handheld NighScene” is a rather impressive piece of engineering, allowing the camera to shoot at lower ISO settings for less noise even in low-light situations. The trick is to hold the camera very steady as it takes three photos in rapid succession, and then internally combines those images to increase the amount of light information for the final photograph. The downside is that if anything in the scene is moving, it will take on a ghostly blurred look. You can see this effect in some of the following pictures — cell doors nice and sharp, tourists blurred in movement. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially when you’re trying to capture such a haunting environment: