Alcatraz this past weekend with Mary Jane, Cathi, and Charlie. I’ve never been there, and it’s a place I’ve always wanted to go. This was a first for me in many ways – not only was I a first time visitor, but it’s also the first time I filled up my memory card on my camera, and ran the battery all the way down. 🙂 I shot a total of 713 photos (many dupes, just to make sure I got good shots), and pared them down to the 172 on the gallery. Eventually I’ll probably pare that gallery down even further sometime in the future. One thing I want to point out is that I took a lot of pictures showing the disrepair of the place. I’m really surprised it’s stood up through the last several earthquakes. (Well not really, it *IS* standing on solid rock.) The condition of the place has really deteriorated. You can see that in many of the photos I took. Sadly, some of the best shots I took of the Control Room didn’t make it as my card was full and I didn’t realize it at the time. 🙁 Even with the state of disrepair, it’s a hauntingly beautiful place on the inside, and a prime example of nature’s reclamation on the outside. There was so much color to be seen outside throughout the island. I also have to say I’m really getting to be a firm believer that auto flashes should be outlawed on cameras. Many of the pics I took with the flash look either washed-out (if the subject was within flash range) or dark (when the subject wasn’t in flash range), and in some cases, the color was so much better without the flash. One of the most amazing things about the island were the views of San Francisco – 1.5 miles away – and the rest of the Bay Area. It was probably one of the biggest punishments for the prisoners. When they were out on the yard, they could see exactly what they were missing, being locked up in the place. So close, yet so far. Anyway… Take a look at the Gallery Album. I hope I’ve managed to accurately capture the sights of the place. That’s all for me for now. Thanks for visiting and Keep Coming Back!!!]]>