daytrip to point reyes...

this past saturday...my meetup group went out to the coast.  it was a pretty nice ride...and it didn't take us nearly as long as i thought it would.  we were to meet up with everyone at 11:00 at the cowgirl creamery.  

though i'd packed a lunch...we went inside to see what else we might want to purchase.  it was a quaint little store...with a variety of local ingredients...cheese, fruits & veggies & smoked fish.  mrchazman eyed the pastries...and i inquired about the fish.  it was a smoked trout...that they'd smoked on the premises...and it was boneless.  i bought one.  *btw...it was delicious!  

because the sun was playing hide-n-seek...and the skies were pretty gray...our assignment (should we choose to accept it) was to think about how things would look in b&w.  

the point reyes...  
we all took our respective positions to take...pretty much the SAME photos of this ship.  lots of polarization...hdr...and b&w conversions.  there were so many posted by the other members of my group that i posted mine to my flickr site...and called it a day.  

the lighthouse...  
we finally made it to the lighthouse area...but it was quite foggy out.  i took a few oceanview photos...and contemplated hiking to the lighthouse.  once i saw the sign that said how FAR the lighthouse was...coupled with the fact that i probably wouldn't be able to see anything if i DID hike up that hill...i took a photo of the sign...and walked back to the car for some vodka and lemonade.  *yes...i pack more than lunch in my cooler.  :)

a few elk...
as we were driving to our next location...our leader spotted these guys from the road.  we all pulled over...and out came the zoom lenses.  when we first arrived...they were all lying down...but...i guess seeing all of us standing on the side of the road...one of them decided to check us out.  seeing that we were only photographers...he lay back down to continue his afternoon rest.  

we saw some abandoned buildings on the side of the road.  the caravan pulled to the side of the road...and we started to scatter.  our organizer said something about...not going onto the property...but that we should shoot from the road...but...everyone was already gone.  of course...right before i was getting ready to go over there...someone in the group screamed.  i'm like...ok...what'd you see...cause that was going to determine just how close i got!!!  *it was a rabbit.   

our final stop was at the tule elk reserve...but...the fog was very dense.  i remarked to mrchazman that...the elk were probably standing on the side of the road as we drove by...wondering where the heck we thought we were going.  it felt like it was raining...and i covered my camera with my jacket.  i reached for my thermos...and poured myself a cup of coffee...as the rest of my group donned gloves and ski caps.  it was now 6:00 p.m., and getting cooler out...so i said my good-byes to the group...and we headed for home.  

i'm looking forward to going back there for another visit.