Category Archives: nature

nature, nature|weather, photography, photography|landscape, weather, weather|southern california

Laguna Peak, La Jolla Valley, and the Channel Islands

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Laguna Peak, La Jolla Valley, and the Channel Islands (Anacapa and Santa Cruz) from Boney Mountain.

Wow, it was windy! I was on an exposed ridge between Tri-Peaks and Big Dome, getting pushed around by a unrelenting offshore wind, trying to keep my footing, and take a few photos. About the time I was traversing the ridge, Laguna Peak — the peak in the photograph with all the communications equipment on its summit– recorded a gust of 67 mph.

But this is a mere breeze by Laguna Peak standards. A communication facility operated by the U.S. Navy, the weather station has recorded hurricane force winds on numerous occasions. Several of the wind events listed in the NWS document A History of Significant Weather Events in Southern California reference Laguna Peak. In March of 1991 a gust of 125 mph was recorded at the peak.

Update 12/25/07. Merry Christmas! This morning, about 6:15, Laguna Peak recorded a wind gust of 91.8 mph and several gusts in excess of 85 mph. Between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. several gusts over 90 mph were recorded, including one measured at 91.9 mph.

La Jolla Valley is the small valley just below Laguna Peak. Isolated and scenic, it is a “must do” hike or run that can be accessed from the Ray Miller trailhead on PCH, or from Big Sycamore Canyon.

The peak on the left in this wider 16:9 format view is Mugu Peak. Its summit overlooks Pt. Mugu and is a relatively short side trip from the Mugu Trail.

Offshore, two of the Channel Islands can be seen — Anacapa (left) and Santa Cruz.

nature, photography, photography|landscape, photography|quirky, running

Return of the Afternoon Sun

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Sunset from the Chumash Trail, Simi Valley, California.

Those of us in the northern hemisphere that enjoy afternoon daylight are celebrating the passing of the dank days of Autumn when sunset occurs the earliest in the day. Depending on your location, the amount of afternoon daylight may already be increasing — be it ever so modest.

According to the Astronomical Applications Dept. of the U. S. Naval Observatory, in Los Angeles that day is today, December 11, when the sunset shifts from 4:44 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

The more northerly your latitude, the later the date. In Miami it was back on December 4, and in Seattle it will be on December 18. In Anchorage it won’t be until December 20. Barrow, Alaska won’t see a sunset (or sunrise) until January 23!

You can check your city’s sunset times using the USNO Sun or Moon Rise/Set Table.

nature, nature|weather, photography, photography|quirky, photography|still life, weather, weather|southern california

Fox Mountain Frost

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Hollow columnar hoarfrost deposited on leaves and twigs on Fox Mountain in the San Gabriel Mountains, near Los Angeles.

When I see crystals of hoar frost sparkle in the Winter sun it triggers a child-like awe. On Sunday’s Condor Peak Trail Run, several sections of trail glittered as we ran into a low morning sun. On the cold east face of Fox Mountain, a fine, needle-like frost coated the edges and surfaces of leaves and twigs that had collected in pockets on the steep slope.

Digitally magnifying a small section of a 10 Mp image revealed that the frost is comprised of  hollow columns, and further magnification shows that the columns are hexagonal, with lengthwise facets.

This type  of frost – hollow columnar hoarfrost – is described in STUDIES OF FROST AND ICE CRYSTALS by W.A. Bentley, in the Monthly Weather Review, Volume 35, Issue 9 (September 1907), pp. 397-403. Here is an excerpt:

“When formed in the open, they are essentially mild-weather types. They are most common to early autumn and late spring, and the hoarfrost that collects upon the plants and grasses during the so-called destructive frosts at those dates is almost invariably of this type. Hoarfrost deposits of this character form in the open during calm, clear nights when the surface air temperatures range from 56 degrees to 40 degrees at nightfall, and from 33 degrees to 25 degrees during the latter part of the night or early morning.”

Here is a graph of weather data recorded by the Mill Creek (ANF) RAWS on December 1 and December 2. The elevation of the station is 3510′ and it is about 8.5 miles from Fox Mountain (5033′). Parameters graphed are the hourly average wind speed, air temperature, fuel temperature, relative humidity, and dew point.

At Mill Creek the fuel temperature dropped below the frost point at 10:00 p.m Saturday, and did not exceed the frost point again until 8:00 a.m Sunday. For a 5 hour period from 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. the mean air temperature was 30°F-31°F and the fuel temperature was 22°F-23°F — suggesting strong radiative cooling. Similar conditions probably produced the frost on Fox Mountain.

nature, nature|weather, photography, photography|landscape, short poems, weather, weather|southern california

Racing the Sun

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Sunset at Ahmanson Ranch.

Racing the sun,
Waiting for rain,
Listening to a meadowlark sing.

From a run at Ahmanson Ranch — now Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve. Here’s a larger view of the full 16:9 frame.

For an update on this Winter’s austere outlook for rain, see my November 29 Weathernotes.