Clearing Fog, From Hurricane Point. Pacific Coast Highway, California. May 26, 2014. © Copyright 2014 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Morning light begins to shine through clearing fog above Bixby Bridge, Big Sur coast
On Memorial Day this year I figured that I might be able to rise very early and beat the worst of the holiday crowds to the Big Sur area of the Pacific Coast Highway south of Monterey and Carmel. And I was right—when I arrived there very early in the morning it not busy at all. (But a few hours later, after breakfast I presume, the crowds swelled impressively, and my drive back home took about twice as long as the early morning drive to the coast.)
This was one of a string of slightly-out-of-character clear weather late spring days along this coast. As many have discovered to their surprise and perhaps dismay, all of those beautiful sun-soaked photographs of summer along the Big Sur coast are also a big lie! In reality, you are far more likely to encounter fog. (If you want a better chance at clear skies, dress warmly and come in the winter between storms.) But this day was forecast to be warm and sunny along the coast and, in fact, the weather I first encountered was boring and blue. But a bit further south a stubborn bit of fog clung to the ridges above Bixby Bridge and a few other high points further south along the road. Entering these areas the winds whipped up to near gale levels and the temperature dropped as much as 20 degrees. The fog was not pervasive and in many places, such as this one, the sunlight was straggling through in spots. Some of the most beautiful light is found when filtered sunlight makes its way through the thin areas at the edges of fog banks, intensifying colors and bringing soft light into the shadows. Here the sun was peaking through closer to my position at Hurricane Point, though the fog was nearly obscuring the view further north at the famous Bixby Bridge.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.