[Leica] Driving to Collinsville, CA

[abridge at gmail.com (Adam Bridge)]

Today, while the world was watching the infinite pre-game shows before
the Super-De-Duper Bowl we drove down to Collinsville, one of favorite
areas.

Driving south from Davis about 30 miles the plains of the Central
Valley abruptly begin to roll and then form a set of hills which bound
the Sacramento River to the north, herding it, along with Mount Diablo
to the south, toward the Carcinez Straits and San Francisco Bay.

The rolling land is farmed - wheat, sheep, and goats being the most
often found but there are still many small water courses and copses of
trees, usually eucalyptus imported in the 1860's from Australia. The
valley oaks don't find the terrain to their liking, I suppose.

We drove to Bird's Landing and then west along a narrow partially
paved road where we encountered this specimen strutting along the road
as if he owned it:

<http://www./adambridge.com/Photos/2006/02/05/_L3U9324.jpg>

I've met many roosters who were more skittish.

As I was taking this picture, it's nearly full-frame, there was the
constant sound of shot-guns being fired on a trap shooting range to
the south within easy sight. It was the base for, yes, of course, a
pheasant club!

Later on we found another but he was in bad shape - I think West Nile
had hit him. He walked listlessly, his tail feathers were partially
gone. He hid along a fence-line:

<http://www./adambridge.com/Photos/2006/02/05/_L3U9341.jpg>

Just up the road this jack-rabbit, I'll leave it to those steeped in
the lore of such things to identify the species. He watched warily as
I snapped these two:

<http://www./adambridge.com/Photos/2006/02/05/_L3U9342.jpg>

His profile just before he took flight:

<http://www./adambridge.com/Photos/2006/02/05/_L3U9343.jpg>

Further down the road I found this vast snaking pipeline, draining
land north of our road into the wetlands. The entire area is
administered to control salinity in the wetlands and tulle marshes. I
believe this represents a portion of the work. Cows roam the field
through which this fast serpent wends:

<http://www./adambridge.com/Photos/2006/02/05/_L3U9346-bw.jpg>

We saw four different ring-necked pheasants during our drive today -
none of which were in the least bit alarmed. In the autumn there are
NOT so easy to approach.

There is another kind of farming in this area as well: wind farms. Old
wind turbines, the bane of raptors with their fast-turning blades, are
being replaced with new larger ones whose blades make long, slow,
stately arcs across the sky as they generate their power.

I liked very much the reflections in this vernal pool. A few months
from now it will be gone leaving only a damp patch of wild flowers.
The hillside will turn golden as the wheat matures, hawks will circle
looking for ground squirrels and other rodents.

<http://www./adambridge.com/Photos/2006/02/05/_L3U9354.jpg>
<http://www./adambridge.com/Photos/2006/02/05/_L3U9358.jpg>

All of the animal images were made with the 560 Telyt and Canon 1Ds Mk
II. I hope the images don't appear to be made of silly putty. ;-}

The landscapes were made with the 24-70 F2.8L Canon zoom.

I also took along an M6 and will have a different interpretation of
the pipeline and perhaps a stand of windmills both very old and very
new to show in a few days.

Comments are welcome and invited.

Adam Bridge