Hello, road. Good to see you again.
It’s been a few months since I’ve strayed too far from home, so it’s good to be on the move again. I even managed to drag along my beloved friend/photographer (and not the other way around) James, who I’ve known since high school. He’s good. Damn good. So check out his blog if you haven’t already.
And so, after little planning and improper packing, we headed South taking the coastal road when we could and less gas-whorish freeways at night, crashing at random campgrounds and the homes of friends and family until we made it to our southernmost destination: San Diego.
Our way back North will be inland through Joshua Tree, Mojave and Yosemite where we will attempt to get our Ansel on.
But first,
SOUTH.
The Northern Californian coastline is worth the winding drive.
James standing amongst the Redwoods.
Our first night of camping on the northern coast near Orick.
After making camp in the dark we awoke to this view of the lagoon.
Sutro Baths
The streets of San Francisco
James photographing off the roof of my truck in Pinnacles Monument Park.
James and Mark, another buddy from high school and college who now lives in LA and let us crash at his house.
Bottlecaps & Broken Bits 
Certainly worth the drive.
Sutro Baths instead of Point Lobos?
Yep, you’re right on that one. I think it’s in the same area though?
I suppose it’s all relative! Point Lobos is actually in Carmel, near Monterey. Hmm, you’re probably thinking Point Lobos because Sutro Baths is on Point Lobos Avenue. That’s what it is!
Haha, wow, I was way off. My bad.
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Nice pictures! 🙂
Whoa, great photos! As a WordPress photographer, I really enjoy these kinds of posts. Great job!
Thank you!
Beautifull!!!
lool, you both promote each other’s blog a bit.
lovely, my best friend is also the one i got to know in high school 😀
in the last pic, is James wearing long hair? looks COOL!
the most funny one is James standing in woods. that can illustration two things in opposite way.. 😉
It’s hard to beat those longtime friends. And yes, his hair is awesome. haha
Man, it looks beautiful, it all looks so damn good! Hope you guys are having a proper blast, hope you’re living it up on the road. And brother, I wish I could be there, camping underneath a windswept sky, walking the streets of San Francisco, all of it…Live it hard!
Thank you so much, man, It’s been amazing so far, and really looking forward to Yosemite. How’s your journey going? I really need to explore France sometime soon, your project is giving me the bug.
Love the pics. I live in SF and make sure to drive along the coast often. I never get tired of it. And in the last few years, I’ve become a little obsessed with the CA desert. It’s amazing and underrated. Last spring, got to check out some carpet blooms of wildflowers in the Mojave. It wasn’t the best season ever for that sort of thing, but it was still amazing.
Thanks Ekua! Loved the desert. It had a different feeling than any other place I’ve experienced. Carpet blooms must’ve been an amazing sight!
BNW is really nice. 🙂 Keep up the good work =)
Greatly- taken photos! Never seen such a gigantic creature as those Redwoods you’ve shown. Amazing!
They are unbelievable. Thanks
Simply Stunning
I am in awe of your photo with trees, the Gray-scale really makes you appreciate their height 🙂 Thank you for sharing them!
Being among ancient trees make you feel so small…
oh, very good pictures, you are a great photographer
Awesome, inspiring photos, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Sigh. You make me want to take out my camera and invite you to a photowalk in India
Hey, let’s do it. What part of India?
north!….oh that might be a little boring….south!
LOVE LOVE LOVE the photos, looks well worth a trip
Thank you 🙂
The picture of those beach chairs is absolutely fantastic. Great post, you write amazingly! And major thumbs up for hitting Freshly Pressed
Appreciate it greatly, thanks!
These photos are so well composed. He really IS good. Enjoy your stay! Hope to see more I like from this blog. Happy easter
Thank you, you too!
Wow Love it 😀
tracking the mother nature through lenses as it is
the best!
Nice. Congrats on being pressed!
[…] Bottlecaps & Broken Bits Blogging. […]
Brings back memories of a California road trip…love the photos and the feel of the post. Thanks!
I’m glad, thanks!
I love the idea of a “post-expedition” recap post!
Well done!
Ah the REDWOODS!
Definitely my favorite part of northern California. I live in northern Nevada, so I try to get over the Sierras at least a few times a year to feel small. Very, very small…
Beautiful pix.
🙂
Theres nothing like nature to make us feel how little we are in the vastness of it all. Thanks!
You are wonderful and your photos are too, i especially like the black and white at the beginning, thanks MJ
Thanks MJ!
This makes the forests of the UK look so small in comparison. Love camping and used to get away often (not so much these days with a young child, yet). The only problem is the weather difference between California and England. It’s more shivering in you tent and less sitting in lawn chairs by the fire! Love the pictures.
Haha, I hear you on the weather difference. I’m from Oregon and know what you mean. Gotta love nice weather when you see it. Thanks!
Cool pictures! How did you get the old looks on these photos?
Thank you! I use lightroom and play around with the settings til I like what I see. I used some grain and changed the colors a bit among other things.
Thanks for the tip. I will give this a try. Your pictures look brilliant in this old look.
Your view from the coastal drive is gorgeous – the rich grey sky, the mists around the hills, the ocean. Great job!
[…] Notes from the Couch After the Road Bottlecaps & Broken BitsFollow Photography […]
good pix. like it !
hello, didn’t think San Diego is that lovely. wonderful photos! love the first and the second pics… thanks for sharing, regards, 🙂
Beautiful your photos.
Wow! Great pictures, I love how old a few of them look.
The Redwoods picture is fabulous. I wonder if you went one degree lighter on the first picture if you could get more detail out of the darkest part in the foreground.
I underexposed a bit when I took it so some of the foreground was lost and I found it a little too distracting when I tried to brighten it up. Next time :), thanks for the advice.
Great! Great! photos with equally great writing. Thank you for sharing this with your WordPress family.
Thank you John, appreciate it.
Great photos. Especially the redwoods. The black and white looks amazing!
Wow! That’s all I can say.
The redwoods are so amazing, and I agree, they, like so many other things in nature, make you feel so small. Great pictures!
They are, they do, and thank you so much.
Awesome pictures – I absolutely cannot wait until I’m travelling again!!
Beautiful photographs! I was lucky enough to attend a wedding 10 miles north of Redway,Ca about six years ago. I regret that I only came back with a few photos. Such an amazing journey.
These pictures are beautiful. I’ve been dying to see the Redwoods! I hope you had a fun time. Great blog, great people!
jenny
http://www.loveanddust.com
Thank you, it was a great trip.
Totally magical. I love your pics. Great!!
val
http:valentinedefrancis.wordpress.com
Eight snaps up!
I love roadtripping! And roadtripping through California is always so beautiful!
This is fantastic, I am going to reblog this post.
I would be interested in perhaps writing a feature about your photography. If you are interested then feel free to contact me.
LOVE the redwoods!!! run into bigfoot out there? 😉
Haha, we kept our eyes open but no such luck :).
Reblogged this on holdupnow and commented:
Some very well-shot photographs of a road trip.
Thank you for reblogging!
No problem, have you got anything else lined up for the near future?
I do, actually. Planning on visiting a friend in China in a couple weeks. It’s a one-way so we’ll see if I ever get back.
Beautiful Photos – thanks for sharing! Congrats on being FP!
These pics are from like some fabulous French movie! Love your blog by the way!
Thank you thank you
Pics of the Redwoods always amaze me, one day, one maybe I stand as a small tiny fixture near these huge mammoths of trees….
Love your pictures.
Love the black and whites! That first one has a lot of depth with the hills. Great shots.
These are so freaking good! I’m extremely impressed. 😀
Great photos! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed. Love the Redwoods pic. 🙂 Abbie
Wonderful! I wish I was there. I love the winding drive along the northern california coast. This post made a store of nostalgia rush to the surface. 🙂 Thanks for that.
Thank you! I’m glad it brought back some good memories
Beautiful pics! Thanks so much for sharing, inspires me to get my camera out.
Thanks, I’m glad!
Cool blog happy I found it. Will be following http://www.freethewick.com
I can’t believe how tall the trees are! Thanks for sharing.
The black and whites are awesome. You did good to take your own private photographer with you.
These aren’t just photos, they’re proof of time well spent. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Erin, appreciate it.
nice!!!
http://gardendiy.wordpress.com/
I love the black and white photos. I am guessing that the top photo is somewhere around Big Sur. I hitchhiked through there years ago.
Thank you, it was just north of big sur, but pretty similar area. Bet that was an adventure!
Nice trip !
Love the photo of the trees… nice 🙂
Love the redwoods shot. I just couldn’t get a good shot when I was there last year.
nice
I liked how you showed the size perspective of the second picture
i like ur picture very much.. black and white, looks like we turn back to 70’s or 80’s..
Love your shot of the redwoods, the toning really suits the feel of the image
Nice capture!
The black and white of the Redwood is my favorite; makes me want to lace up my shoes and head to the river trails for some much needed solace. (Or better yet, try it barefoot). Thanks for the view, and the inspiration.
Anytime, thank you!
great retro look, great photo’s overall 🙂
Brilliant pictures! Congratulations on being freshly pressed.
Lovely pictures! You have a brilliant blog. Congratulations on being freshly pressed.
Amazing!
Reblogged this on Officialabiye's Blog.
Beautiful photos…makes me want to go on a road trip!
This makes me wish I was on the road! Great blog…
Sweet pictures. What kind of camera are you using? I got a crappy point and click right now, and definitely want to upgrade in the future.
Have a good trip.
Thank you. I use a Panasonic GF1, one of those micro 4/3 cameras. So far It’s been a good buy and nice and easy to travel with.
Looked like a fun trip. Nice post.
Your blog is beautiful and photos amazing. Congratulations on being freshly pressed, you have a new follower!
Thanks Meghan!
great pics…………..
shanicomputers.wordpress.com
Gorgeous !! Superbe !!
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed. I invite you to visit my blog…
The photo of the California coastline is gorgeous. That drive is pretty spectacular. Do you use film? Either way, the pictures are fantastic. Congrats on Freshly Pressed!
Thank you! I use my digital and a film point-and-shoot camera, but those were taken with my digital.
I have a place for into stay in La Quinta, which at the bottom of Joshua tree. Bout n hour depending on which way u go, let me know
Thanks for the offer, but we’ve already been through. Next time!
Excellent photos! The second one… amazing! Keep going!
Breathtaking photos. Thanks for sharing with the world.
Warmly,
Laura
Thank you Laura, much appreciated.
My favorite stomping grounds, born and raised on the California freeways. You captured it beautifully.
Thank you, must’ve been quite the childhood!
I have taken the long way home, the winding coastal stretch of road from San Francisco back to Southern California, it was beautiful. Every bit of it. I hear Joshua Tree is gorgeous and hope to shoot there when I move back to CA in June.
haha yeah it was pretty rad 🙂
Nice!