Giant Sequoia in winter, Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park, California

Winter dawn on Carson Peak, June Lake, California 

California Poppy detail, Antelope Valley, California 

Wildflower abstract, Tehachapi Mountains, Angeles National Forest, California 

The Old North Church and gas street lamp on the Freedom Trail, Boston, Massachusetts 

Professional cyclists at the Amgen Tour of California, Santa Monica Mountains, California 

Salt pan under Telescope Peak at dawn, Death Valley National Park. California

Eroded hills below Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park. California 

Spanish fountain at the Santa Barbara Mission, Santa Barbara, California

Sea nettles at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California

Low tide and sunset over Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park, Ventura, California

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.

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.