Mines Rd/SR-130/Patterson Pass - Alameda/Contra Costa/Stanislaus County, CA

On the 24th November 2024, my parents and I went for a drive in the back roads behind Lick Observatory and Mt. Hamilton. We didn't go up to Lick Observatory that day. We traveled along Mines Road and State Route 130 before looping back via Patterson Pass. We went to San Antonio Valley, Del Puerto Canyon, and Patterson in Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and Stanislaus County in California. 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 Mt. Hamilton & Lick Observatory photos, use this link. To view my best autumn foliage photos, use this link. To see all of my photos from this trip from Mt. Hamilton & Lick Observatory, use this link. To see all of my photos from Patterson, CA, use this link. To see all of my photos from Livermore, CA, use this link.

At the beginning of of our trip, we weren't planning to do this huge loop, however we didn't find any good scenery to take photos of in Livermore, CA. The clouds along Mines Road looked better so we headed for the mountains.

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

A scenery photo of clouds, mountains, autumn foliage, and trees. The photo was shot on Mines Road in Alameda County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 34' 47" N 121° 35' 21" W

A scenery photo of clouds, mountains, autumn foliage, and trees. The photo was shot on Mines Road in Alameda County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 32' 17" N 121° 33' 55" W

A scenery photo of autumn foliage and clouds. The photo was shot on Mines Road in Alameda County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 32' 14" N 121° 33' 54" W

At this point, we decided to head towards Del Puerto Canyon to drive to Patterson, CA. We have been to Lick Observatory several times now, however have never headed down Del Puerto Canyon. Before heading down Del Puerto Canyon, we decided to drop by San Antonio Valley.

A scenery photo of clouds, mountains, autumn foliage, and trees. The photo was shot on San Antonio Valley Road (State Route 130) in San Antonio Valley, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 22' 42" N 121° 29' 08" W

A scenery photo of San Antonio Valley Road (State Route 130), clouds, mountains, autumn foliage, and trees. The photo was shot in San Antonio Valley, CA.

The photo was shot at the same spot as above.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo a horse, clouds, autumn foliage, and trees. The photo was shot on San Antonio Valley Road (State Route 130) in San Antonio Valley, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 22' 42" N 121° 29' 09" W

A scenery photo horses, clouds, autumn foliage (left), trees, and water tank & well (right). The photo was shot on San Antonio Valley Road (State Route 130) in San Antonio Valley, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 22' 41" N 121° 29' 09" W

A scenery photo horses, clouds, autumn foliage (left), trees, and water tank & well (right). The photo was shot on San Antonio Valley Road (State Route 130) in San Antonio Valley, CA.

The photo was shot at the same spot as above.

After San Antonio Valley, we did a U-Turn and headed down Del Puerto Canyon.

A scenery photo of clouds, mountains, trees, and autumn foliage. The photo was shot on Del Puerto Canyon Road (State Route 130) in Del Puerto Canyon in Stanislaus County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 25' 14" N 121° 20' 48" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo of clouds, mountains, trees, and Del Puerto Canyon Road (State Route 130) (left). The photo was shot in Del Puerto Canyon in Stanislaus County, CA.

The photo was shot at the same spot as above.

A scenery photo of rocks, graffiti, and clouds (top right). The photo was shot on Del Puerto Canyon Road (State Route 130) in Del Puerto Canyon in Stanislaus County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 28' 21" N 121° 14' 25" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo of rocks, graffiti, and clouds (top left). The photo was shot on Del Puerto Canyon Road (State Route 130) in Del Puerto Canyon in Stanislaus County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 28' 23" N 121° 14' 26" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo of clouds, mountains, trees (left), rocks, and clouds (top left). The photo was shot on Del Puerto Canyon Road (State Route 130) in Del Puerto Canyon in Stanislaus County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 28' 24" N 121° 14' 26" W

A scenery photo of clouds, palm trees, trees, cars, lorries, petrol stations, houses, and City of Patterson. The photo was shot near the intersection of Sperry Avenue (State Route 130) and California Aqueduct in Patterson, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 27' 51" N 121° 10' 41" W

After we grabbed lunch in Patterson, CA, we originally wanted to loop back via Tesla Road, which unfortunately we found out was closed. We ended up looping back via Patterson Pass between Livermore and Tracy.

A sunset scenery photo of clouds, windmills, and Tracy, CA. The photo was shot at Top Of The World on Patterson Pass Road in Livermore, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 40' 13" N 121° 37' 47" 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.

Autumn Foliage in Livermore, CA

On the 23rd November 2024, my parents and I went to Livermore, CA to take photos of autumn foliage. It is a tiny bit past season for autumn foliage, but I was still able to get some good photos. At night, we went to Downtown Livermore for dinner. I took photos with both my camera and my phone and the photos are split into 2 parts. 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 autumn foliage photos, use this link. To see my best Livermore, CA photos, use this link. To see all of my photos from this trip, use this link.

Parts: Livermore Autumn Foliage | Livermorium Plaza (Cellphone Photos)

Today, I have autumn foliage photos I took at Livermore Public Library and Mines Road in Livermore, CA.

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

A scenery photo of autumn foliage and clouds. The photo was shot at Livermore Public Library in Livermore, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 40' 26" N 121° 45' 19" W

A scenery photo of autumn foliage and clouds. The photo was shot at Livermore Public Library in Livermore, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 40' 26" N 121° 45' 18" W

A scenery photo of autumn foliage and clouds. The photo was shot on the sidewalk near Livermore Public Library in Livermore, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 40' 23" N 121° 45' 17" W

A scenery photo of autumn foliage, clouds, sidewalk, parking lot (right), South Livermore Avenue (left), and Livermore Public Library (right). The photo was shot on the sidewalk near Livermore Public Library in Livermore, CA.

The photo was shot near the same spot as above.

A scenery photo of autumn foliage, clouds, and parking lot. The photo was shot on the sidewalk near Livermore Public Library in Livermore, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 40' 24" N 121° 45' 18" W

A scenery photo of autumn foliage, clouds, and parking lot. The photo was shot in the parking lot of Livermore Public Library in Livermore, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 40' 25" N 121° 45' 19" W

A scenery photo of power lines, vineyard autumn foliage, and clouds. The photo was shot on Mines Road in Livermore, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 39' 29" N 121° 43' 47" W

A scenery photo of power lines, vineyard autumn foliage, and clouds. The photo was shot on Mines Road in Livermore, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 39' 31" N 121° 43' 50" W

A scenery photo of Mt. Diablo, power lines, vineyard autumn foliage, and clouds. The photo was shot on Mines Road in Livermore, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 39' 32" N 121° 43' 50" W

A scenery photo of mountains, vineyard autumn foliage, and clouds. The photo was shot on Mines Road in Livermore, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 39' 29" N 121° 43' 45" W

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: Livermore Autumn Foliage | Livermorium Plaza (Cellphone Photos)

Copyright Warning: These photos are some of my best and most popular works of art. Unauthorized usage and reproductions are strictly prohibited. Please contact me here to purchase prints and negotiate photo licenses.

Lick Observatory/SR-130 At Night - Alameda/Santa Clara County, CA

On 11 February 2024, my parents and I took a night time trip to Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton, CA. We took the back route traveling from Livermore, to Lick, then looping back via San Jose. We went for night photography and was shooting all the way into the next day (12 February 2024) until 5AM (my last photo was around 2AM because I was way too tired, but my dad took more)! What surprised me the most was the amount of light pollution (so the trip was mostly a bust). There were only 2 directions you can shoot in (north and south) because to the west was the San Francisco Bay Area, and to the east was Central Valley, both of which provided a ton of light pollution. The light pollution was so bad, I was able to see pretty well even with my half night blindness caused by Visual Snow Syndrome. The light pollution was so bright, I was usually able to tell when the photo won't turn out very well even before I started taking the shot. 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 Lick Observatory photos, use this link. To view my best sunset, sunrise, and night photography photos, use this link. To see all of my photos from this trip, use this link.

Message from the Photographer: Recently, my dad has taken up photography again, so I was teaching him how to do long exposures at night. I still can't see very well at night due to Visual Snow Syndrome, and the experimental treatment didn't completely fix it. These were all places I have been to during the day so I pretty much know what direction to shoot in (and I marked out all the spots on Google Maps). My dad did assist me as well, and I was able to compose by taking a ton of high ISO test shots (despite not being able to see much). Also, as mentioned above, there was a surprising amount of light pollution in the mountains east of the San Francisco Bay, so that assisted me as well! I'm sure some of you are wondering how I'm able to do this despite my half night blindness.

We started our trip on Mines Road. It actually dipped below freezing that night in some parts of our drive along this road.

A night time long exposure of star trails, mountains, and Mines Road. The photo was shot on the side of Mines Road in Alameda County, CA.

EXIF Data: 34mm | f/2.8 | ISO 100 | 11 minutes 1 second

The photo was shot on 11 February 2024.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 24' 07" N 121° 29' 18" W

Next we arrive on State Route 130.

A night time long exposure of star trails, mountains, clouds, and San Antonio Road (State Route 130) (left). The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 in Santa Clara County, CA.

EXIF Data: 27mm | f/2.8 | ISO 100 | 11 minutes 1 second

The photo was shot on 11 February 2024.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 19' 47" N 121° 29' 25" W

A night time long exposure of stars, mountains, clouds, and San Antonio Road (State Route 130) (right). The photo was shot on the side of San Antonio Road (State Route 130) in Santa Clara County, CA.

EXIF Data: 20mm | f/2.8 | ISO 800 | 1 minute 22 seconds

The photo was shot on 11 February 2024.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 21' 03" N 121° 36' 38" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

Next we arrive at Lick Observatory in Mt. Hamilton, CA. There was still a tiny bit of snow left on top of Mt. Hamilton that night. I forgot to bring gloves and it was freezing cold! It was past midnight, so the rest of the photos were shot on 12 February 2024. The following photos were shot at approximate GPS coordinates of 37° 20' 23" N 121° 38' 39" W. 

A night time long exposure of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) (bottom), San Jose (in the distance), San Francisco Bay (in the distance), and San Francisco (in the distance on the right). The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 34mm | f/11 | ISO 100 | 2 minutes 5 seconds

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

A night time long exposure of San Jose, San Francisco Bay, and San Francisco. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 42mm (84mm - Full Frame Equivalent) | f/9 | ISO 200 | 1 minute

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A night time long exposure of San Jose. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 42mm (84mm - Full Frame Equivalent) | f/13 | ISO 200 | 1 minute

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

The last of the photos I took are of stars and star trails above Lick Observatory. The photos were shot at approximate GPS coordinates of 37° 20' 33" N 121° 38' 49" W. The photos were shot on the side of State Route 130 in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

A night time long exposure of stars, Lick Observatory (top center), mountains, clouds, and State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) (bottom). The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 34mm | f/2.8 | ISO 400 | 1 minute 5 seconds

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

A night time long exposure of stars, Lick Observatory (top center), mountains, clouds, and State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) (bottom). The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 34mm | f/2.8 | ISO 800 | 30 seconds

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

A night time long exposure of stars, Lick Observatory (top center), mountains, clouds, and State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) (bottom). I lit up the foreground a little bit using my flashlight. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 34mm | f/2.8 | ISO 800 | 30 seconds

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

A night time long exposure of stars, Lick Observatory (top center), mountains, clouds, and State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) (bottom). I lit up the foreground a little bit using my flashlight. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 34mm | f/2.8 | ISO 400 | 1 minute 5 seconds

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

A night time long exposure of star trails, Lick Observatory (top center), mountains, clouds, and State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) (bottom). I lit up the foreground a little bit using my flashlight. The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 34mm | f/2.8 | ISO 100 | 4 minutes 5 seconds

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

A night time long exposure of stars, Lick Observatory (center), mountains, and State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) (bottom). The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 34mm | f/2.8 | ISO 800 | 30 seconds

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

A night time long exposure of stars, Lick Observatory (center), mountains, and State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) (bottom). The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 34mm | f/2.8 | ISO 1600 | 15 seconds

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

A night time long exposure of star trails, Lick Observatory (center), mountains, and State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) (bottom). The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 34mm | f/2.8 | ISO 100 | 4 minutes 5 seconds

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

A night time long exposure of star trails, Lick Observatory (center), mountains, and State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) (bottom). The photo was shot on the side of State Route 130 (Mt. Hamilton Road) in Mt. Hamilton, CA.

EXIF Data: 14mm (28mm - Full Frame Equivalent) | f/3.5 | ISO 200 | 8 minutes

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

Now on to the most interesting part of our night trip. I can't really remember if this occurred while we were driving on Mines Road or State Route 130, but it was very dark in the mountains east of of the San Francisco Bay (at least parts of the road was, not the sky). For some reason my dad forgot to turn on the high beams, and we crashed into wild boars that were walking along the road. I had no idea those things even exist here in the San Francisco Bay Area, but apparently they did. My dad did not stop in time, and I'm pretty sure we crashed into the butt of one. The boar ran off really fast, so I guess it's ok. I'm pretty sure we hit the butt because there was poop on our vehicle's bumper. Take a look for yourself in the 2 cellphone photos I shot later that day once we got home! I think our bumper took some damage too as it was a pretty hard hit.

Boar poop on our vehicle bumper from the collision.

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

Boar poop on our vehicle bumper from the collision.

The photo was shot on 12 February 2024.

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.

Mines Rd/SR-130 (Part 1) - Alameda/Santa Clara County, CA

On 30 December 2023, my parents and I took a trip to Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton, CA. We took the back route traveling from Livermore, to Lick, then looping back via San Jose. I took more photos on the drive, than at Lick Observatory on this trip because when we got to Lick, it was in the middle of a cloud, so nothing was really visible! The photos are split into 2 blog 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 Lick Observatory photos, use this link. To see all of my photos from this trip, use this link.

Next Part >>

The photos in the blog post are from our drive up to Lick Observatory. Photos were shot along Mines Road in Alameda County, CA and State Route 130 in Santa Clara County, CA.

A scenery photo of clouds, trees, and mountains.

The photo was shot on Mines Road in Alameda County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 37' 16" N 121° 42' 05" W

A scenery photo of Mines Road, barns, clouds, trees, hills shot in Alameda County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 36' 38" N 121° 40' 48" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo of Mines Road (left), clouds, trees, and mountains shot in Alameda County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 36' 18" N 121° 39' 54" W

A scenery photo of Mines Road (right), clouds, trees, and hills shot in Alameda County, CA.

The photo was shot near the same spot as above.

A scenery photo of Mines Road (left), clouds, trees, and hills shot in Alameda County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 24' 08" N 121° 29' 17" W

A scenery photo of Mines Road, clouds, trees, and mountains shot in Alameda County, CA.

The photo was shot near the same spot as above.

A scenery photo of a pond, clouds, trees, and mountains.

The photo was shot on Mines Road in Alameda County, CA.

The photo was shot near the same spot as above.

A scenery photo of clouds, trees, and mountains.

The photo was shot on San Antonio Valley Road (State Route 130) in San Antonio Valley, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 22' 41" N 121° 29' 08" W

A scenery photo of San Antonio Valley Road (State Route 130), clouds, trees, and mountains shot in San Antonio Valley, CA.

The photo was shot near the same spot as above.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo of San Antonio Valley Road (State Route 130) (left), clouds, trees, and mountains shot in Santa Clara County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 19' 47" N 121° 29' 25" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo of clouds, trees, ranches (bottom), and mountains.

The photo was shot on San Antonio Valley Road (State Route 130) in Santa Clara County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 21' 35" N 121° 35' 02" W

A scenery photo of clouds, trees, and mountains.

The photo was shot on San Antonio Valley Road (State Route 130) in Santa Clara County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 21' 08" N 121° 36' 19" W

A scenery photo of clouds, trees, and mountains.

The photo was shot on San Antonio Valley Road (State Route 130) in Santa Clara County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 21' 04" N 121° 36' 37" W

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.

Next Part >>