McWay Cove in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park on the Big Sur Coast is one of the highlights of any trip down California’s Highway 1. The turquoise waters of this secluded lagoon combined with one of the only free falling waterfalls on the Pacific Coast make for a breathtaking scene. The cove, which is part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, is hidden from the highway but a short trail from the state park leads to spectacular views of the falls and surrounding coastline.

Contrary to popular belief lightning can strike the same place twice as shown in this timed exposure in the Ajo Mountains of Arizona. Although there are devices available for capturing lightning images, I find that composing a shot and then making a timed exposure of one to three minutes in sync with the rhythm of the strikes works just as well.

This image was made with a 300mm lens at a distance of about ten miles. While heading back from a day of shooting at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, I noticed the storm in the distance just after sunset and was surprised by the consistency of the strikes on the ridge. Shooting lightning can be dangerous (a tripod makes a good lightning rod!), but the conditions were perfect on this evening with clear skies above me and the long lens bringing the drama safely into view. The challenging part was actually framing the image in complete darkness using only the light from the strikes to compose. After opening the shutter, I watched and waited as mother nature created her elaborate light painting.

In honor of the first mountain stage in the Tour de France yesterday, I couldn’t resist sharing another image from the recent Tour of California. As the riders (many of whom are now in France) climbed the infamous Rock Store grade a fourth time and the spectators became increasingly more bizarre, the whole scene could easily have been mistaken for the Alps or Pyrenees in July.

To celebrate the soon to be released Yosemite quarter here’s a unique view of America’s 2nd national park. The appropriately named Mist Trail climbs a series of stone steps next to Vernal Falls and is a perfect way to cool off during the warm summer months in the Valley. A rainbow often forms at the base of the falls and the upper portion of the trail is actually carved into the cliff adjacent to the falls providing a spectacular view.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th. Here’s another image from the Freedom Trail in Boston where it all began. On April 18, 1775 two lanterns were hung in The Old North Church to inform Paul Revere before his famous midnight ride that the British were coming by sea and not by land.

The final stage of the Tour of California professional cycling race came through the nearby Santa Monica Mountains recently and provided a great opportunity for some dramatic shots of the world’s top cyclists. The four lap circuit on one of southern California’s steepest climbs was tough enough to slow the normally high-speed peloton and the fans lining the course created a spectacle like those in the Alps during the Tour de France.