Sierra Buttes

J and I took a drive today to enjoy the nice weather.  We also wanted to look at some of the campgrounds for possible campsites this summer.  We drove up to the Gold Lakes Basin area, and past Sierra Buttes.  This is probably one of the best kept secrets of the Sierra Nevada mountains.  The lakes are fed from the mountain snow and are clear and pristine, and are full of fish.  But it is off the beaten path a bit, so not too many people come up this way. 

I have photographed the Buttes and blipped them a couple of times.  I have never been to this area when there wasn't a storm looming over the Buttes.  While it was beautifully sunny and warm today, there was still a storm brewing and came crashing down about 10 minutes after I took this picture. 

Best viewed Large. 

For this photo, I took 5 exposure bracketed shots.  I merged them using HDR Efex.  I used the balanced preset and adjusted the contrast slightly and desaturated the colors.  I then applied a Silver Efex black and white luminosity layer at about 85% opacity.   

And Happy Mother's Day to you lovely mothers!