Sunset at Bowling Ball Beach, California

I was only going to have one chance to photograph at Bowling Ball Beach with the timing of things during this trip. After checking into a room at Point Arena, I made the drive back down to where I thought the trail head began. I had read several descriptions of the trail ahead of time so that I at least knew which direction to take. A regional storm system that was impacting the area washed out the last part of the trail and left a natural obstacle course of piled up driftwood and large logs at the end of the path. Endless tall piles of bull whip kelp that where ripped from the ocean floor now covered the beach and was the last obstacle to overcome before standing on the firm, wet sand. All of this served as a reminder that the force of the ocean is an amazing and powerful thing.

A walk of a few minutes put me in the area of the unique, rounded rocks that protrude up from the sand. At this point, the evening sky wasn’t looking too promising as it hid the sun behind a heavy cloak of grey. But, I set up and started shooting around the scene. A few others who were on the beach left to make it through the difficult sections and back to the parking lot before dark. Not being one to give up until I’m sure the sun has set way below the horizon, I stayed behind and enjoyed the sounds of waves rolling in and out amongst the rocks. And then, it happened. In the span of about ten seconds, the grey curtain pulled back and the setting sun lit up the sky, coloring and revealing all the subtle nuances of clouds, water and stone.