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jezlyn  > Other > Point Lobos and Monastery Beach
Went out to Point Lobos in Carmel and was surprised to see they had tide pools there. It was quite entertaining. :) Finished off the afternoon watching the sunset at nearby Monastery Beach.
 
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

The tide pools were so cool. Early on we saw these purple sea urchins. Later we'd see mussels, starfish, a bunch of anemones, hermit crabs, regular little crabs, and little fish. Very cool! Luckily the lighting was good here, so the bright colors of the sea urchins and other stuff remained.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

Not sure why, but each time we saw sea urchins in the tide pools, they had rocks on top of them. Did some mischevious hermit crabs drop the rocks there? :)
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

The hubby went off to explore and found a bunch of little crabs in different cracks and crevices in the rocks. If you look to the left of the main subject, you'll see a blurry friend of his nearby. I was particularly pleased with how this photo turned out (multi-shot HDR). :) Anyone know what kind of crab this is?
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

The tide pools were endlessly entertaining. There were tons of mussels (?) around, anemones, crabs, tiny fish, hermit crabs, starfish, and various sea plants. This was the first starfish we found.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

It was hard walking around some of the areas because they were often packed with these mussels (or whatever they are)!
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

Didn't know that this is what barnacles looked like. They kind of creeped me out because they reminded me of crab claws that looked like they were reaching out from underground. :P
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

This anemone wasn't so far underwater so getting a photo of it was a little easier this time. If you look closely, you'll see a few hermit crabs hanging around, too.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

This may be the same pair of crabs in an earlier photo where they were further down in the crack. For whatever reason, during the time that I shot a little video of all the crabs hanging out in this crevice, this little guy got brave and came right out while I was there. :)
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

The shoreline around Weston Beach is so varied. I don't think I'd been to a beach like this before, where the rocky outcrops are so different in a small area. There were smooth sandstone-ish areas that I was completely comfortable walking on. There were areas covered with a bunch of mussels, moss, and algae or whatever, that weren't really walkable. Then there were really bumpy, textured areas like this where the rock was embedded with a ton of big and little rocks, making walking a little treacherous at times. I didn't have the most appropriate pair of shoes on (they were athletic shoes with soles that didn't really flex much in response to the contours of the rocks and bumps), making me even more hesitant to go crawling all over the place. I still did, though. Walking around there made my ankles sore from all the uneven ground. Next time I'll definitely wear more grippy, compliant shoes, so at least I'll feel a lot more steady while exploring.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

Here's a better view of one of the areas of the shore we explored. I don't know who the guy in the background is; he's just there for scale and a little interest. :)
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

The hubby was always off somewhere else while I was taking photos. Apparently I was moving too slowly for his tastes, so he'd go off and explore, then I'd catch up whenever I was done photographing stuff in a particular area. Often he'd get somewhere seemingly inaccessible, and I'd have to ask him how in the heck he got out there so I could follow. :-/
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

Another view of the rocky shoreline. Sometimes it looks like a lunar landscape (except for the little view of the ocean in the middle)!
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

I liked the colorfulness of this rocky bit. Was lucky to catch the hubby in the background, but weirdly his position (he claims he was looking into a tide pool) kind of makes him look like a zombie to me. =shudder= :O

* There's some ghosting in this photo since I did a multi-exposure tone mapping in Photomatix Pro. Most of my shots from this day started out as HDR/tone-mapped shots.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

There were some parts of the rocky shore that almost seemed alien-looking. I converted this to black and white to bring out the lunar-landscape-esque nature of the scene.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

I took a lot of photos of tide pools and other stuff facing away from the ocean. This ocean-view photo is meant to help balance things out. :)
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

Just some interesting textures in this curvy eroded part of the rocky shoreline.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

This anemone was as tricky to photograph as the others that were further underwater in certain tidepools, but luckily I was able to take advantage of a rock's shadow to help combat the glare from the water. I just cropped out the overly glare-y bits. :)
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

As you can see in the upper left corner, a rock's shadow can greatly cut down on glare from the water's surface. Unfortunately I didn't have anything else to help cut the glare, but it doesn't matter. I still got a good look at this huge anemone and its little crab friend. :)
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

There were a bunch of hermit crabs running around in the tide pools. Hubby fished one out for a second. You can see the little guy's claw, how cute. :)
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

All the colors and textures caught my eye. I took some photos, then rummaged around and picked a few shells as souvenirs. Later I realized that I wasn't supposed to take any shells. Oops!
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

Really liked the colors of the rock in the approaching sunset's light.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

Really liked the golden light and the interesting texture here.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

The sandstone (?) parts of the rocky shoreline looked great in the light around sunset time.
jezlyn > Was itching to go somewhere and have a proper photo shoot day, so I looked up things to do in Carmel and happened upon a place called Point Lobos State Reserve. Saw some cool photos on Flickr, so that's where we went last Saturday. We didn't get too far away from where we parked, but we had an awesome couple hours or so exploring the rock formations and tide pools near the spot we stopped. I think it was somewhere near Weston Beach that we spent all our time. Point Lobos is a huge park, so we barely, barely even scratched the surface of what we could do there. We'll definitely go back again sometime and get there earlier in the day so we can fit more activities in, but I was pretty content with the time we spent there that day.

I snapped a few photos of this guy from far away, but as I slowly crept up closer to him (her?), he didn't seem bothered, so I got up much closer to get this shot. I still wasn't within arm's length of the bird, but it was plenty close anyway.
jezlyn > After our fun day at the Point Lobos National Reserve, we stopped at the nearby Monastery Beach to hang out a little bit and watch the sunset. It's so peaceful to hang out listening to the waves crash. The interesting thing about this beach is the sand has larger particles, almost like tiny, tiny pebbles, rather than miniscule grains of sand that you'd normally expect. 

BTW, it was really nice that you could park right off the highway and just walk onto the beach right there. Most other beaches we've been to have parking lots that are a slight hike away from the actual sand and surf. Too bad it isn't closer to us!
jezlyn > After our fun day at the Point Lobos National Reserve, we stopped at the nearby Monastery Beach to hang out a little bit and watch the sunset. It's so peaceful to hang out listening to the waves crash. The interesting thing about this beach is the sand has larger particles, almost like tiny, tiny pebbles, rather than miniscule grains of sand that you'd normally expect. 

BTW, it was really nice that you could park right off the highway and just walk onto the beach right there. Most other beaches we've been to have parking lots that are a slight hike away from the actual sand and surf. Too bad it isn't closer to us!
jezlyn > After our fun day at the Point Lobos National Reserve, we stopped at the nearby Monastery Beach to hang out a little bit and watch the sunset. It's so peaceful to hang out listening to the waves crash. The interesting thing about this beach is the sand has larger particles, almost like tiny, tiny pebbles, rather than miniscule grains of sand that you'd normally expect. 

BTW, it was really nice that you could park right off the highway and just walk onto the beach right there. Most other beaches we've been to have parking lots that are a slight hike away from the actual sand and surf. Too bad it isn't closer to us!
jezlyn > After our fun day at the Point Lobos National Reserve, we stopped at the nearby Monastery Beach to hang out a little bit and watch the sunset. It's so peaceful to hang out listening to the waves crash. The interesting thing about this beach is the sand has larger particles, almost like tiny, tiny pebbles, rather than miniscule grains of sand that you'd normally expect. 

BTW, it was really nice that you could park right off the highway and just walk onto the beach right there. Most other beaches we've been to have parking lots that are a slight hike away from the actual sand and surf. Too bad it isn't closer to us!
jezlyn > After our fun day at the Point Lobos National Reserve, we stopped at the nearby Monastery Beach to hang out a little bit and watch the sunset. It's so peaceful to hang out listening to the waves crash. The interesting thing about this beach is the sand has larger particles, almost like tiny, tiny pebbles, rather than miniscule grains of sand that you'd normally expect. 

BTW, it was really nice that you could park right off the highway and just walk onto the beach right there. Most other beaches we've been to have parking lots that are a slight hike away from the actual sand and surf. Too bad it isn't closer to us!
jezlyn > Point Lobos and Monastery Beach photo
 

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