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Photo by Bill Coleman
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The alarm went off at 5:00 am marking the first official Camera Club field trip of the year. Just enough time to throw on some warm clothes and meet the group at Vista Point on Highway 74 for a 6:30 am sunrise shoot.
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Ed Oppenheimer, Shirley Brenon, Joan Petit-Clair and Bill Coleman were the first to arrive. Closer to sunrise, Gita Gorman, Jerry Dupree, and Doug and Jane Gamble joined the group.
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Photo by Joan Petit-Clair
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Vantage points were staked out, cameras on tripods at the ready, as all awaited the first glimpse of the sun. While we waited for the morning light to come over the hills, we had an opportunity to mingle and socialize. At the appointed hour of sunrise we all peered in our view finders only to discover that Mother Nature had decided not to cooperate. There was some color in the clouds at first, however the sunrise was uneventful.
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Photo by Richard Rogers
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Before moving on to the next stop we headed up to the potties at the rest area at Pinion Campground. Our five carloads certainly surprised a group of Boy Scouts who were just beginning to stumble out of their bright green tents to greet the day and prepare breakfast over their camp stoves.
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Now, finally ready for action, we headed back down to the Cahuilla Tewanet Vista Point where we found Stuart Lynn, Stan Spiegel, Richard Rogers, Dan Chalfont, and Alan and Meline Pickus. These early birds were wondering where we had been as they had been at this site since 6:00 am, having bypassed the first Vista Point before we were hardly out of bed.
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Photo by Stan Spiegel
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Photo by Meline Pickus
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Even though there was no exciting sunrise, the group was able to photograph some interesting rock formations, wildflowers and desert plants. A few shot some nicely backlit cactus plants.
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After swapping camera stories, it became obvious we all needed hot coffee and breakfast, so most headed off to Louise’s Pantry, while a few chose to stay on and take more pictures while the light was still photo-worthy.
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Photo by Joan Petit-Clair
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We had a wonderful turn out. Even though we didn’t capture any “wow” pictures, we had a great time mingling and getting to know each other a little better. Many thanks to Bill for taking this on.
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Article by Shirley Brenon & Joan Petit-Clair
Photos by all
January 15, 2005
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