Near Mt. Hamilton Rd. mile marker 13.86, Joseph D. Grant County Park, Santa Clara County, CA, 2/27/2004
I made this photograph the day I learned the value of not giving up when the weather is bad. I began my drive to Joseph D. Grant County Park near San Jose, CA in mid afternoon beneath a mostly calm winter sky. By the time I neared the park I found myself driving in heavy rain under dark gray storm clouds. I remember thinking I was wasting my time and should probably turn around and go home, but because the drive was mostly over I continued heading for the park and hoped for the best. Fortunately the sky lightened, the downpour diminished, and as I parked my car the rain stopped while the sun emerged between bright clouds and glimpses of blue sky. The park looked more beautiful than I had ever seen it and I quickly went to work with my camera capturing the trees and hills under the best conditions I could ever have hoped for. As the sun sank low in the sky and the air cooled I witnessed a gentle haze - almost a fog - arise from the hills, suffusing the countryside in a dreamlike atmosphere. At sunset from atop a hill near Mt. Hamilton Road I captured this westward view through the forest and rolling hills descending toward San Francisco Bay. I was very pleased to be there at such a special moment enjoying this enchanted landscape! The oak woodland at Grant County Park is typical of California and includes species such as the Blue, Black, Live, and Valley Oaks.
