Murali Narayanan Photography

My friend and I spent 4 days taking photos of landscapes in southern Marin County, Santa Cruz, and Monterey, CA. The weather was mostly gloomy, so we couldn’t capture the bright colors at sunrise and sunset. However, this gave me a chance to practice and improve my black and white photo editing skills.

Day 1

We left my friend’s home in Menlo Park at 430am and drove straight to Battery Spencer in Sausalito. It was chilly and super windy. We did the short hike from the parking lot to the edge of the battery. The Golden Gate bridge was barely visible due to the usual fog. A few minutes later, visibility improved a bit, and we could see the nearest span of the awesome bridge. We noticed the “love locks” along the fence of Battery Spencer. I captured an image.

With little chance of seeing good colors at sunrise, we decided to drive northwest to photograph the Cypress Tree Tunnel in the town of Inverness. Along the way, we passed a “mini rainforest” along the Sir Francis Drake Blvd near the town of Seahaven. It was still a misty morning. We stopped at two pullouts and captured a few images.

We reached Inverness at around 9 and reached the Cypress Tree tunnel about 10 minutes later. It is a stunning natural archway formed by tall cypress trees lining a long, straight road. The building behind the trees in the Cypress Tree Tunnel is the historic RCA/Marconi Wireless Station. This station, built in the early 20th century, was used for maritime communication and played a significant role in early wireless telegraphy.

It was almost 11, time for our brunch. Since we aimed to photograph the sunrise and sunset, we only had two meals a day: a late brunch around 10am and an early dinner around 5pm. We drove back to the town and unfortunately, no restaurants were open. A bakery was open, and I grabbed a cup of soup. We decided to look for a restaurant that was open on our way back to San Francisco. Near the town of Nicasio, we found a small Mexican restaurant where we had a good lunch. We then drove to Santa Cruz via Oakland and San Jose. After getting stuck in heavy slow-moving traffic near Los Gatos, we reached Santa Cruz and checked into the hotel at around 4pm.

We left the hotel about 30 minutes after check-in and drove directly to the West Cliff Dog Park near the Surfing Museum. The Museum, located in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, offers a fascinating glimpse into the rich history of surfing in Santa Cruz. The park next to the Museum is ideal to photograph sunrise and sunset. The park was brimming with wildflowers such as Ice Plants, Poppies, and Purpletop Vervain.

After grabbing an early dinner at Lupolo Craft Beer House, we headed to Twin Lakes State Beach for sunset. At sunset, it became too cloudy for good sunset colors. I ended up photographing the Walton Lighthouse from the beach.

Day 2

We got up at 430am and drove back to the West Cliff Dog Park area. As the parking lots open only at 8am, we found a few parking spots along the West Cliff Dr. It was a cloudy morning. Although the sky colors were missing, the wildflowers were vibrant in the diffused light. I spent two hours photographing the wildflowers and using the Surfing Museum as the background.

After a good breakfast at Linda’s Seabreeze Cafe, we got back to the hotel, checked out and drove south towards Monterey. Before leaving Santa Cruz, my friend suggested we scout the redwood trees at the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Fenton. As the late morning light was harsh, we were not planning to do any serious work but to scout the area for a future visit. The Redwood Grove Loop trail was not disappointing. The trees were amazing. We ended up grabbing a few shots. It is a great spot to visit early in the morning on a cloudy or misty day.

Next to the park was a beautiful Orthodox Christian Church. We drove around a bit to look for a good spot to photograph the church. We finally decided to capture the church from the parking lot of a strip mall a quarter of a mile away from the church.

We wanted to checkout Elkhorn Slough Reserve in Moss Landing. When we reached the reserve at around 330pm, it was unfortunately closed. At the gate, the notice said that it was only open from Wed to Sun. We reached our hotel at the border of Monterey and Seaside at around 4 and checked in.

After an early dinner at another Brewery restaurant, we drove south to Garrapata State Park for sunset. We parked the car at the Soberanes Canyon Trailhead and hiked the Soberanes Point trail towards Painters Point. Painters Point offers breathtaking coastal views that attract artists and photographers alike. The rugged cliffs, crashing waves, and vibrant wildflowers create a picturesque scene that’s perfect for capturing the beauty of the Pacific coastline. Although we didn’t experience any colors at sunset, I ended up photographing the waves crashing on to the cliffs and a small waterfall along the Soberanes Creek.

Day 3

We didn’t have high hopes for good colors at sunrise and left our hotel just before sunrise and headed south on Cabrillo Highway (Highway 1) back to Garrapata State Park. This time, we stopped at the Garapatta Trail trailhead (36.423019, -121.912415). The trailhead is not well marked and there was space to park just 3-4 cars along the western roadside. Although it was past the blooming season for the Calla Lillies, we wanted to check out the Calla Lily Valley area. After a 30-minute easy hike, we reached the valley and soon realized two points: (1) we were 2-3 weeks too late (2) It is better to shoot the flowers on a sunny afternoon. We did locate a couple of late bloomers and as it was an overcast morning, we opted to do macro work. I had forgotten to take with me the extension tubes for my telephoto lens and so my options were limited. Anyway, I got a good shot of a flower.

We left Calla Lily Valley just after 9 and started to drove up north back to Monterey. Along the way, we stopped at two good spots in Carmel Highlands to photograph the Pride of the Madeira flower.

We reached Monterey at around 10 and headed to the Wave Street Cafe in the Cannery Row area for a sumptuous breakfast. Excellent food with impeccable service. After breakfast, we headed to the Fishermans Wharf to scout for a good spot to photograph at sunset. After a few minutes there, we parked the car at Sister City Park. We walked along the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail. I got a shot of the old wharf buildings.

Along the trail, we came across a bunch of Western Gulls and a Great Blue Heron.

At Booths Cannery Beach, we found a sea lion relaxed, sunbathing, and not bothered by tourists taking photos and selfies next to it. As we had nothing else to shoot due to harsh light, I also grabbed shot.

We got back to the hotel at around 130 and took a shower. At around 430pm, we grabbed some tacos and a tostada for dinner and ate in our room. At 5, we went back to Garrapata State Park hoping for a better sunset. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas. Dark clouds were forming on the horizon. We parked the car at the Soberanes Canyon Trailhead, and this time, we hiked the Soberanes Point Trail going south. As we had already taken enough shots of the cliffs in the area, we captured a few images of wildflowers along the trail.

Day 4

This was our final day. The sunrise forecast was not promising. We got up a bit late, at around 6am, and checked out of the hotel at 7. We went to Otter Point at Perkins Park. The park is known for its beautiful array of colorful flowers and well-maintained trail. Overlooking the stunning Pacific coastline, the park offers visitors a peaceful place to stroll and enjoy the natural beauty of the area. We spent about two and a half hours photographing the rugged coastline and the flowers.

We left the park at around 930am, grabbed a quick breakfast in a restaurant in Seaside and drove back to San Jose and dropped of the rental car at the airport at around 1pm. Flight back to Seattle was right on time.