Pigeon Point Lighthouse & Pt. Lobos

Wendell was feeling better, and we made plans to meet him at 1:30 for Pt. Lobos State Reserve. That meant we had the morning to explore. Originally, we had planned to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but decided the $40 admission fee was a bit high; especially when we have the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. We decided to circle back and photograph Pigeon Point Lighthouse. We skipped it while we were at Half Moon Bay. It was now 60 miles away instead of 30, but I had seen some good shots of the lighthouse from across the bay to the south. When we reached the parking area for shooting the lighthouse, we couldn't believe our luck. Not only was it a clear day, but the whole area in front of us was filled with wildflowers. They were blowing in the breeze, so photographing them was a challenge. Nevertheless, it was a gorgeous sight.

We drove over to the lighthouse and shot around the base, but it was anticlimactic compared to our first location. The lighthouse looked old and rusted up close. As we returned south, we stopped at two other turnouts to shoot the lighthouse from across the bay and with different foregrounds. As the images below show, the turnout with yellow mustard in the foreground produced a dramatic shot of the lighthouse across the bay.

While we were shooting the lighthouse, Carol saw a whale just off-shore who was showing off its jumping ability. It was very entertaining, but we had no long lenses to photograph it.

We met Wendell at 2:00, and he drove us to Pt. Lobos. This is one of his favorite areas, so he was a great guide. Pt. Lobos is the classic image you think of when you hear "rugged California coast." The waves crash against the light-colored rocks and Cypress trees cling to the steep cliff faces.

Our first stop was Whalers Cove where the whaling ships would anchor until a lookout on Whalers Knoll would see whales in the bay. It is a beautiful, sheltered little bay with a steep cypress-covered mountain as its background.

The Cypress Coast Trail was our second stop. The level trail peeks in and out of a cypress grove on its way toward Pinnacle Point. Headland Cove, Pinnacle Cove, Middle Cove, and Cypress Cove border this headland. The sea lions on Sea Lion Rock made their presence known as soon as we started the hike. The scenery was dramatic on a calm, clear day. I can only guess what it must be like in storms. As we turned a corner, we saw a deer having her late afternoon snack. She was obviously very used to people

By 4:00, the fog began rolling in and we lost the sun. Our visit to Pt. Lobos was brief, but it is definitely a place we will want to visit again. I'd love to see it during a winter storm. It must be spectacular!

Wendell picked out a little seafood restaurant called the Sea Harvest. It was right along the harbor at Moss Landing. Sea Lions had taken over one section of the wharf, and we saw three sea otters floating in the waves. Strong winds were blowing off the ocean, so we had no desire to stand in the cold and photograph. We hurried into the restaurant and enjoyed the sights from the comfort of our table. The food was delicious, and it gave us a chance to catch up with Wendell. We only get to see him every 3 or 4 years, so it was good to spend part of the day with him.