The Sir Francis Drake Drive
- Ash Collins
- Mar 11, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 13, 2020
For some time now I have contemplated an explorative photographic journey to the Point Reyes National Foreshore that lies some 45 minutes (55km) North West of our home in Larkspur. On Monday morning at 7am, accompanied by my guide Frank, we commenced my 'bucket list' trek with a 6 hour (32km) journey along the Peninsula from Point Reyes Station down to the Point Reyes Lighthouse.
The Point Reyes Peninsula sits precariously atop the San Andreas fault line in Northern California. It was thought that the epicenter location of the great 1906 earthquake in San Francisco was in the small village of Olema that lies just outside of the town of Point Reyes Station. Perhaps more significantly, the region is thought to be the landing place of the great Spanish explorer, Sir Francis Drake. Despite spirited debate spanning four centuries, 'experts' believe he landed somewhere near Drake's landing (Drake's Cove) at Point Reyes National Seashore on June 17, 1579.
Enough of the history lesson for now. With photographic gear safely packed in Franks 4WD, we headed a short distance to our first stop, the Tomales Bay shipwreck located in nearby Inverness. The S.S. Point Reyes lies on a sand bar in Tomales Bay located behind the local grocery store, in the small town of Inverness. The burned and hollowed out shell of this 100 year old, 380 foot boat is perched upon the shoreline with wetlands as its backdrop. Displaying beautiful rusting colors, coupled with some interesting graffiti, the S.S. Point Reyes makes for a brilliant subject at either sunrise (blue hour) or sunset (golden hour). Mother nature was on her best behavior this morning providing perfect conditions to capture her brilliance in this sunrise photo shoot.
From Inverness, my docent drove along Sir Francis Drake Blvd. to our next stop; the Drakes Estero. Whilst driving along, Frank related many historical facts and anecdotes associated with the local area and its landmarks. One of the many great attributes of a guide, is his / her ability to know where to look for certain species of flora and fauna; Franks is no exception. Without notice, he yelled "Ash, look out there to your left!" He promptly slammed on the anchors and parked on the side of the road to witness an adult river otter fishing & playing.
These highly intelligent and cute little critters were at one time considered to have been wiped out from most of the Bay Area due to trapping, pollution, lack of prey and loss of habitat. Fortunately the species has bounced back with a healthy population throughout the local river systems. Our sneaky little carnivore had corralled a school of small fish downstream at low tide making any attempted escape for the scaly creatures very difficult. It was, therefore, a veritable smorgasbord for our cunning friend to dine out upon. As our little mate continued to dine, Frank and got back into his trusty veehicle en route to a historical landmark; the Marconi RCA Wireless station.
KPH is a public coast radio station that, for most of the 20th century, provided ship to shore communications including telegrams (using Morse code) and marine telex service (using radioteletype). The station discontinued commercial operation in 1998, but is operated occasionally as a historic service – its signal can be tuned in throughout a large portion of the western hemisphere. The site is only open on weekends to the public so I was confined to peeking through windows (again) to view the well preserved and original technology still in use today.
A secondary feature of the estate is the road that takes you up to the historical building; Cypress Tree Avenue. The large cypress trees provide a spectacular over-arching canopy across the roadway the gives one a sense that they are traveling through a natural tunnel.
Our next port of call would be Drakes Beach to get up close and personal with the local elephant seal population. There were bulls, cows and pups aplenty sunbathing on the golden sands of the beach. Other than the occasional rollover or blinking eye, there was no activity at all from these blubbery marine creatures. Hardly surprising really as it is the back end of the mating season so the bulls and cows have lost ~40% of their weight shagging or males fighting on the beach for a shag and the cows feeding their pups. What a life!!!
In addition to these docile creatures there was plenty of bird life, deer and a rare appearance from a bobcat. The little bobcat was enjoying a few rays and wash until we entered their space. These timid little creatures are off and running at speed as soon as they are aware of you or vice versa. Without notice or prep I fired off the shutter release and managed to get a half reasonable image of this beautiful feline.
Half way through my allotted 6 hours, we headed further south towards the Point Reyes Lighthouse. On our way along the severely pot-holed and unmaintained road, we made a couple of scheduled pitstops. The first stop was to view the local Tule Elk community that inhabit the property / ranch of my guide's partner. As a non-public thoroughfare we had full and unrestricted access to the herd. Unfortunately the mating season for the elk has been and gone hence the reason the males antler are missing. Post mating season the testosterone levels diminish, weakening the antler causing them to literally fall off.
Before making our way to the lighthouse, I asked Frank if he was aware of any owls that might inhabit the large trees in the near vicinity? Of course, he answered in the affirmative. Fortunately the location was along the same road so we proceeded towards a local farmhouse. The largely tree lined road was the resting place for a local Great Horned Owl. Both Frank and I gazed with intent into the tree canopies to spot one of these beautiful birds...we were on the cusp of moving on when of course Frank yelled; "here he is!" Perched on a branch, he was acutely aware of our presence however he seemed comfortable with these two grown men staring intently towards him.
With another bucket list item checked off, it was onward once again as we headed down to this unmistakable landmark, the Point Reyes Light Station. Point Reyes Light Station was established in 1870 and is located ~30 km's from the nearest town of Inverness. To reach the light, visitors must descend over 300 steps or the equivalent of a 30 storey building to gain entry to the structure. You might ask why the lighthouse was situated down the cliff face as opposed to the highest point on the peak...good question. Point Reyes is, by official records, the windiest and foggiest location on the Pacific Coast. In order for the ships sailing off the coastline to see the light, it had to be situated under the fog line...cheers Frank. Another bit of trivia...the lighthouse was used as a location for the 1980 John Carpenter film The Fog.
Another significant activity at this time of year is the migration of the Gray Whale. Engaging in the longest migration of any mammal, the California gray whale swims ~16,000 km's each year, spending about one third of its life migrating from the cold, nutrient-rich waters of Alaska, to the warm, shallow lagoons of Baja California. Along the way, these incredible animals can often be seen from the shores of Point Reyes. Albeit from a distance, we were lucky to see an adult female and her calf frolicking in the waters behind the light house. According to the local guides, there were sightings of at least 100+ gray whales over the weekend...seems we caught a glimpse of some stragglers. God damn I was loading up on mother nature's gifts today.
As a wise (and pessimistic) person once said, all good things must come to an end. With a good 30+ minutes drive back to Point Reyes town center, it was time to turn the 4WD about and head back. On or way back the very alert Frank, complete with his Superman like peripheral vision, noticed two coyotes playing in nearby field. Pulling over along the very narrow road was an issue however Frank managed to find a safe spot to let me and my Sony A99ii work its magic. The coyotes were actually doing the mating dance about and the female, as always, was having none of it! Made for great viewing though.
An enormous thank you to my guide Frank Binney ( pointreyestours.com ) for his invaluable insight into the history, flora and fauna of the magnificent Point Reyes National Reserve. If time permits, I highly would recommend locals and tourists invest their money & time on this bespoke safari in Northern California.
Happy trails to you....
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