Monterey, CA & Pacific Grove, CA (Cellphone Photos)

On the 17th May 2025, my parents and I took a trip to Monterey, CA and Pacific Grove, CA. We visited Coast Guard Pier, Monterey State Historic Park, Presidio of Monterey, Lovers Point Park, and more. I took photos on my phone and on my Olympus mirrorless camera, and the photos are split into 2 posts. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

Parts: Cellphone Photos | Olympus Photos (Coming Soon) 

This blog post has the cellphone photos I took. The photos are from several locations in Monterey, CA and Pacific Grove, CA including places like Coast Guard Pier, Monterey State Historic Park, Presidio of Monterey, and Lovers Point Park.

Message from the Photographer: Unfortunately my Olympus mirrorless camera's lens failed half way during our day trip this time. Luckily it is just a cheap kit lens, so I have a new one on the way. It would seem the internal motor failed in the lens (camera body is fine). Probably the first message you've seen that didn't involve Long COVID (LC)! However there is a little update on my health as well. My LC doctor and I are trying different doses of Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) to see which dose works the best. I am by no means back to normal as the COVID infection left me with quite a number of health problems, however the LDN is helping me with energy to a certain extent at the cost of side effects.

Since we hit Monterey, CA first, we parked at Presidio of Monterey and walked a loop around the coastal wharf areas. I first checked out the museum at the presidio, and also the Sloat Monument (no photos). After that we walked over to San Carlos Beach and Coast Guard Pier.

A photo of sea lions on rocks. The photo was shot at Coast Guard Pier in Monterey, CA.

A photo of sea lions on rocks. The photo was shot at Coast Guard Pier in Monterey, CA.

A photo of sea lions on rocks. The photo was shot at Coast Guard Pier in Monterey, CA.

Then we walked along the Monterey Peninsula Recreational Trail, and looped over to California's First Theater in Monterey State Historic Park.

A scenery photo of the garden behind California's First Theatre in Monterey State Historic Park in Monterey, CA.

A photo California's First Theatre in Monterey State Historic Park in Monterey, CA.

Next we started walking back toward Presidio of Monterey, CA to get back to our car.

A photo of the monument at the Vizcaíno Serra Landing Site. The photo was shot on Pacific Street (near Presidio of Monterey) in Monterey, CA.

After we got back to Presidio of Monterey, I ate the burrito I bought earlier in Sand City, CA. I was starving at this point.

A photo of the Junipero Serra Monument at the Presidio of Monterey in Monterey, CA.

After my parents and I finished our lunch, we headed to the location in Pacific Grove, CA that my father wanted to visit, Lovers Point Park. Due to long COVID, I was moderately tired at this point so I mostly rested in the car, until this "friendly" seagull decided to interrupt my nap.

A photo of the seagull that pooped on our car, along with Monterey Bay Coastal Trail on the right. The photo was shot on Ocean View Blvd (near Lovers Point Beach) in Pacific Grove, CA.

A photo of the seagull that pooped on our car, along with Monterey Bay Coastal Trail on the right. The photo was shot on Ocean View Blvd (near Lovers Point Beach) in Pacific Grove, CA.

A photo of the seagull that pooped on our car, along with Monterey Bay Coastal Trail on the right. The photo was shot on Ocean View Blvd (near Lovers Point Beach) in Pacific Grove, CA.

Maybe you can guess what happened after. I was napping in the passenger seat when this thing landed on our vehicle. It quickly occurred to me that the seagull will want to poop on our vehicle. I tried to shoo it away however it didn't budge. I think the seagulls around this area are used to humans as there are way too many. Anyways, the seagull looked at me dead in the eyes and let it rip. 😑 You can see the clear streak underneath the bird in the first photo.

I didn't get much of a nap after that seagull encounter, plus I had to use the bathroom. I took a small walk around the Lovers Point Park area. The parking spaces in this area is very tight, I had to climb over to the driver's seat before I could get out, as the passenger side door is blocked in.

A photo of Monterey Bay, Pacific Grove, flowers, and clouds. The photo was shot at Lovers Point Park in Pacific Grove, CA.

A photo of squirrels and a seagull. The photo was shot at Lovers Point Park in Pacific Grove, CA.

A photo of squirrels and seagulls. The photo was shot at Lovers Point Park in Pacific Grove, CA.

A photo of Monterey Bay, Pacific Grove, flowers, and clouds. The photo was shot on the trail by Ocean View Blvd in Pacific Grove, CA.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Parts: Cellphone Photos | Olympus Photos (Coming Soon) 

Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Martinez (Cellphone Photos)

On the 3rd May 2025, my parents and I took a trip to Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek, CA, Dinosaur Hill Park in Pleasant Hill, CA, and John Muir National Historic Site, Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline, and Martinez Marina in Martinez, CA. I took photos on my phone and on my Olympus mirrorless camera, and the photos are split into 3 posts. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

Parts: Cellphone Photos | Olympus Photos (Part 1) (Coming Soon) | Olympus Photos (Part 2 (Coming Soon)

This blog post has the cellphone photos I took. The photos are from Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek, CA, Dinosaur Hill Park in Pleasant Hill, CA, and John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, CA.

Our first stop of the day was Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek (1931 1st Ave, Walnut Creek, CA 94597). It was free admissions day that day celebrating the museum's 70th year anniversary. It was super crowded that day, and finding parking was a pain. Lindsay Wildlife Experience is a wildlife veterinary hospital, zoology museum, and small zoo all-in-one. I had a lot of fun seeing all the animals, both alive and taxidermy, and I even got to see a veterinarian weighing baby raccoons.

A photo of one of the events they had going on that day at Lindsay Wildlife Experience.

A taxidermy of the extinct California Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos californicus) at Lindsay Wildlife Experience.

I had no clue that these California Grizzly Bears were this big. This is way bigger than any bears I have seen out in the wild.

A photo of me next to the taxidermy of a California Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos californicus) at Lindsay Wildlife Experience.

Look at how big this thing is standing next to me!

A photo of me next to the taxidermy of a California Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos californicus) at Lindsay Wildlife Experience.

A photo of Atsá the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) at Lindsay Wildlife Experience.

This was the first time in my life I saw a bald eagle. I'm surprised at how huge it is! The docent told us that this bald eagle fell out of the nest as a chick and broke its right wing. It can not fly so it can not be released back into the wild.

A taxidermy of a Northern River Otter (Lontra canadensis) at Lindsay Wildlife Experience.

One of the docents at Lindsay Wildlife Experience showing off Sneakers the Pacific Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer).

One of the docents at Lindsay Wildlife Experience showing off Sneakers the Pacific Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer).

A taxidermy of a Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) at Lindsay Wildlife Experience.

A taxidermy of an American Beaver (Castor canadensis) at Lindsay Wildlife Experience.

After Lindsay Wildlife Experience, we went for lunch, before heading to Dinosaur Hill Park in Pleasant Hill, CA. At Dinosaur Hill park, it was two minutes up a few steps and we were greeted with gorgeous panoramic views of Pleasant Hill, Concord, Walnut Creek, and Mt. Diablo.

A scenery photo of Pleasant Hill, Concord, trees, grassland, clouds, and mountains. The photo was shot at Dinosaur Hill Park.

A scenery photo of Mt. Diablo, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, trees, grassland, clouds, and mountains. The photo was shot at Dinosaur Hill Park.

Unfortunately it was only when I got home I realized my father's camera lens showed on the left side of my cellphone photo above. 😭

After Dinosaur Hill Park, we went to John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, CA (4202 Alhambra Ave, Martinez, CA 94553).

A photo of the historic house that John Muir lived in, trees, flowers, hills, and clouds. The photo was shot at John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, CA.

The right mirror on our 2024 Ford Expedition did not automatically unfold again. The photo was shot at John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, CA.

For some reason that day, our Ford Expedition mirror did not unfold again, twice in a row. The vehicle has already been approved for lemon law buy back, since Ford dealerships already attempted to fix it multiple times, and it continues happening. I don't believe it has happened twice in a row before, this was a first. It happened once when we were leaving Dinosaur Hill Park and a second time when we were leaving John Muir National Historic Site. We purchased this vehicle (2024 Ford Expedition MAX Platinum) in April 2024. We're currently looking to go up to a 2025 Ford Expedition MAX King Ranch.

We ended the day at the shoreline of Martinez, however I only took photos with my Olympus camera there, so make sure to check out that blog post!

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Parts: Cellphone Photos | Olympus Photos (Part 1) (Coming Soon) | Olympus Photos (Part 2 (Coming Soon)

Sycamore Grove Park - Livermore, CA (Cellphone Photos)

Yesterday, on the 30th April 2025, my mom and I went for on a walk in Sycamore Grove Park in Livermore, CA. There are a lot of flowers blooming. I took photos with my cellphone. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

A scenery photo of trees, grassland, flowers, mountains, clouds, and power lines. The photo was shot on Arroyo Del Valle Regional Trail.

The flower species in this photo include: California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica), Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum).

A scenery photo of power lines, grassland, flowers, abandoned Olivina Winery Building (left), hills, and clouds. The photo was shot on Winery Loop.

The flower species in this photo include: Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum), Yellow Mustard Flowers.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

El Granada King Tide Event (Part 2)

On the 15th December 2024, my parents and I went to the King Tide event in El Granada, CA near Half Moon Bay, CA. We viewed the event from Maverick's Beach in El Granada, CA. I was able to take many photos of sunset, dusk, the extreme low tide, and the tide pools. I took photos with my Olympus mirrorless camera, and the photos are split into 2 posts. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

High Resolution Photos: If you want to see high resolution photos of any of the photos you see here, use the following links. If you wish to purchase prints of any of the photos, please contact me here. To view my best Half Moon Bay & El Granada photos, use this link. To see my best sunset and night photography photos, use this link. To see all of my photos from this trip, use this link.

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This is part 2 of the photos. The photos are of dusk and night time long exposures. All of the photos are from Mavericks Beach in El Granada, CA.

Message from the Photographer: Long COVID really slowed my photo processing, but I'm glad I can finally post these photos!

A dusk scenery photo with clouds, tidepools, Pillar Point (right), people, and rocks.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 29' 41" N 122° 29' 52" W

A dusk scenery photo with clouds, tidepools, Pillar Point, and people.

The photo was shot at the same spot as above.

A dusk scenery photo with tidepools, mountains, breakwater (left), people (right), and clouds.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 29' 40" N 122° 29' 52" W

A dusk scenery photo with tidepools, mountains, breakwater (right), Pillar Point (left), people, El Granada (in the distance in the center), and clouds.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 29' 41" N 122° 29' 52" W

A dusk scenery photo with clouds, tidepools, rocks, and people.

The photo was shot at the same spot as above.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A dusk scenery photo with clouds, tidepools, rocks, and people.

The photo was shot at the same spot as above.

A dusk scenery photo with clouds, tidepools, people, and rocks.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 29' 43" N 122° 29' 49" W

A dusk scenery photo with clouds, tidepools, people, and rocks.

The photo was shot at the same spot as above.

A night time long exposure of moon rise over El Granada, clouds, boats, mountains, and breakwater.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 29' 45" N 122° 29' 42" W

A night time long exposure of moon rise over El Granada, clouds, boats, mountains, and breakwater.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 29' 46" N 122° 29' 42" W

A night time long exposure of moon rise over El Granada, clouds, boats, mountains, breakwater, and rocks (bottom).

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 29' 46" N 122° 29' 41" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

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Mount Diablo SP & Old Borges Ranch (Cellphone Photos)

On the 19th April 2025, my parents and I went for a day trip to Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County, CA and Old Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek, CA. I went to Mt. Diablo to see flowers. While there weren't too many flowers blooming, I did see some. We dropped by Old Borges Ranch on before heading home, and I saw a Botta's Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae). I took photos with my cellphone. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

Message from the Photographer: I went on a few day trips during this previous long weekend (Easter Weekend). My energy has been much less affected recently, however I think Long COVID has shifted into attacking something else. Recently, my brain has been having some issues with forming speech, along with some other weirdness.

Our first destination (our main destination) is Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County, CA. We drove up to the peak via South Gate Road.

A photo of flowers, trees, and mountains. The photo was shot on South Gate Road in Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County, CA.

The flower species in this photo include: Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus).

A photo of flowers, cars (right), Mt. Diablo Peak (top right), South Gate Road (right), trees, and mountains. The photo was shot in Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County, CA.

The flower species in this photo include: Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus).

A photo of flowers, pinecones, South Gate Road (left), trees, and mountains. The photo was shot in Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County, CA.

The flower species in this photo include: Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus) & Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus).

A photo of flowers, trees, mountains, South Gate Road (right), and Mt. Diablo Peak (behind the trees). The photo was shot in Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County, CA.

The flower species in this photo include: Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus) & Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus).

A photo of flowers, trees, South Gate Road, mountains, cars (right), Mt. Diablo Peak (top right). The photo was shot in Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County, CA.

The flower species in this photo include: Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus).

It was very smoggy that day so the view from the peak wasn't all that good. I didn't end up taking photos at the peak. We exited the park via North Gate Road in hopes of finding more flowers than we did on South Gate Road.

A scenery of a hill, flowers, trees (top left), and rocks (top right). The photo was shot on North Gate Road in Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County, CA.

The flower species in this photo include: Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus), California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica), Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus).

A photo of California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) and rocks. The photo was shot on North Gate Road in Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County, CA.

A photo of California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) and rocks. The photo was shot on North Gate Road in Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County, CA.

Flower species also in this photo: Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum) (top left).

Before we went home, we dropped by Old Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek, CA to see the farm animals. I saw a Botta's Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae).

A photo of a Botta's Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae) at Old Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek, CA.

A photo of a Botta's Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae) at Old Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek, CA.

A photo of a Botta's Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae) at Old Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek, CA.

A photo of a Botta's Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae) at Old Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek, CA.

A photo of a Botta's Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae) at Old Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek, CA.

A photo of a Botta's Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae) at Old Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek, CA.

A photo of a Botta's Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae) at Old Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek, CA.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.