The Gift

Petaluma to Point Reyes #1

Petaluma to Point Reyes #2

After photographing Point Lobos with Rupert Chambers I followed my nose north toward Sonoma, West Marin and its crown jewel, Point Reyes. From the moment I discovered my computer didn’t function on my first afternoon in Cayucos I was off my game. I couldn’t focus, literally or figuratively. Everything I posted from the coast was taken with my trusty iPhone. That thing saved me my sorry ass. So instead of aborting my adventure and driving back to Taos I plodded on through an storm of rookie mistakes. Poor depth of field and shutter speed combinations were rampant. Rain speckled lenses went unaddressed. I was a mess. And while there were worthy photographs from Cayucos, Morro Bay and Point Lobos my batting average was underwater.

Petaluma to Point Reyes #3

Petaluma to Point Reyes #4

Despite all I would soon encounter scenes that were magical. In Moss Landing and Davenport I got nothing. The only highlight of the Carmel to Sonoma stretch was a stellar cappuccino in Half Moon Bay. But after my first night in Petaluma and some killer BBQ, I hit the bricks at the crack of 7 and drove toward Point Reyes Station and my real target, Point Reyes National Seashore. On the 20 mile Petaluma to Point Reyes Road I had a mood-altering moment when I encountered the farmland between Petaluma and the Coast blanketed with fog. What a game changer it was. Coastal fog was the inspiration but inland fog was the gift.