northern california

[arthur berger]

I was thinking of taking my 5x7 up the coast of California North of San Francisco in the beginning of March. Would anyone have an idea of what the weather is usually like at that time of the year and any special places in Sonoma county. Thanks for your help.

[Jon Shiu]

I hear Salt Point State Park is nice with interesting rock formations.

[Steve Feldman]

Arthur,

Way, way north of S. F. is Ferndale, CA (near the coast). A small town, bristling with Victorian homes. Also an interesting old church and graveyard.

Gotta love it.

~S.

[Steve Nieslony]

Arthur,

You will need to check Weather.com as at this time of year the weather is very unpredictable. It can vacilate between clear blue skys with strong sun, to hazy days, to thick fog to heavy rain storms with high speed winds. Hard to say what it will be like in March. Sounds discouraging, but I view it as the time of the year that California is like the rest of the country :-)

Be prepared for cold and wet and dress in layers and you should be okay. Happy Shooting.

Steve

[Bill_1856]

Read Edward Weston's "California and the West."

[Ted Harris]

All sorts of ggood opportunities for images between SF and Fort Bragg. You start with lots of opportunities along the Russian River and there are continuing coastal shots as ly drive along Rt. 1 staying on the coast. Also so me great opportunities to photograph seals. In the Mendicino - Fort Bragg area there are a numbr of large stands of Redwoods and a couple of parks in which you can take some fairly easy hukes and get wonderful shots. I find that Mendicino has gotten too commercial for my taste but the small town of Elk just south of Mendicino has a spectacular coast.

[Chris Gittins]

If memory serves, you get some nice days in early March - sunny, 60's and 70's - but you're still on the tail end of rainy season.

Chris

[John Kasaian]

Arthur,

Lucky you! Thats a very scenic part of California. Any weather you might run into that time of year will likely add more drama to the sky more than anything else, but be prepared for rain just in case. Realistically, the weather is as unpredictable as a baby's bottom.

Try to have a least one meal at the Samoa Cookhouse across the bridge from Crescent City and don't forget the seafood at the harbor in Ft. Bragg, the little place with outside tables.

Cheers!

[Peter Galea]

I second Ted's reccomendation of the area around Elk. It is is stunning. It's always cool, weatherwise near the coast.

In Mendocino is the Heritage House, they have an excellent restaraunt, lounge with a huge fireplace, and wine cellar. The property features spectacular views of coastal rocks and headlands. If you plan on going rent the movie, "Same Time Next Year" with Alan Alda and Ellen Burnston, it ws filmed on the property.

Near Fort Bragg is Glass Beach, might be worth a look. Interspersed in the sand/gravel are smooth and rounded fragments of colored glass, remnants of a long gone glass factory.

Use caution on the rocks (they can be very slippery), and NEVER turn your back on the ocean.

[Scott Fleming]

I lived in Sonoma County from '71 thru 75. Oh, jeez ... I get shaky just thinking about those days. I lived through em though.

Pt. Reyes St. Park. Gotta hike to the coast but really a unique place. VERY remote although by the map you would never know it.

Mt Tam. The top. In .... oh sheesh .... what's the name of that county across the Golden Gate ..................? ...? ......?(all the rich folks live there) ...............................................................................MARIN!

Mouth of the Russian River at Jenner. Wild.

Sonoma Mountain. There is a road that runs from Cotati (sp?) to Napa. There is a creek you will cross. You would need to connect with a land owner to get into the best parts. Redwoods.

The Delta of the Sacramento River. Nothing like it.

Darn. Thinking of these old haunts .... I'm ready to book a trip.

[austin granger]

Arthur,

I would highly recommend exploring Point Reyes. Though it's impossible to predict for sure, the rains should be diminshing by March, and the winds that are frequent in Spring will not (probably) have really kicked in yet.

One could easily spend years (if not a lifetime) exploring this penninsula, but some favorite spots of mine are: McClure's beach, Sculptured beach, Drakes's beach, Chimney Rock and the area around the headlands, Greenpicker trail, which climbs up over Inverness Ridge through a Douglas fir forest , etc.

Anyway, If you want a general idea of the landscape there, you might check out my website www.austingranger.com (please excuse the self-promotion); it has a bunch of photographs of Point Reyes on it. An extraordinary place!