One of the very best parts about our recent stay at The Sea Ranch cabin was the private network of trails winding through the neighborhood. Houses are constructed to blend in with the natural environment, with plenty of undeveloped buffer zones; so it was possible to wander among the redwood trees and barely notice any structures. I also never ran […]
Black Point is one of a series of public access beaches within the private community known as The Sea Ranch in Sonoma County. The other beaches include Pebble, Stengel, Shell, and Walk On Beach, and they are all connected by the Bluff Trail, which runs north all the way to Gualala Point Regional Park. I have passed by all of […]
The ocean views at Point Arena’s Stornetta Public Lands are so spectacular, you could be forgiven for failing to notice much of anything else — unless you happen to run into a few of the local cows (they actually seem fairly skittish of people, which is probably a good thing). But as I was loitering near the north gate, waiting […]
I was almost sorry to be heading to Point Reyes with little time to spare, because there were so many places along Highway 1 in Marin County where I would have loved to pull over and admire the scenery. Although I can just barely remember some trips to Dillon Beach (just across from Tomales Point, at the mouth of the […]
Cool memories of the ocean on yet another hot summer day in the Sacramento Valley.
Just a short drive north of Jug Handle State Reserve on Highway 1 we managed to stumble across an amazing little spot that felt like a local secret. Aside from a small gravel parking area and an open spot in the fence, there wasn’t much to indicate coastal access, and we weren’t sure what to expect when we stopped to […]
While I do like to shoot (and share) photos of the houses we’ve rented near the coast, I try to keep a couple of ideas in mind in doing so. One is that rather than just record the structure, I usually try to focus on details — items that seem to create a unique and memorable atmosphere. Secondly, I like […]
Just after publishing my previous post about Bruhel Point, I saw a Facebook post from the Mendocino County Tourism Commission with the tag line “Room to Roam,” and I thought it was really appropriate for my final group of photos from our outing there last May. As I mentioned before, we had the whole area to ourselves when we discovered […]
As I look over the time stamps of the photos I shot at Bruhel Point, it’s hard to believe we were there for only an hour! As soon as I got out of the car, I knew I was going to like this spot right away. I could see the ocean, and the trail that led down the hill was […]