On the Road to Who Knows Where

The Photo Walk that Wasn't

I was in Templeton today for a doctor appointment I didn't know had been cancelled. But I decided to make the most of it and take a photo walk. I started at the construction site on the corner of Posada Lane and Las Tablas that I started photographing last week. The plan was to then go to rural east Templeton and take some pictures, so I headed off on Templeton Road. I parked along the side of the road and hadn't walked far when I found this lost glove in the bike lane. I don't want to even think about what's on that glove.

Lost Garden Glove on the Road, © B. Radisavljevic

Construction

When I visited the doctor a week ago, I noticed construction was underway to replace the medical building that had burned down a couple of years ago. Last week the foundations were almost finished. This week framing was off to a good start. I took several photos, but I'm just sharing these two now. I took these shots from Las Tablas Road.

Construction on Posada Lane in Templeton, © B. Radisavljevic

Below is a new trench. I noticed when I uploaded the photo that I'd shot past this olive tree which is loaded with olives.

Olive Tree Loaded with Olives near Construction Site on Posada Lane, © B. Radisavljevic

East Templeton

When I'd finished shooting my construction photos I drove over to Templeton Road in rural East Templeton, where I intended to shoot a lot of rural photos. Here are the only two I have to share. First this odd shaped oak tree caught my eye. It's had quite a pruning job. It is currently sharing its space with some trailers, trucks, and heavy equipment.

Grotesque Oak Tree in Rural Templeton, © B. Radisavljevic 

The horse properties were a bit prettier. I took several photos at this farm, but liked this one best.

Horses Grazing in Rural Templeton, © B. Radisavljevic 

After I shot this, something strange started happening to my camera lens. It zoomed and wouldn't come back. then I got the message that there was a lens error and my camera would shut down automatically and I'd have to restart it. So I put it back in its case and decided to take the scenic route home to Paso Robles via El Pomar.

I got as far as Finley Family Nursery and decided to park there and see how the camera was doing. This is how it was doing.

Blurry Photo Taken When Lens Malfunctioned

I kept trying to get it in focus and couldn't. Then I got the message that it was shutting down and I needed to charge the battery. Fortunately when I finally got home and charged the battery, the camera started to work again. Meanwhile, I missed a lot of good shots, including a spectacular sunset on the way home.

Getting Home Was a Nightmare

I thought I knew how to get from El Pomar to South River Road. I've done it. I wrote down the instructions for my husband. But I didn't have them with me. When I got to Creston Road, I turned south instead of north and got lost.

I drove for miles trying to figure out the way home and my gas tank was getting dangerously close to empty and the sun was going down. All I could see were vineyards and farms and no people. Finally I found a couple of men near the road and stopped. They told me to turn around and go the opposite direction on Creston and I'd finally get to Paso Robles. I guess I had driven all the way to Creston. Maybe it is time to get a smartphone -- or at least carry a map.

It's awful to be going full speed who knows where until one can find the way home. But I finally got to territory I recognized again and made it home without running out of gas. I've not been so happy to get home in a long time. It's what we think we know that we don't know that can get us in trouble.

Have you been lost lately? How did it make you feel? 


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My 2016 Photos of the Year

It's Theme Day and the Theme is Photo of the Year

City Daily Photo bloggers all post to the same theme on the first day of every month. This month we get to choose what we consider the best or favorite photo from our blog posts in 2016. I have chosen my favorite from one of my most popular posts -- Search for Big Sandy Wildlife Area through San Miguel's Back Roads. 

Horses in San Miguel on the Back Roads

I'm not sure why this is my favorite, but I think it's because the horses are relaxing together and they appear to be companions. They are also beautiful horses. 

My Favorite Photo from 2016 Not Published in This Blog

This photo was taken as we returned home from our holiday trip to visit friends and relatives in Southern California. We just happened to be looking for a rest stop in Ventura as the sun was about to set. I've always wanted to get a good shot of a sunset on a beach, and this was my opportunity. My husband parked by the beach at the end of Seaward Drive and I was able to get this shot. The peace of this sunset helped me keep calm as I spent an hour driving from Ventura through Santa Barbara in bumper to bumper traffic. I've never been so glad to get to Goleta in my life. Here's the photo.

Sunset on the Beach in Ventura, California

You can see what other City Daily Photo Bloggers have done with this theme here.

Which of my photos do you like best for 2016?

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• Mission San Miguel Photos
• A Peek Inside the San Miguel Mission Church
• The Old School Bell in San Miguel
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Search for Big Sandy Wildlife Area through San Miguel's Back Roads

Wild Goose Chase In Search of Big Sandy Wildlife Area

I spent a lot of time on San Miguel's back roads yesterday afternoon looking for Big Sandy Wildlife Area. It's not all that easy to find the entrance on a map. It was hard enough to find Indian Valley Road, from which the parking lot is supposed to be entered, if you can believe the web page for Big Sandy Wildlife Area.  I tried calling the phone number on that site, but it didn't work. I wasn't even sure  if  when I found it the area would be open for access, since nowhere online could I find any hours. (As you will see below, I did  finally find a working number, and also learned there are no set hours for access.)

This intersection is where I should have started looking very carefully. Sometimes it was hard to tell a ranch driveway from a road.   I did see one closed gate that could have been the entrance, but it didn't look quite right. Too bad they don't have a photo of the entrance on the web site. (See link to Google Map a few paragraphs under this)

Intersection of Indian Valley and  Vineyard Canyon Roads, © B. Radisavljevic 

It's a shame I didn't have this map with me.

 Topographic Map Poster - SAN MIGUEL, CA TNM GEOPDF 7.5X7.5 GRID 24000-SCALE TM 2012 19

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I had an interesting drive all the way to Bradley on Indian Valley Road, Hare Canyon, and Bradley Road, but I didn't find Big Sandy. I must have driven right by it without seeing it. I think I did see it, just not the entrance. There were signs for everything else, but not Big Sandy Wildlife Area -- unless the government hid them well. By the time I reached these signs at Hare Canyon, I knew I'd been on a wild goose chase and the goose got away -- this time.

Signs Near Intersection of Indian Valley and Hare Canyon Roads,  © B. Radisavljevic. If you have reached this, you are far past the parking lot for Big Sandy Wildlife Area.

I finally reached someone in Fresno today at  (831) 649-2870 who walked me through a map on Google earth over the phone. We kept enlarging the map until we found the parking lot -- at least on the map. This is a link to where the parking lot is and what it looks like. Wish I'd had it yesterday. I also learned there are some yellow signs all along the fence of the parking lot. 

I learned that this is hunting season there and that it would help to wear orange if I do back before it's over. They allow only shotguns and archery as weapons. Evidently the main game are quail and hogs. I only want to use my camera. Maybe I'll try again on the next moderately cool day.

What I  Saw While on My Wild Goose Chase

I found cattle and horses grazing on the many ranches I passed, but no geese. You can see how dry the hillsides are.

Here are some of the cattle.

Cattle at Ranch on Indian Valley Road, © B. Radisavljevic

Steer at Ranch on Hare Canyon Road or Bradley Road, © B. Radisavljevic

These horses were gorgeous.

Horses on Indian Valley Road, © B. Radisavljevic

With all the animals to feed, there had to be hay, and I passed lots of it. 

Hay Seen Along Indian Valley Rd., © B. Radisavljevic. Photo size ideal for Pinterest

Hare Canyon Road

As I wrote earlier, when I got to the signs at Hare Canyon Road, I knew I had gone too far north. I decided to head back to the 101 Freeway, so I turned  west on Hare Canyon. Right after I turned I saw this contrast between irrigated and land with no irrigation. I passed very few irrigated acres. 

Irrigation on Hare Canyon Road, © B. Radisavljevic

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As it turns out, I circled all around the Big Sandy Wildlife area without realizing it. Hare Canyon curves around it before connecting to Bradley Road in Bradley, which is where I eventually got back on the freeway.  It was not a smooth ride. At one point the road was so narrow  I almost went over the edge, and I was only at a moderate speed, probably about 40 mph. Fortunately there was no embankment to drop off, but it was still scary. 

Somewhere along Hare Canyon I passed some deer. I would have liked to have photographed them, but there was no good place to park.  Both Hare Canyon and Bradley roads were almost deserted. I didn't see any other car on them while I was there. I finally could see the bridges crossing the Salinas River in Bradley up ahead. 

Railroad Bridge in Bradley Over Salinas River by Gate to National Guard Base,  © B. Radisavljevic 

The Salinas River was dry, so I decided to photograph the graffiti on the pillars under the bridge on Bradley Road. It was more interesting than the bridge view from the road.

Graffiti under Bridge on Bradley Road,  © B. Radisavljevic 

I took one last photo near the bridge before I got back in my car and headed home. It had been a long afternoon. It was about ten degrees hotter in this area than it was back in Paso Robles. Every time I got out of the car to take a picture I almost could feel the moisture leaving my body. I was looking forward to sitting in my chair with a large glass of ice water.

A Tree Near the Bridge in Bradley, © B. Radisavljevic 

Have you ever driven the back roads of San Miguel and Bradley? Have you ever been to the Big Sandy Wildlife Area? If so, did you find it easily?

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H is for Horses

North San Luis Obispo County is definitely horse country. I meet a lot of horses while on my photo walks. Some are owned by people who can keep them at home. Others are in horse farms. There are many horse ranches, breeders, and stables in Paso Robles, Templeton, and Atascadero. You will also find many equestrian-related businesses to serve those with horses. That has given me several opportunities to photograph horses, since I seem I find them everywhere I go. 

The horse in the photo above was discovered in the new barn behind Epoch Estate Wines tasting room on York Mountain Road many years ago just after York Mountain Winery was sold to Epoch. The horses below were found a year years back hitched to this tree during Day in the Shade, an annual art event at Templeton Park. There are people who ride around town.

Horses Hitched to Tree at Templeton Park,© B. Radisavljevic

The horses below appeared in a dry creek near the end of Twelve Oaks Drive. I had always wondered where it ended and decided to find out one day. When I got to a bridge, I spotted a group of horses. These are some of them. You can read more about my unexpected horse encounter here and see some of the other photos from that day. 

Horses in Rural Paso Robles,© B. Radisavljevic

Another day I was exploring a rural neighborhood south of Charolais Road off South River Road and saw these horses.

Horses Under Oak Tree in Rural Paso Robles Neighborhood, © B. Radisavljevic

This horse does find  the grass greener on the other side of the fence. © B. Radisavljevic

On another walk I was exploring East Union Road and saw these lovely horses grazing at on a property with a sign that read Seven Chips Quarter Horses. See more of my photos from that walk here. It was March and the blooming trees made the perfect background.

Seven Chips Quarter Horse on Union Road © B. Radisavljevic

One of my most popular posts on horses was "A Miniature Horse." As I was searching the original files for a photo that showed the difference in size between a horse and a miniature horse, I found this and I uploaded it for you to see. I love the way the horses interact here. Enjoy.

Do you love miniature horses? Here are some ways to express that.

 Miniature Horse Herd Canvas Print Life Size White Miniature Horse Wrapped Canvas Mini Foal And Dandelions Miniature Horse Poster Miniature Horse Running Near Water Canvas Print Miniature Horse Foal - Customized Colt & Filly Canvas Print White miniature horse greeting card Miniature Horses Touching Poster

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If you enjoyed H is for Horses, please share it. The sharing buttons are just above the comment box at the end of this post. The photo below is especially designed for pinning.

This is my eighth post for the 2016 AtoZchallenge, a Blogging Challenge for the month of April, 2016. My theme is Things You Can See or Experience in North San Luis Obispo County. Here are links to the other posts if you missed them.

A is for Acorn
B is for Barney Schwartz Park
C is for Cattle in Wine Country
D is for Dark Star Cellars
E is for Electric Wires
F is for Family Farms
G is for Graveyard Vineyards

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A Miniature Horse

North San Luis Obispo County is Horse Country

The North County is wine country, but it's also horse country. There are commercial horse farms, and then there are residents who have horses along with donkeys, mules, sheep, and goats. This is a miniature horse who lives in Templeton, south of Vineyard Drive, off Santa Rita Road. It lives with larger horses next to a rural home.

A Miniature Horse is Not a Pony

When I first saw this horse I thought it might be a pony, but later I met the owner, who set me straight. You can see how small this miniature horse is when one of the other horses is near. This isn't a very clear shot since the horses were at the back of the lot and I had to use my zoom.


I took a couple of other shots of the miniature horse to give you yet a different perspective.

This photo was taken looking straight at the front of the horse.

This shot was taken as I looked over the top of the fence. 

Does anyone have a caption you'd like to suggest for this one?

 Miniature Horse Manual for New Owners A Newly Revised and Updated Guide for the First Time Minature Horse Owner

Don't miss my friend Rhonda's travel blog, Albom Adventures

An Unexpected Horse Encounter

I had no idea where I would go photo hunting today, since time was limited. I had to go to Templeton, so I decided to explore a road to its very end, just to see where it went. I almost couldn't get on it because the road entrance was blocked by a huge tow truck trying to get a stalled motorist back on the road. They recommended I just go over the low curb to get around them. So reluctantly, I did.

The road I had selected was Twelve Oaks Drive that goes past the Doce Robles winery, vineyards, and tasting room. I had often walked part of that road, but I never had seen where it ended. It actually wasn't as long as I thought it might be. It's curvy and goes through a grove of oaks and then crosses over a dry creek on a sort of bridge. As I was crossing the bridge, I look over the edge and saw this. You can click on the picture to make it bigger.

I zoomed in to get a closer view. I could tell it was a beautiful horse.

I was parked on the bridge and had gotten out of my car to snap the pictures. That's when I discovered this lovely horse had friends.  I had gotten back in the car, and when I looked out the window, I saw the group moving toward the bridge and my car. They seemed curious.

I would have loved to have stayed and watched them longer, but I was parked right on the bridge and there was nowhere to park on the side of the road. The road ended on private property almost as soon as I crossed the creek. I reluctantly headed for home. Fortunately the road was no longer blocked.

Have you had any surprises today?

 Jigsaw Puzzle of Brown Horse Grazing Playing Cards : Brown Horse in Los Alamos

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