DW visiting MIL; need suggestion about Picturesque Places for some photography.

Parent Cafe
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<ul>
<li>Places in California or near by that can be driven to over the weekends. </li>
</ul>

<p>I like photography and that is one activity I don’t have to look for any company. Also suggest some good restaurants near that area as I’m a very food loving guy. I drive SUV with snow tires, so terrain should not be an issue.</p>

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<p>California is huge. Where in California are you interested in photographing?</p>

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<p>Near by California is huge too.</p>

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<p>I love to drive and can drive up and down the California state, and Oregon, Nevada, Arizona.</p>

<p>I can fly also for up to 2 hr flight from San Francisco bay area.</p>

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<p>“2 hr flight from San Francisco bay area”</p>

<p>That would be Seattle. DH flies to Bay Area often - it is an under-2 hr flight from SJC. We have some excellent restaurants and beautiful places for taking pictures. Does she like nature or does she prefer the big city attractions - museums, botanical gardens, etc.?</p>

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<p>BunsenBurner: I think my post seem confusing, so clarifying </p>

<ul>
<li><p>DW is visiting MIL outside US (back home).</p></li>
<li><p>I’ll be on my own for the next 4 weeks. So I need places to visit for 4 weekends. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>I’m not very social so prefer to go places with my camera. I love food, so need info about good restaurants.</p>

<p>Seattle is already on the radar along with New Orleans.</p>

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<p>The Oregon coast is beautiful and wild. </p>

<p>The Olympic peninsula of Washington is a rain forest. You can stay at the Lake Quinault Lodge, relaxing and quiet. <a href=“http://www.olympicnationalparks.com/[/url]”>http://www.olympicnationalparks.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>California has so many beautiful photo-op places. A few random suggestions: Pismo dunes, Death Valley, Mono Lake, Joshua Tree, Big Sur, Salton Sea, San Francisco’s “painted ladies”, the men’s room at the Madonna Inn, Yosemite.</p>

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<p>LasMa: Olympic peninsula looks interesting, will explore more.</p>

<p>Sherpa: I’ve already covered highway 1 from LA to Fort Bragg in CA extensively. Similarly covered Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Shasta, SF Bay area, LA, and SD area.</p>

<p>Tioga pass on highway 120 should be close during this time.</p>

<p>I’ll look into Joshua Tree and Salton Sea.</p>

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<p>OK, I think that beautiful places in California are boring for a photographer (well, at least for me). I suggest heading for the southern end of the Central Valley, say between Fresno and Bakersfield. You can drive around and explore the small towns and the agricultural base and people who live and work there.</p>

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<p>If you go a little further like Utah, there is Bryce Canyon.</p>

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<p>^^
and Zion National Park.</p>

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<p>My first thought was also Bryce Canyon. I love the drive along the coast around Carmel as well.</p>

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<p>I’d suggest a photo reportage of all UC schools. It’d be a great memento for CC. The huge classes at Merced. The isolation of Berkeley. The homeless in Santa Barbara. </p>

<p>:)</p>

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<p>^^ I thought Berkeley was the home of the homeless. UCSB is where I parked the car to check it out, got out of the car, and immediately noticed a pair of girls panties in the lot. That didn’t bode well for the tour since we were checking out the college for my D (who ended up not attending UCSB).</p>

<p>POIH - Check out Death Valley. It has some fantastic spots for the photographer and is very interesting to see (when it’s not summer).
[Death</a> Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service)](<a href=“http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm]Death”>Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service))</p>

<p>I don’t know that I’d pick the Salton Sea for great photo ops but nearby Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has lots of great opportunities as well as some great hikes and great 4-wheeling if you like that (I’ve 4-wheeled much of the trails there).
[Anza-Borrego</a> Desert SP](<a href=“HTTP404”>Anza-Borrego Desert SP ®)</p>

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<p>Yosemite in the snow is absolutely gorgeous.</p>

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<p>DrGoogle: Bryce
LasMa: Zion
MathMom: Carmel</p>

<p>Good suggestions but I’ve been to these places and loved it. Carmel I go quite often.
I’ve also been to Yellow Stone/Grand Teton NP also and loved it.</p>

<p>xiggi:

</p>

<p>It would be cool but looking for some serene natural settings.</p>

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<p>Sedona, AZ is quite beautiful in a different, desert-y way.</p>

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<p>LasMa: Thanks for suggesting Sedona but I’m trying to keep low on deserts.
ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad: I’ve been to death valley twice. Even though I’ve never been to Anza-Borrego Desert SP but after capturing the "Ayres Rock, Uluru’ inside the great Australian desert. I’m staying low on the deserts for the time being.</p>

<p>But I patted myself for the perfect color changing images of the ROCK during different times of the day. The change is so prominent.</p>

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<p>San Marcos Pass (Highway 154) in Santa Barbara County.</p>