2015-12 Pigeon Point Light Station & Pacific Grove, California
Hello All,
Departing the San Francisco bay area of California we continued to work our way down the coastline in a southerly direction. Once out of the metropolitan communities surrounding the city we were pleased that the Cabrillo Highway took us back into secluded scenic coastal vistas.
Departing the San Francisco bay area of California we continued to work our way down the coastline in a southerly direction. Once out of the metropolitan communities surrounding the city we were pleased that the Cabrillo Highway took us back into secluded scenic coastal vistas.
Patches of ice plant added a splotch of color to the landscapes. The flowers of ice plant range from white to yellow to pink and lavender, and the succulent leaves vary from green to a reddish color.
With the exception of a group of western gulls this couple has the entire beach to themselves. What a wonderful way to relax by strolling along a deserted beach on a sunny spring day!
We made a stop at Pigeon Point Light Station. It was built in 1871 to guide ships on the Pacific coast of California. At a height of 115’ it is the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States. We liked photographing it because of the different perspectives you can get just by changing your location along the shoreline. Here are a few examples.
Continuing down the coast our next point of interest was Pacific Grove. In our eyes this small town is one of the most scenic we’ve ever come across. A number of public parks stretch along the waterfront, one of which is Perkins Park. It was named for local resident Hayes Perkins, who planted the first pink “magic carpet” ice plant along the waterfront.
Hayes Perkins (1878-1964) born in Oregon, retired to Pacific Grove in 1938 after leading an adventurous life which took him around the world eight times. He spent 22 years in Africa. In Pacific Grove he began pulling out the poison oak that was rampant along the coast and replaced it with plants he was familiar with from South Africa. All of this work was performed as a volunteer. Over the years the city eventually began to provide assistance and the park was extended. The park is well maintained and is landscaped with "magic carpet" ice plant and stone terrace walls. Walking trails in Perkins Park are heavily used. Much of the maintenance work today is still done by volunteers. We found it to be truly spectacular!
Hayes Perkins (1878-1964) born in Oregon, retired to Pacific Grove in 1938 after leading an adventurous life which took him around the world eight times. He spent 22 years in Africa. In Pacific Grove he began pulling out the poison oak that was rampant along the coast and replaced it with plants he was familiar with from South Africa. All of this work was performed as a volunteer. Over the years the city eventually began to provide assistance and the park was extended. The park is well maintained and is landscaped with "magic carpet" ice plant and stone terrace walls. Walking trails in Perkins Park are heavily used. Much of the maintenance work today is still done by volunteers. We found it to be truly spectacular!
Benches were scattered along the walkways. You could rest, relax, and take it all in--the flowers, colors, sea life, birds, pounding surf, and sunsets. It is hard to imagine a person ever dreading taking their morning walk in such a setting.
Artists were scattered throughout trying to capture the magic of the area on canvass. It is truly a scenic wonderland and it gave Miss Barb the itch to start painting again.
Pacific Grove became an artists' haven in the 1890s and remains one today.
Many different birds were also enjoying the area. This gull seemed to be playing king of the rock. He would run other birds off that were getting a bit too close to his perch.
In this photo a smaller blackbird and a western gull are sparing over a patch of ice plant. Though smaller the blackbird was really irritating the gull.
But, in the end the gull won out.
The never ending action of waves pounding on the rocks just added to the overall ambiance of this coastal setting. In this photo you can see a group of birds on the rock to the right.
A closer view of them revealed a group of cormorants and a lone red billed oyster catcher.
We found the sheer beauty of the area to be remarkable. Our hats off to the town in that it does not allow development on the waterside of the ocean-front street, so that the beaches and scenic points are unobstructed.
However, there are many beautiful homes on the land side of the street--although none of these homes were for sale at the time. There were a couple a few blocks inland with price tags into the millions.
In our eyes we found this home to be quite lovely. Looking at the number of windows there are we imagine there is a wonderful view from every room.
Pacific Grove is located on the southern shore of Monterey Bay. The rugged coastline is stunning to say the least. The interaction of waves on the rocks provides continually changing scenic views. It is truly a beautiful treasure of California.
This will be our closing shot for this write-up. There is nothing more exciting to a photographer than capturing a wave exploding on a rock. For every good photo we get there are at least a hundred that we miss!
Hope you have enjoyed riding along with us and we look forward to you joining us in the future on our adventures traveling down the California coastline.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns