2011, Day 357 - Lone oak

Today I drove down to California to see my family for the holidays.  Despite a number of hurdles I made it intact if for a shorter amount of time that I had originally planned.

Every time I drive through Redding I am captivated by the black oaks that seem to stand solitary vigil in fields of tall golden grass.  Today on the drive I had no canine companions so I was free to stop as often as I liked although being a holiday weekend I was careful not to delay too long lest I get caught in traffic.  While I am sure there are better vantage points I found this great gnarled tree just off the highway.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f11, merged layers of 1/1250 and 1/320 sec @ 100 ISO