Point Reyes is such a magical place! If you haven't been there and you're ever in Northern California, it is very much worth a visit, even if you have to go out of your way! There is so much to see such as
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I mean, seriously, it's amazing. But on my last visit I did two things that I didn't get to do previously and, I'm not kidding...these are bucket list items for any photographer, let me tell you! So I made sure to get to Tomales Bay at break of dawn in order to cross this item off my bucket list!
And I am so glad I did because the sunrise was really beautiful!
And there were birds!!
As I walked along Tomales Bay taking in the beautiful orange glow, I saw the object of my determination: the Point Reyes! The famous shipwreck of unknown origins that has pleased thousands of photographers for years!
In fact look! There's a photographer being pleased at this very moment!
(I love meta!)
I waited patiently for my turn, hoping that there would still be the beautiful orange light when I finally got to take my shots. Luckily, the light was still gorgeous!
The little town of Inverness looks so beautiful in the background, doesn't it?
After I got my shots, I got back in my car and headed up Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to see if the light and mist would be combined so that I could cross off my next bucket list item: The Cypress Tunnel.
When I got to the turn off, I was very excited to see sporadic fog and mist still hanging around in the bright light. I pulled all the way through the tunnel, which already had several photographers busy at work, and parked near the building. As I got out of my car, I was captivated by the sound of Eurasian-collared Doves hoot hooting at each other so I walked around the back to see if I could find them.
I did,
and it was even more than I hoped for! Because this pair contained one of those not-very-rare specimens - the Animal Jerk.
As soon as the male saw me photographing his partner, he flew right over and landed on her head. Yes, On. Her. Head. What a jerk! And he stayed there for quite awhile! He really wanted that comfortable perch!
So as not to encourage his shameful behavior, I stopped taking pictures and walked back to the road. The lighting in the tunnel was just perfect!
There were human jerks here, unfortunately. Photographers who didn't give a shit about anybody else trying to take a photo and just standing in the middle of the tunnel. One lady was so very annoying!
She would take a photo and then spend the next 3 minutes yelling 'YEEESSSSSSSS!!!!' at the top of her lungs while dancing around the middle of the tunnel. She did this after every photo she took until someone asked her why she was doing that (not me! I wouldn't have been that nice!). She said something like 'oh, we live near here and I've been trying to get this kind of light for years and it's never just right!!'
But yet she wouldn't get out of the way for the other people, some of whom were from out of town and might never get this chance again. /rant (Sorry!)
I did NOT photoshop any sun or rays in any of these photos! I wish I had taken a model with me as it was just so beautiful! A bride would have looked amazing.
There were beautiful wild Cala Lillies growing all around, adding to the beauty.
Meta!
Another common sight at Point Reyes: Cows! Lovely cows.
I mean just look at those lashes!
And, Oh! My! Goodness! A White-tailed Kite! I can never get clear pictures of these gorgeous raptors! This one was just posing for me.
And I still can't apparently. Boo! This was at the beginning of my morning hike, the Abbott's Lagoon trail. The trail itself was muddy and I loved it!!
And that beautiful bird was just teasing me!!! Flying from one spot to another just down the trail and posing again!
And then another hawk got in on the joke.
But a little White-crowned Sparrow felt sorry for me and posed for the perfect photo. Well, almost perfect. haha
I happily splashed through the mud and water, not caring at all about my shoes or pants! It was so liberating and the cold water felt good as I was walking quickly enough to work up a sweat.
There he is again!! I swear it was the same one. Taunting me.
See how he's always looking at me??? I'm pretty happy though, cuz it's fairly clear for once. haha
I came around a corner smack into a deer! She actually stood looking at me for a minute but then some loud people were coming down the trail and that's what made her take off. SMH
But I startled this beautiful Jay myself. Couldn't tell if it was a Steller's or a Scrub Jay though.
There were SO many Turkey Vultures along the trail, drying the dew from their wings in the bright early morning sun.
I think I see five in this photo alone.
So very cool!
And then I reached the Lagoon. Apparently it was low tide (I hadn't bothered to check).
Up ahead is the little bridge that crosses the two lagoons. When the tide is high, sometimes you can see sea lions and fish from the bridge.
But on this morning there were "only" Avocets flying around. They are so beautiful, but of course I only got blurry shots. What the hell?? lol
More water and mud for me to splash through!
And then up the hill I climbed.
The view from the top at low tide is very cool! That's the little bridge down there.
And this is the part where a couple of wasps decided I was either a predator or good enough to eat and started harassing me. I went a little further up the trail, but when the wouldn't leave me alone, I decided to get the hell out of there and ran all the way back down the hill and didn't stop until I was safely on the bridge again!!
Where I stopped to catch my breath and noticed that there were a ton of crabs on the rocks below!
I got back in my car and headed North towards the Elk Preserve. But I saw some more adorable cows and couldn't resist some photos!
Along the way a big coyote ran across the road, right in front of the car in front of me. Scared both of us to death, I'm sure. Maybe all three of us!
And then another Kite came along to taunt me. I guess word of my crappy photography skills was spreading fast!
Luckily Elk and trees stand (mostly) still!
Look at that rack! Stunning!
And then it was time to head back to real life.
After a brief stop at the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, where I fell down an embankment and got a tick on my butt, I was headed back home in heavy traffic and wished I had never left Point Reyes!
It was a good day!
xoxo
