Point Lobos

The Morgan Hill Photography Club held a shoot-out at Point Lobos State Reserve just south of Carmel. This ragged headland has been described as "...the greatest meeting of land and water in the world." The landscape contains craggy cliffs, irregular coves, pine studded bluffs, water-filled caves, sandy beaches, and, according to the map, grassy meadows. Our group never saw the meadows because we stayed on the trails that hugged the shore. It would take several visits to walk all the trails available. We started out hiking around China Cove to Gibson Beach.

The morning sky was overcast, but also very bright. The contrast between the white sky and the dark rocks was too great for the camera, so I mostly zoomed in on land features.

The wildflowers were past their full bloom,
but still added some subtle color to the scenes.

Nobody told me a giant crocodile lived in the reserve.
He slept as tourists walked along his back.

After lunch, we drove to Whalers Cove on the north side of the park and hiked around Bluefish Cove. The fog had burned off by then and an amazing transformation took place. The ocean turned from gray to a vibrant blue. It was just beautiful.

The blue sky and water didn't last long.

After several hours of trudging up and down steps, and climbing over rocks and tree roots, I was tired and decided to call it a day. I turned around and headed back to my car. This is definitely a place that deserves a return visit.