Winter's Surf

I think winter is a far nicer and more interesting time of year in the Monterey area than summer.  Summer brings gray skies, throngs of tourons, brown grass, and small, unobtrusive waves.  All of these things are minimized during winter, and not infrequently you get a day like this one, January 6...with bright skies, mild air, uncrowded beaches, and thundering, majestic surf. 

These pix were taken at Carmel River State Beach, where the waves are usually larger and more powerful than elsewhere in the area.  There's a steep dropoff a few yards from shore which allows the waves to barrel in at full strength, then abruptly crash on the sand with massive power.  There was a high surf advisory in effect when these pix were taken.  This breaker is probably about 12-14 feet high; the crashing water can bounce twice as high into the air after the wave finishes breaking. 

The low winter sun, of course, provides nice light.  It's not a black sand beach; just looks that way with the underexposure.

Seagulls hangin' by the Carmel River lagoon, separated from the surf by a sand berm.  Pelicans also like to kick back here in between feeding forays.

At low tide, fine patterns are created on the beach by water percolating from the lagoon through the sand to the ocean.  The lagoon is about fifty yards to the left of the picture, the ocean about ten yards to the right.  If you were up in a satellite you would see patterns of erosion very similar to these, extending dozens of miles across desert regions.  But here on the beach, the area encompassed by this pic is perhaps eight feet by ten.

The winter surf has exposed these rocks at the shore.  When the river breaks through the berm and flows into the sea, it often runs right through these stones.  During the summer, gentle surf covers the rocks with sand.  I've always liked this beach...every time I come here, it looks different.  And you see various critters...gulls, pelicans, otters, seals, cavorting all over the place.  It's a very interesting spot.