Washburn Trail, Joseph D. Grant County Park, Santa Clara County, CA, 2/11/2007
Here is the view looking northwest from a hill near the start of Washburn Trail in Joseph D. Grant County Park in Santa Clara County, CA. On this chilly afternoon the sky was graced with some of the most beautiful and glorious clouds I have ever seen! Occasionally - usually in winter - streams of puffy cumulus clouds like these are able to journey inland this far from the Pacific Ocean without dissipating and without completely filling the sky. This is my favorite kind of sky, and on a day like this everything looks beautiful! The park is especially lovely this time of year when its hillsides are covered with lush green grass. I have photographed this graceful old oak tree on a number of occasions, but never with a sky more dramatic than the one seen here. The open pastoral quality of this corner of the park makes its majestic old oaks on rolling grassy hills perfect subjects for photography and painting. Joseph D. Grant County Park is one of my preferred places to explore in the San Francisco Bay area. Here I often have its 9,560 peaceful country acres completely to myself, and I feel free to roam and enjoy to my heart's content. I find this remarkable because the park is just a short drive from the busyness and crowding of San Jose - the second most populous city in our most populous state!
