And Another Ring Mountain Sunset - 1/14/12

          Now I know I've been posting about Ring Mountain a lot lately but to be honest, the days are short and when I get off of work I'm really not too keen on driving any more than I have to. Ring Mountain is just a few minutes from San Rafael and is a great place to catch sunset because no matter which direction the clouds light up there is always some cool rock you can sneak into the foreground.
          I arrived at the parking area at the top of Taylor Ave. just in time to jog up to the ridge top and catch the setting sun.

Ring Mountain Sunset

Sunset

          A White Tailed Kite flew toward the ridge top and fluttered in place as it scanned the hillsides for pray. It dove at the grass several times but I did not see it come up with any dinner.
Lichen' the Sunset



Fire in the Sky



Twilight Zone
          I hung around well after sunset and played around with some long exposures, experimenting with using my headlamp to light-paint some rock features.

Light Painting
          One thing I've realized over the past few adventures to Ring Mountain is how much I like it up there after dark. Especially on a moonlit night, as there are not many trees and the open hillsides and trails are easy to traverse. As I walked back to my car I stepped quietly and carefully seeing if I would come across any wildlife. Indeed I came across two black tailed deer who seemed caught off guard as I popped onto the scene.