A few more photos from the High Peaks Trail at Pinnacles National Park.

On Saturday, I helped lead a Save Mount Diablo Discover Diablo photography hiking trip to the High Peaks area of Pinnacles National Park. What is interesting about this photo is (1/2)

I spent a wild and "nautical" day on Mount Diablo attempting to count birds for the Central Contra Costa Christmas Bird Count. I covered the upper Mitchell Canyon (Deer Flat) area with some intrepid friends. The rain and strong, steady wind made our job extremely challenging!

It was a cold, but beautiful morning for a hike on Mount Diablo. The highlight was having eye-level views (and photos) of a Merlin perched on a snag near Twin Peaks. Merlins rarely sit still for very long, so I was surprised when this one waited for me to climb up the trail to get a bit closer.

A Bigleaf Maple providing some fall color in Back Canyon on Mount Diablo this morning.

We made the drive over Tioga Pass to Mono Lake, meeting friends to enjoy their companionship and the Eastern Sierra fall colors. However, most of my photos ended up being of the magnficent clouds, light, and shadows that always seem to be a big part of the Eastern Sierra experience.