The world’s most viewed picture is of a hill in Sonoma

[Jesus Malverde]

You’ve likely seen it. If you’re on a desktop PC, it might be floating behind the window in which you’re reading this right now. It has become so ubiquitous that you’ve probably never thought about whether it is an actual place or the product of a Microsoft engineer’s imagination.

The image, titled “Bliss” by Microsoft, has been the default wallpaper for all computers using the Windows XP operating system since 2001. It depicts a serene grassy hillside set against a stark blue sky with a few wispy clouds floating overhead. Unofficial estimates put the number of times the photo has been viewed at somewhere around 1 billion.

But to see the real thing you need only drive north from San Francisco for about an hour. The hill in “Bliss” is just west of the old Stornetta Dairy in Sonoma County along Highway 121, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.

The iconic photo was taken by Charles O’Rear, a 73-year-old St. Helena resident and former National Geographic photographer, who chalks the image up more to luck than anything else.

http://blog.sfgate.com/stew/2014/04/16/the-worlds-most-viewed-picture-is-of-a-hill-in-sonoma/

[Aristus]

1. I like 'Bliss', but this is my wallpaper:

Azul

[Jesus Malverde]

2. That is awesome!..nt

[Aristus]

3. Any time I'm having a rough day in clinic,

I just take a peek at my wallpaper and daydream for a minute or so. That re-charges me for the rest of the day.

[Jesus Malverde]

4. Is the glass half empty if my first thought was I wonder if there is any fresh water on that amazing

island.

Living in the bay area I'm sick of cold cold, wetsuit in the middle of summer oceans and beaches.

That island and the blue waters of the Caribbean are really amazing.

[Aristus]

5. I thought about that, too.

In my daydream, the pic is taken from a larger island with fresh water and fruit trees; enough to live on. And I occasionally wade across the sandbar to the smaller island to relax and meditate.

[Jesus Malverde]

7. Nice!!

Peace and Happiness.

[Jesus Malverde]

6. I just set this massive copy of your images as my desktop...thank you!

http:// hqwallpapers.org/wallpapers/l/1920x1200/46/the_magic_of_tropics_1920x1200_45025.jpg

remove the space in the url to see it.

[Aristus]

8. I'm a little surprised. I thought this pic was as ubiquitous as 'Bliss'.

It's in the screensaver folder of my Windows computer.

I'm glad you like it so much.

[2banon]

9. I be darned, I had no idea..

gonna have to take a drive over to check this out. Chloe's digs are very familiar, so it shouldn't be hard to spot. Interesting that the PD is just reporting this story now. I suppose because XP is no longer..

[Lars39]

10. I always think a Teletubby is going to pop into view when I see that.

[Xithras]

11. Been by it many times. It looks very different now.

The property was converted to a vineyard a number of years ago, so it's covered in grape trellises nowadays. You can still see the familiar contour of the hill when the vineyard isn't covered in leaves, and the dirt path in the foreground is still there, so it's still recognizable if you're looking.

The catch, though, is that it's located on a fairly crooked part of a narrow two lane highway. It's not really a safe spot to be gawking at the view.

[Brother Buzz]

12. I commuted by it a brazilian times, too - before Microsoft was even invented

Smart money would say Pinot noir

[Sherman A1]

14. I always use my own photos

for my wall paper. Shots from vacations that remind me of enjoyable times. At work I have a photo of Niagara Falls, on my phone Algoma Light, Algoma Wisconsin in the fog and my home desk top an Illinois farm country sunrise.

I prefer my own pics wherever possible.