I was transfixed by this grove of trees, and then the motorcyclist rolled in just as I tripped the shutter, which gave some added symmetry to this image.
The mist and fog created a mystical feel to the landscape. Initially I was worried it would make for difficult shooting but then realized I could work with it like any other element.
Point Reyes has a number of ranches where they raise dairy cattle. One night at dinner I had an appetizer that included Point Reyes blue cheese and I thought "I know where this came from". For more on the history of ranching in the area go to: http://www.nps.gov/pore/historyculture/people_ranching.htm It's pretty interesting. Most of these ranchers came from Vermont.
Bit of a Hallmark moment.
This is actually blue-green algae along the rock face on the walkway. with carotonoids that mask some of the blue color and thus looks orange
This is the Point Reyes lighthouse. It was decommissioned by the Coast Guard and handed over to the Park Service in 1975 The technology was made obsolete by the advent of radar and GPS which is now primary and secondary means of navigation along the rocky coastline. One of the Park Service employees told me they still have shipwrecks from time to time, most recently one last year. They are usually small pleasure boats that run into trouble..
The lamp on the right is the remaining light beacon still in use today. it replaced the large Fresnel light designed over 100 years earlier when the lighthouse was decommissioned and automated in 1975. It too will soon be replaced by an LED light. It is considered a tertiary coastal navigational guide.
This is the old Fresnel light from the interior. It is the largest fresnel light of it's kind. It was built in the 1800's and first unveiled at the same Paris exhibition where the Eiffel Tower was first opened for public use.They have to cover it, because if the sun were to hit it directly the prisms inside the lamp would focus the sunlight in a concentrated beam and melt the interior. Fresnel lights are also used in theatrical lighting, though none on this scale.
This is the walkway leading to the lighthouse at Point Reyes. It was quite safe even though it looks a little precarious here. It's a 30 story walk down to the lighthouse once you get to the top part on the right in this picture.
Deer along the Point Reyes walk.
A short drive down from the lighthouse takes you to a visitor's center and Drake's Beach along the coast.
There is an oyster farm nearby. People were buying oysters by the bushel and taking them home.
Fog lets you focus on shapes and tones. This image has had a Silver Efex Pro B&W filter applied as there really is no color information to work with.
Boat dock in Tomales Bay along the route.
This is a beautiful conference center tucked up into the hillside along Highway 1, named for Enrico Marconi, one of the developersof the telegraph system.
This is just one of the beaches in the Sonoma Coast State Park. It's a very dramatic coastline.
These cattails were everywhere
They have great walkways and hiking trails throughout Sonoma Coast State Park.
More of the coastline.
Late in harvest season the vines in wine country can turn this lovely shade of amber-yellow.
