Forty-eight years as a photojournalist with forty-seven of those covering Yosemite National Park, and I had never photographed the Bracebridge Dinner. Not because the event hasn’t been around – it’s over 80 years old. More because when I think about Yosemite the images in my mind’s eye are Half Dome and El Capitan erupting from...
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Tags: 2009, Ahwahnee, Bracebridge, california, Christmas, court jester, Dinner, pageant, winter, Yosemite, yuletide
Last Thursday I was working on a blog about my first season photographing the NFL, when I got an email from my friend Wes Schultz. Wes sent me a URL from Wildlanfire.com that said there was a fire near El Portal and they were requesting recourses. I could see a big column of smoke...
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Tags: 2011, Al Golub, August 25, blm, Cal Fire, california, Cedar Lodge, chp, coulterville, DC 10 Air tanker, Dozers, El Portal, fire engines, Fire Fighting, Forest Fire, Grass Fire, Greeley Hill, Helicopter, Highway 140, hose, Mariposa, Merced River, Motor Fire, Motor home, Photography, retardant, Sierra foothills, Trumbull Peak, US forest Service, water drops, Western, Wildland Fire, Yosemite National Park
Last Wednesday about ten in the morning, my wife called to me from outside our house. She said the turkey vultures were flying very low and I should get my camera. We live near the top of Greeley Hill where the up-slope winds allow big birds to soar for hours. I already had my boots...
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Tags: Al Golub, bird, Buzzard, california, carrion, cathartes aura, glide, Greeley Hill, protected., scavenger, soar, Turkey Vulture, vomit
Two weeks ago, the Erickson Cattle Company held a Cowboy Photography Workshop in Ackerson Meadow near Yosemite National Park. Here is my record of what I saw during the workshop. Photographers were treated to lots of real cattle ranch activity. A late rainy season kept the wildflowers and grass alive and colorful until this mid-July...
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Tags: ackerson meadow, Al Golub, beef, boots, california, camera, cattle, chaps, Cowboys, cows, Dog, Dust, erickson cattle company, fence, fun, horse, July 2011, Morning, nature, Outdoors, Photography, riding, Roping, saddle, Sunrise, Western, workshop, Yosemite National Park
In the middle of June 1975, Laurelei Mullens, Modesto Bee features editor, sent me to south Modesto to photograph Jess Tharp, an 80-year-old cowboy saddle maker. Mullens was doing an advance story for the big Modesto Independence Day Parade. She wanted to do the story about Tharp because he would be the oldest rider in...
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Tags: 1975, beef, boots, california, camera, cantle, cattle, chaps, colt, Cowboys, cows, craftsmanship, Dust, fence. Al Golub, fender, Fourth of July, Horses, Independence Day, Jess Tharp, July 02, leather, leatherwork, Modesto, nature, Outdoors, Parade, Photography, reins, riding, Roping, saddle, spring, stirrup, tanning, Western
The Acorn Fire was well on its way to burning out 26 homes near Markleeville when I got a phone call from a forest service dispatcher telling me that the Stanislaus Hotshots had left Mi-Wuk Village on their way to the fire. It was about 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, 1987. By the time...
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Tags: 1987, Acorn Burn, Air tanker, Al Golub, blm, Cal Fire, California July 31, cdf, chp, fire engines, Fire Fighting, Forest Fire, Grass Fire, Greg Overacker, Helicopter, hose, Incident Command System, Markleeville, MI WUK Village, Minden, Nevada, Photography, retardant, Sierra mountains, Stanislaus Hotshots, US forest Service, water drops, Western, Wildland Fire
Recently, I became a volunteer for Cal Fire. With my friend Wes Schultz, I will be photographing wildland fires this season. The last big wildland fire I photographed was the Telegraph Fire in 2008. Lucky for me there wasn’t much hiking involved because both of my knees were bone on bone. In May 2009, I...
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Tags: Air Force, Al Golub, Army, Bear Valley California, blm, Cal Fire, chp, coulterville, DC 10 Air tanker, Dozers, fire engines, Fire Fighting, Forest Fire, Grass Fire, Greeley Hill, Helicopter, hose, July 2008, Mariposa, Merced River, Mt. Bullion., National Guard, Photography, retardant, Sherlock Road, Sierra foothills, Telegraph road, US forest Service, water drops, Western, Wildland Fire, Yosemite National Park
For over a hundred and twenty years, the Erickson family has been driving their cattle from the Merced Falls area to summer grazing near the border of Yosemite National Park. The drive takes the same route; of course there are three major highways now not to mention a bridge over the South Fork of the...
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Tags: ackerson meadow, beef, boots, branding, Buck Meadows, california, camera, cattle, chaps, corral, cowbell, Cowboys, cows, Dog, Dust, erickson cattle company, Evergreen Road, fence. Al Golub, fun, grazing, Greeley Hill, Highway 120, Highway 132, Highway 49, Horses, Morning, nature, Outdoors, Photography, riding, Roping, saddle, Sierra National Forest, Snelling, spring, Sunrise, traffic, Western, Yosemite
Living in Greeley Hill, we have to travel six miles downhill to an 1850s gold rush town, Coulterville, California for our Post Office. Twenty-six years ago town folks were looking for an excuse to have a community party. They created the Coyote Howl. The story of the birth of the Howl is a little murky. ...
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Tags: Al Golub, Antique, California May, Cars, community, coulterville, Cowboys, Coyote, Family, foothills, fun, Gamblers, Gold, Gun fighter, Gun Fighters, Highway 49, Howling, IOOF, John Muir, Kids, Miners, Music, Old, Pack, Parade, Picnic, Pup, Saloon, spring, Stage Coach, Toll Road, west
I figured that before I blogged the Erickson Cattle Company’s cattle drive this year, I should show some of the work cowboys do before the drive. First, they round up the cattle from the ranch, and then separate the calves to brand. Catching the calves is just like team roping at the Rodeo. If you...
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Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Horses, beef, boots, branding, california, camera, cattle, chaps, corral, cowbell, Cowboys, cows, Dog, Dust, fence. Al Golub, fun, grazing, May 2007, Morning, nature, Outdoors, Photography, riding, Roping, saddle, Snelling, spring, Sunrise, Western
