Cypress Grove Trail at Point lobos

Point Lobos Natural Reserve: Where Ansel Adams Wandered. As Did We… Pacific Coast Series 3

/ Curt Mekemson / 20 Comments
Point Lobos is considered one of California’s most beautiful state parks. The world renowned photographers Ansel Adams and Edward Weston would agree. They spent years returning to the park again and again to capture its beauty. it is located just south of Carmel along highway 1. Hiking out the Cypress Grove Trail, Peggy and I came upon this sea stack known at the Pinnacle.
Peggy found unique ways of framing it, including the twisted limb on the upper right.
She was having great fun with her new camera! See the black dots on peak…
Like many sea stacks up and down the Pacific Coast, it had its own flock of cormorants.
Another perspective. Following are other views along Cypress Grove Trail.
Both sides of the peninsula leading out to the Pinnacle provided different views of Pacific Ocean waves rolling in.
I am ever fascinated by the patterns in water created by the waves and tides— infinite works of art.
A view from the south side of the Cypress Grove Trail.
And another.
A close up.
As might be expected, we found some very impressive cypress trees growing along the Cypress Grove Trail.
Ansel Adams and Edward Weston both loved the gnarly cypress trees. I rendered this one in black and white to honor them.
Flowers are also abundant in the Reserve. I stopped to capture this iris. Peggy had beaten me to it.
Invasive but striking, Oxalis or Bermuda buttercup, is another native of South Africa.
Does a flower get any more yellow?
Wild lilacs greeted us at the beginning of the Cypress Grove Trail.
As did this nettle, coastal hedge. You can look, but best not touch.
I had my nose in a flower when Peggy said, “Curt, check out this buzzard.” She had photographed it with its wings spread. We were on the Whaler’s Cove Knoll trail on our way to Whaler’s Cove.
It had ignored Peggy but it started to give me the eye with a hungry look. Or was I imagining things?
Hmmm. I wasn’t sure about being eyed by the buzzard, but I admired its beautiful feathers.
This may the occasion for one of those “You know you are old when a buzzard thinks of you as a potential dinner,” jokes.
The daisy I ‘had my nose in.’ I totally missed the spider!
Another daisy of a different color. Our flower app identified it as a seaside daisy.
An old friend: Bush, monkey flowers.
A small museum housed in an old whaler’s cabin at Whaler’s Cove provided a bit of history. I should not have been surprised to learn where Monterey Jack Cheese came from. Jack made it. Grin. Actually, it was originally known as Jack’s Cheese. The Monterey was added later. A number of industries were located at Point Lobos. In addition cattle ranching, cheese making, and whale hunting, they included the largest abalone factory on the West Coast.
One reason I wanted to hike over to the Cove was because the last time I was at Point lobos, I saw a seal nursing its baby there. We missed that, but we did see a mother with its baby swimming along behind. We had to travel down to the southern part of the park to find more mother seals and their pups. We will be featuring them, along with cormorants, and more great scenery in our next post.
Next time: There will be close ups!