Tag Archives: delta

Mouth of the Little Sur River

Mouth of the Little Sur River
The Little Sur meanders across a beach to arrive at the Pacific Ocean

Mouth of the Little Sur River. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The Little Sur meanders across a beach to arrive at the Pacific Ocean

This beach lies at the outlet of the Little Sur River, located a bit north of the town of Big Sur and close to Point Sur, the location of a historic lighthouse on a hill that extends out into the ocean. (You can barely see Point Sur above the darker hill at upper left in the photograph.) I have photographed here quite often, though this is a different angle than I have used before. It took a bit of searching — and a short walk along the roadway — to locate this viewpoint looking straight down the beach.

I have photographed this spot long enough to recognize that its features are far from permanent. In fact, just recently the river changed its path across the beach. Previously it followed a curving loop into the channel across the bottom of the frame before running into a rocky hill at the waterline. But this past winter it “changed its mind,” and it opted to take a straighter path across the beach toward the more distant headlands before finally making a sharp turn and reaching the sea. (Note: This beautiful beach is owned by the Sur Ranch and off-limits to the public. There are large and ugly fences between it and the highway. From time to time I hear that there may be some negotiations that could add the land to the state park system.)


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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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Steel Towers, Night

Steel Towers, Night
Steel Towers, Night

Steel Towers, Night. Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, Vallejo, California. April 16, 2011. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Massive steel towers stand against the night sky at Mare Island Naval Ship Yard.

This is a vertical format photograph of the same series of overhead ship yard structures that I posted in horizontal format recently. As in the other, the illumination comes from very warm (verging on orange-yellow) light from nearby security lights in the shipyard. As a result the extremely hot colors of the metal structures are juxtaposed with the relatively cooler colors of moonlit night sky on this full moon night.

The structures, along the shoreline at the historic Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, were apparently used to move heavy ship components between nearby shops and ships along the waterfront. As I understand it, the yard has been out of commission for about a decade and a half at this point, and the huge mechanical/industrial structures are showing the effects via peeling paint and rust.

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