Photos of the American River, Northern California.
Here is a "Sneak Peek" of some of the images I will be including in my 2014 "American River Series" calendar coming out soon!
Watch for the announcement on my Facebook page, or you can sign up for my Photo Newsletter and you will be notified by email, when it is available for purchase.
This will be the perfect Christmas gift, especially for the people in your life who have a love affair with the American River!
Lake Almanor at Sunset
Downtown Auburn in the snow.
RV camping at Forest Park RV Spaces, Canyon Dam, California.
We did it! Not only did Jeff, me, Hope (my Mom) and Cocoa (our dog) just return from a fantastic RV trip, but it was our first one! We have had the 26 foot travel trailer for several months now, but had yet to try out the many awesome features it has, hence the main purpose of this trip. We baked brownies in the oven, cooked burgers and steak on the RV-Q, tried out the shower, microwave, CD player and more.
Jeff, Mom & Cocoa walking in the Plumas National Forest bordering Forest Park RV Spaces.
We spent a wonderful week at the Forest Park RV Spaces in Canyon Dam. It was the perfect RV park for our needs. The RV spaces were very spacious with plenty of shade, was dog friendly and backed up to the Plumas National Forest. The owners Joe and Crystal were very friendly and helpful during our stay. We did a lot of research on places to stay in the area before leaving home and this was definitely "The best bang for the buck!"
Mill Creek Falls, Lassen National Park, Northern California.
Canyon Dam is located at the Southern end of beautiful Lake Almanor and about a one hour drive to the southwest entrance to Lassen National Park. For one of our day trips, we met up with local photographer and friend Jan Carmichael Davies, for a hike to the very unique Mill Creek Falls in Lassen. It was 3 1/2 miles round trip and a wonderful mix of uphill, downhill and nearly level terrain. It was just what the doctor ordered!
Jan hard at work!
Before we left home, I made a photo shoot list of some of the things I wanted to do and photograph during our visit to the area. Exploring the back roads is always one of the top priorities. After a recommendation from Jan and studying the California Gazetteer, we opted for a drive out to Round Valley Reservoir for another day trip.
On the way there, we stumbled upon one of the neatest old, abandoned log cabins in the woods I have ever seen. Of course, we hung out there for quite awhile capturing photos of it. Check it out!
Old log cabin in the woods, Plumas National Forest, Northern California.
We finally pried ourselves away from this cute little cabin and continued on, taking the wrong fork in the road on the way to Round Valley Reservoir. We didn't go too far out of the way though and we saw plenty of awesome scenery we wouldn't have seen otherwise. We eventually made it to our destination and were pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it was.
Round Valley Reservoir, Plumas National Forest, Northern California.
Round Valley Reservoir was beautiful at a distance, as well as close up and personal. One end of it had lily pads galore. I love shooting nature close ups and this was a very exciting subject to work with.
Lily pads on Round Valley Reservoir, Plumas National Forest.
You could find us relaxing by Lake Almanor, waiting for the sweet light all but a couple of nights we were in the area. The next photo is a great example of how I maximize a photo shoot. Included in this image are several of the shots I had on my shoot list for the trip. They are: sunsets, silhouettes, landscapes, outdoor recreation, Lake Almanor and Mount Lassen. We arrived early and I decided on a background first. In this case, it was Mount Lassen. Then I waited patiently for my subjects to arrive and a brilliant sky. This is what I got. It was definitely worth the wait!
Fishing on Lake Almanor at Sunset, with Mount Lassen in the background.
We did a lot of relaxing too. We also took a drive to Juniper Lake in Lassen National Park. To get there, you enter from the town of Chester. It was a nice drive, but not nearly as exciting as other parts of the park. It was also very windy and cold up there.
Whatever it takes to get the shot! Here I am laying down on the job, shooting Juniper Lake, Lassen National Park.
The photo below is what I was shooting! 🙂
Juniper Lake, Lassen National Park, California.
Our first RV trip was a huge success. We learned a LOT, took plenty of notes and photos and we can't wait to go again! Don't be surprised if our next trip is BOON DOCKING!
I hope you found this article interesting and informative. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below in the comments section. 🙂
Happy travels,
Sherri
To order prints or greeting cards of this area, please visit our Shasta Cascade Gallery. We will be adding more photos to this gallery soon! To see more galleries click here.
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"Morning Has Broken" - Gold Lake Sunrise.
Camp Host at Sugar Pine Reservoir.
Sugar Pine is senior & dog friendly too!
Kayaking into the sunset at Sugar Pine Reservoir.
Hiking near the campgrounds at Sugar Pine. When the water level is high, this is an island.
Dipping water from Sugar Pine Reservoir #1.
I love to shoot action and adventure. It's not so much about the subject matter, as it is about capturing the action and making photos with IMPACT. I want those who view my photos to "feel" what is going on in the scene.
It was getting late in the day and it would soon be time to head back home to Auburn. I was not going to leave without getting photos of these guys. I had two choices on how I could go about it. One was to hike to the area where they were dipping water, or I could opt to shoot from my kayak. Shooting from my kayak seemed like the better idea, plus it was a chance to get one more paddle in for the day.
Dipping water from Sugar Pine Reservoir #2.
Wild Iris growing along the trail at Hidden Falls Regional Park in Auburn, California.
Riviere des Chutes Magie (Deschutes River Magic) Deschutes River, La Pine, Oregon.
Sugar Pine Reservoir, Foresthill, California.
