Shown is the sun going down over Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, California.

One thing we forget to do all too often is stop to smell the roses, or watch a sunset as it casts an amazing rainbow of colors over the landscape. Thousands of tourists stop, watch and snap the sunset over the pier each weekend in Santa Barbara, and summer is an especially popular time participate in this activity. As we enter into Fall, one of the best seasons to travel (and a hidden secret that those on a budget anticipate,) the sunsets only seem to get better. Fall is when room rates and demand typically go down, and it's one of our favorite times to hit the road and explore California.

Piers - One of the top places to watch sunsets and take pictures in California always include public piers. Whether standing on a pier or beside it, the colorful reflections on the Pacific Ocean are mesmerizing.The pier adds another dimension to already beautiful ocean sunsets.

Ojai - Known for its "pink moment," there's nothing quite like it anywhere. Everything turns pink in the valley just before the sun goes down.

Interstate 101 - This road spans the state of California with miles and miles of landscapes ranging from ocean vistas to mountain passes and everything in between. As the sun goes down on the "101″ the ribbon of highway lights up and looks golden.

Golden Gate Bridge - The sunset is never the same, and often the fog rolls in to provide an eerie scene with bursts of sunlight interspersed with fog. It's so San Francisco.

Desert - Watching the sun go down in Palm Desert or Joshua Tree National Park offers one of California's best photo opportunities for striking images. Be sure to find a Yucca plant, Joshua tree, or cactus to frame your perfect desert sunset!

Tip: If you hope to sell your sunset photos or share them, one of the least sought after types of images at stock photo agencies is a sunset photo. There's a glut of them-everybody takes sunset pictures. Do it for yourself and maybe share it among your friends if they are interested. But don't force your family & friends to look at more than one or two sunset photos-except when they ask.