Point Reyes and Tomales Point - 2021

This was my first post-cataract surgery shoot, and it was a doozy. I drove over to Point Reyes, thinking I'd finally get to visit the Lighthouse. Not so. They've closed it again. Thanks, Delta Variant. Instead of heading to the Lighthouse, I decided to visit the Tule Elk Preserve on the other end of the landmass (see the map). I'd seen the elk before when I visited here in 2018. The herd has thinned a bit. The water here is a real issue, and the farmers/ranchers don't want to share with the Elk when their livestock is so thirsty. They have to truck water in for the elk every week. 😰 The scenery here is gorgeous, even if primarily brown. Open tundra, incredibly high bluffs, 360-degree views, and of course, there's always the ocean. Coyotes and Elk were spread across the roughly five miles of the preserve. I've either gotten better at this, or I'm far less selective about what I call "printable." I passed a far higher percentage of my shots to be published than I usually do. I traveled across to the lighthouse before I headed for home. Unfortunately, the fog had rolled in by then, so even though I was at least able to get to the top of the stairs that led down to the light, I still couldn't see it. When I got home, I applied a little Photoshop magic (dehazing) and was able to see the bottoms of the structures at the bottom of the stairs. I do love those Cypress trees. They seem otherworldly to me. NOTE: Viewable Point Reyes Light image courtesy of Wikipedia.