It was late September of this year, and I was enjoying a morning hike along the southern edge of the Point Arena Stornetta Public Lands. Although the hour was nearing 11 o’clock, the misty fog still lingered, obscuring my view of the horizon; but just below me the rugged beauty of rocky reefs and ledges pounded by the surf more than made up for the lack of visibility.

I tried a few times to shoot the dark rocky ridge just visible in the foaming surf

I was drawn to this small inlet by the silvery sound of the waves ebbing from the boulders on the shore. Then I noticed the succession of waterfalls as the ocean poured over and around the eroded bedrock. I think I could have stayed there for hours just watching and listening to the hiss, roar, and boom of the sea.