Sea Ranch is one of those idyllic places that evoke calm, peace, and the California lifestyle. It is a developed community on the coast started in the 1960s whose purpose was to preserve the area's natural beauty. Some noted architects and landscape architects planned for the construction of about 2400 homes along 10 miles of the California coast. This caused quite a stir and became the impetus for the California Coastal Commission.
McClure's Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore
We were lucky enough to be invited to stay at a rental at Sea Ranch for a week. We flew to San Francisco and made our way up the coast, first stopping at Point Reyes National Seashore and Sam Taylor State Park, two of my favorite spots. There always seems to be something interesting in these areas, although I never can get the weather I want. Too much sun! We planned to shoot the sunset at McClures Beach on the northern tip. I had the beach all to myself.
Sam Taylor State Park, Devil's Gulch trail
We stayed at a small B&B called the Bear Valley Inn, which was very convenient to the park. The room was nice and it's always fun to deviate from the Best Western now and then. The next morning we woke up early and headed to Sam Taylor State Park. I was hoping for some fog but the sun came up strong so the shooting time was limited. Sam Taylor has many old growth redwoods and some other older hardwoods. You can always find something in there, but the traffic on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. gets busy.
Sea Ranch sunset
Our rental at Sea Ranch was an exquisite house called Breakers Point with this view from the deck. We couldn't ask for a lovelier place. While there we made a few side trips to Armstrong Woods State Park, Fort Ross, and Mendocino. We also had fun exploring some of the smaller roads and finding some great forests.
Armstrong Woods
Stewarts Pt Rd
Sonoma Fences at Ft Ross
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