Bodega Bay, Point Reyes and Pismo Beach

[Khurram]

After constantly altering my plans on where to go (Hawaii, Southwest, Bay Area).

I've finally settled on the Bay area and Yosemite and have finally booked my flight and most of my accomodations and will be leaving this Saterday.

My plan is the following:
-4 days north of SF (Point Reyes, Bodega Bay, redwoods)
-2 days in SF
-3 days in yosemite
-5 days in Big Sur
-1/2 day in SF

I got some good advice from Lisa and others for this trip, but need to finalize my accomodations for North of SF.

For covering Bodega Bay and Point Reyes, is Novato a good place to stay.  Mileage wise it doesnt' seem to far, however i'm not sure if it will be too far away for sunrise/sunset shoots.  However, the remaining available accomodations at Bodega Bay are pretty pricey.  I just wanted to know if Novato is a good alternative, if there are other alternatives, or should i bite the bullet and stay at Bodega Bay.

The other question i had was whether or not it is worthwhile going further south to Morro Bay or Pismo Beach, as i've never been their. If so, i was hoping for some advice on what are the best options on where to stay and where to shoot.  Will 5 days be enough for both Big Sur, Morro and Pismo beach???  Right now, i'm staying at Big Sur for the entire duration, is better to stay further south if Pismo and Morro are places that should be squeezed in???

[wtlloyd]

Not sure what you're looking for in Pismo....I would hit Morro Bay and Montana de Oro State park...good shorebird shooting in Morro Bay, and Montana de Oro is very  picturesque..think a very rugged Carmel. In Morro Bay, head past the rock to the Natural History museum/golf course area - there is a Heron rookery up the hill from the museum, in the eucalyptis trees.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=592

See the Elephant seals north of San Simeon - you are 10 feet from them on the low, fenced bluffs. 100 yards from the parking lot - right now, they are molting.  Piedras Blancas is unique in that there is unlimited access - Ano Nuevo is Park Service guided, you hike in (I understand, not been there..) and have a limited time that is very supervised...

http://www.elephantseal.org/
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=523

It's a long, slow drive down the coast from Big Sur - probably 3-4 hours at a guess, haven't done it in a couple years. South of Pismo is a small town, Guadalupe, that is the gateway to coastal dunes, can be some pretty dramatic shooting...

After constantly altering my plans on where to go (Hawaii, Southwest, Bay Area).

I've finally settled on the Bay area and Yosemite and have finally booked my flight and most of my accomodations and will be leaving this Saterday.

My plan is the following:
-4 days north of SF (Point Reyes, Bodega Bay, redwoods)
-2 days in SF
-3 days in yosemite
-5 days in Big Sur
-1/2 day in SF

I got some good advice from Lisa and others for this trip, but need to finalize my accomodations for North of SF.

For covering Bodega Bay and Point Reyes, is Novato a good place to stay.  Mileage wise it doesnt' seem to far, however i'm not sure if it will be too far away for sunrise/sunset shoots.  However, the remaining available accomodations at Bodega Bay are pretty pricey.  I just wanted to know if Novato is a good alternative, if there are other alternatives, or should i bite the bullet and stay at Bodega Bay.

The other question i had was whether or not it is worthwhile going further south to Morro Bay or Pismo Beach, as i've never been their. If so, i was hoping for some advice on what are the best options on where to stay and where to shoot.  Will 5 days be enough for both Big Sur, Morro and Pismo beach???  Right now, i'm staying at Big Sur for the entire duration, is better to stay further south if Pismo and Morro are places that should be squeezed in???
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[Khurram]

Not sure what you're looking for in Pismo....I would hit Morro Bay and Montana de Oro State park...good shorebird shooting in Morro Bay, and Montana de Oro is very  picturesque..think a very rugged Carmel. In Morro Bay, head past the rock to the Natural History museum/golf course area - there is a Heron rookery up the hill from the museum, in the eucalyptis trees.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=592

See the Elephant seals north of San Simeon - you are 10 feet from them on the low, fenced bluffs. 100 yards from the parking lot - right now, they are molting.  Piedras Blancas is unique in that there is unlimited access - Ano Nuevo is Park Service guided, you hike in (I understand, not been there..) and have a limited time that is very supervised...

http://www.elephantseal.org/
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=523

It's a long, slow drive down the coast from Big Sur - probably 3-4 hours at a guess, haven't done it in a couple years. South of Pismo is a small town, Guadalupe, that is the gateway to coastal dunes, can be some pretty dramatic shooting...
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Thanks for the advice.  I was looking to goto Pismo Beach, coz i saw some pretty cool shots of beaches with sand dunes and very dramatic looking trees that looked simialr to the ones on the 17mile drive.  It was a real cool shot -kind of looked like the sand dunes at monument valley, only with the oceon being in close proximity to the dunes.

[Richowens]

Khurram
 
 Novato is about an hour away from Bodega Bay. You might as well bite the bullet and stay in Bodega Bay. When my wife and I go we rent a house north of Bodega Bay through Vacation Rentals USA. I don't know if they could accomodate you on this short of notice.

 Around Bodega Bay the coast is mainly rocky with narrow beaches. You might try Salmon Creek, Wright's Beach and Goat Rock Beach just south of Jenner. Further up the coast Is Fort Ross State Park, an old Russian settlement from the 1800's.

 Here are a couple from last week.

[attachment=3606:attachment]


[attachment=3607:attachment]

These were both taken from the deck of the house.

 Rich

[Khurram]

Khurram
 
 Novato is about an hour away from Bodega Bay. You might as well bite the bullet and stay in Bodega Bay. When my wife and I go we rent a house north of Bodega Bay through Vacation Rentals USA. I don't know if they could accomodate you on this short of notice.

 Around Bodega Bay the coast is mainly rocky with narrow beaches. You might try Salmon Creek, Wright's Beach and Goat Rock Beach just south of Jenner. Further up the coast Is Fort Ross State Park, an old Russian settlement from the 1800's.

 Here are a couple from last week.

[attachment=3606:attachment]
[attachment=3607:attachment]

These were both taken from the deck of the house.

 Rich
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Thanks for the advice Rich - an hour is much too far away!  And those are very good shots to be taken from the deck of the house you are staying at!! On my deck, all is see is my neighbors weeds

[PSA DC-9-30]

Pismo Beach is OK, but not great; I wouldn't drive down all that way just to see that. There are some very nice beaches about an hour south of SFO on Hwy 1, near the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, which you may want to visit. The distances north of SF are longer than they appear on the map because the road (Hwy 1) is extremely windy. And, the locals drive like mad. Expect fog anywhere and everywhere up there at this time of year.

have fun!

[islandgolfer]

Having lived in the Monterey area for about 6 months, and in Southern California my entire life, I have spent quite a lot of time in most all of the areas being mentioned. I would recomend doing the majority of your shooting north of San Simeon. Even the sea lions near Cambria aren't that interesting. When there, I usually end up going up to Herst Castle for a few shots. And, I was just looking at lodging up there-not cheap.  On the other hand, the scenery in Little Sur, Big Sur and Carmel is spectacular. It is definitely worth the price of lodging. I personally don't think that Morrow Bay is worth the overnight stay (very touristy). I was there just prior to the summer and it was so foggy the visability was virtually zero.  And, there is really nothing in Pismo worth shooting. I was a short distance south of there about three weeks ago, and got some sea bird shots; but, nothing worth making a special trip for. For my money, the coast and tall trees up north is where you want to be. And, s half hour inland (toward the Salinas area) may yield some field laborer shots, and a number of old victorian houses. If you get real adventurous, a trip to the mission at San Juan Batista (about an hour + from Monterey) will give you some good shots.