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Authentic Forest
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images of buddhism, culture & the natural world
VENTANA WILDERNESS
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 View from Hawk Mountain, with YuccaThe Ventana Wilderness lies in the Santa Lucia Range near the Central California Coast. In these mountains resides Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (part of San Francisco Zen Center). Hawk Mountain looms over Tassajara. This photo features a yucca that is not in bloom. The landscape in this photo had been devastated by fire only a year earlier (in 2008). |  Frosty TrailOn Memorial Day, 2011, Aileen and I got up early and hiked to Pine Valley. Even at this rather late date, frost and ice adorned the vegetation, which combined with the mist and early morning light to create an ethereal beauty. By mid-morning, the ice had melted. By mid-afternoon, it was positively warm. |  Burnt Pine and YuccaThis burnt pine is a legacy of the 2008 fire that swept through this part of the Ventana Wilderness. In the foreground is one of this landscape's iconic yucca shrubs in full flower. These plants have a remarkable life cycle. They will live unobtrusively for many years as low lying shrubs with large, sword-shaped leaves. When it comes time to reproduce, they will suddenly put forth a long stem, which will blossom for a few weeks. After reproducing, the plant will die. |
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 Pine Valley, Early SummerPine Valley is in the Ventana Wilderness, a few hours hike from Tassajara. In a landscape that is predominantly chaparral, oak, and Manzanita, this valley, with its tall pine and wildflower-studded meadow, seems a bit out-of-place. It is like a slice of the High Sierras transplanted to the Coastal Range. It is, in fact, a relic. At one time, this was the dominant terrain in these mountains. Now it exists only in isolated pockets like this. |  The Wind CavesOne of the most popular trails near Tassajara is the Church Creek Trail, which leads to the "Wind Caves". These are curious indentations in the rock face, some of which are roomy enough to shelter in, and one of which actually features a sort of rock window. For this photo, I was sitting in the cave, looking out. When it was taken, the landscape had recently been devastated by fire. |  View from the Wind CavesThis is another view from the Wind Caves. |
 Storm View at Mile FiveNear the five-mile marker on Tassajara Road (measured coming from Tassajara), there is a ridge that offers excellent views in opposite directions. Driving back into Tassajara one afternoon, we were confronted with this threatening, but beautiful, scene. |  View from Flag RockOne of the primary mountains above Tassajara is "Flag Rock", where the monks have hung Tibetan prayer flags, of the type seen all over the Himalaya. The landscape seen in this photo was recovering from a major fire in 2008. |  Coast near CarmelThis photograph was taken at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, between Carmel and Big Sur, on the central coast of California. |
 Blanketed HillsidesThis photo was taken at Andrew Molera State Park, between Carmel and Big Sur, on the central coast of California. |
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