2013 was a great year for discovery! Despite a host of setbacks, including financial ones, I still managed to see 200 Landmarks, 9 National Parks, and a whole slew of other beautiful, historical, and wonderful places! I’m gradually honing my skills with photography, so here are the 10 best photos of 2013, in chronological order!

1. Inspiration Point on Anacapa Island!

The sky wasn’t especially clear on this day, but it was still incredible to look out over Inspiration Point on the western end of Anacapa Island! I personally love the sense of the Unknown that comes from the gloomy sky, but I also enjoy the sunny contrast that the coreopsis flower to my right brings to the photo!

2. Half Dome from Yosemite Point!

I didn’t get a chance to climb Half Dome while I was in Yosemite, but this angle and the snowy peaks make it look like part of a turbulent ocean of stone! I also like that the edge of the boulder on which I’m standing frames the background like a window!

3. Warner’s Ranch!

Warner’s Ranch is one of those rare sites where the plaque and historical structures are not only in great shape but also in close photographic proximity. I love that the setup of this site and the beautiful spring lighting allowed me to capture the color of the buildings with a clear description of their history!

4. The Great House at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument!

It was tough finding a good spot that not only had decent lighting but also fit the entire structure and gave it a sense of scale. I like that this photo does both, putting the Great House in proportion to the people to its right, while the foreground structures give the sense that there is much more to the monument than just the central structure!

5. My Birthday on Top of Monument Peak!

This was a true victory for me! Not only did I reach another year in search of this Landmark, but it was also my 500th! This particular route was difficult, and I got lost several times. The beauty of this photo, apart from my hat, is that it shows the marker where I found success, as well as the spot where I got lost, way off in the distance!

6. The Path to the Santa Rosa Rancho!

I think this photo exemplifies most of my adventures this year: a vague trail leading into the misty Unknown. I took a lot of wrong turns in 2013, visited a lot of decoy sites, and followed poor directions (like this site, which was 2 miles north of the listed intersection), but through sheer persistence managed to find them all!

7. Sunset at Mountain Springs Station!

This was the year of dabbling in sunset and night shots. With my trusty tripod in hand, I learned all about keeping the aperture high and the shutter speed and ISO low, not to mention the importance of a full moon! I like the mystery captured in this photo, not only with the silhouette, but primarily with colors of the gently fading desert peaks beyond this cliff!

8. The Torrey Pines of Santa Rosa Island!

I love the vista and the bright colors in this photo, and that it captures both the rare Torrey pine in full and up close, emphasizing that the cones are even bigger than I am! This is one of my sunniest photos, and I can’t look at it without smiling!

9. Sunset over San Francisco!

Colors! Colors! Colors! This shot from Treasure Island is probably the best sunset I’ve photographed on any of my adventures! I also tried experimenting with the flash to fill in the foreground, and I think it turned out quite nicely!

10. Palm Spring in Anza Borrego Desert State Park!

I’m still experimenting with angles, and I was happy that pushing in on this plaque still preserved the important part of the background: the palms! This was the year of bringing friends on adventures, so I’m glad I got to snap a photo with my friend, Terry the Flying Squirrel, who is on an adventure of his own to document the trees of California!

Happy New Year to you and yours! May 2014 be filled with adventure!