Posts Tagged ‘Cyprus Point’

Point Lobos State Reserve

…or more commonly, simply, Point Lobos, lies just a few miles south of Pacific Grove on Highway 1.  The website for the park quotes artist Francis McComas, who found the area to be  ‘…the greatest meeting of land and water in the world…’  Hmm.  Well, it’s very pretty indeed.  Point Lobos was established as a part of of the  California State Park system in 1973.  The park derives it’s name from the rocks that lie offshore of Punta de los Lobos Marinos.  Los Lobos Marinos…that’s a curious phrase, sea wolves.

Northwest of Whalers Cove

The image above, shot looking north from the headlands overlooking Whalers Cove, was recorded at about 12:00 PST on March 30th, 2009, using the Nikon D700 and the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens at 28mm.  Exposure was f/16 at 1/125s, ISO 200.

There are a number of excellent trails in the park.  Each trail blends views of the shore and the ocean with an encounter with the flora and fauna of the headlands.  My favorite areas are Cannery Point in the north-central section of the park, and many points around the Allan Memorial (cyprus) Grove, and Cyprus Cove on the western edge of the park.

Daredevil Otter

The image above, of a daredevil otter lounging in the surf between North Point and Cyprus Cove, was recorded at around 19:00 PST on March 31st, 2009, using the Nikon D700  and the AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens at 300mm.  Exposure was f/11 at 1/500s, ISO 800.  Handheld.  This otter had a remarkable ability to sense a big incoming wave and drive for the bottom just an instant before getting pummeled.

Seagull Silhouette

The image above, of a California Gull perched on the rocks at sunset, was recorded at about 19:00 PST, March 31st, 2009, using the Nikon D700 and the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens at 70mm.  Exposure was f/16 at 1/1600s, ISO 200.  Handheld.  A patient subject.

Point Lobos at Sunset

The image above, shot north from Cyprus Cove, was recorded at about 19:00 PST, March 31st, 2009, using the Nikon D700 and the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens at 24mm.  Exposure was f/11 at 1/30s, ISO 200.  Yes, I believe I might be in the market for a couple of acres in the area.  What?  No, you’re kidding!

Self Portrait 20090331

It’s just me here – no HP!  And, as you can see by the grim determination of the artist, that holding up the WhiBal card is no funny business…

Monterey and the ENC (wait, pics!!!)

Every other year (with some exceptions) NMR spectroscopists* from around the world converge on the Monterey Peninsula for the Experimental NMR Conference (ENC).  The Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA, has been host to the ENC since 1972 (13th ENC).  The meeting gives us a structured excuse for visiting the beautiful central CA coast.  I’ll be at the meeting, the 50th ENC, all of next week, and will try to send updates from the field.  As a preview, and an excuse for liberating a few more political prisoners from the photon-dungeon, I’d like to share a few images from the 47th ENC.

A at the ShoreThe image above, of ‘A’ executing a determined pixie-like flutter across the tidal pools at ebb tide (low water, probably), was recorded on April 23, 2006 at about 12:20 PST, using the Nikon D70s and the AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED.  Exposure was f/10 at 1/400s, ISO 200.  The shot was hand-held.  The D70s was the first digital SLR that I owned, and although at 6.1 megapixels it seems a bit underpowered now, it was a marvel at the time.  The s-model was an update to the D70, and as I recall the most significant difference was the inclusion of a larger LCD review display.  Nikon no longer lists the D70/D70s on it’s website, however, an excellent review by Phil Askey, founder of dpreview.com is still available (Highly Recommended).

Monterey Municiple WharfThe image above, of the end of the breakwater at the Monterey Municipal Wharf, was recorded on April 23, 2006 at 11:30 PST using the D70s and the DX 18-70mm at 45mm.  The exposure was f/6.3 at 1/800s (weird!), ISO 200.

Sea JelliesThe image above, of Sea Jellies, was shot at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  The image was recorded on April 24, 2006, at about 15:10 PST using the D70s and the DX 18-70mm at 18mm.  Exposure was f/3.5 and 1/10s, ISO 1250.  Hand-held.  Gads, wish I’d had the D700 here!

Cyprus PointThe image above, of the ‘Lone Cyprus’, was recorded on April 24, 2006 at 19:30 PST using the D70s and the DX 18-70mm at 35mm.  Exposure was f/20 at 1/8s, ISO 200 (I have no idea why).

HP at the ENCThe snap above, of the HP looking pretty stylish, was made whilst strolling on the path that runs along the shore just west of Sunset Drive in Pacific Grove.  The Image was recorded on April  25, 2006 at 13:00 PST using the D70s and the DX 18-70mm at 18mm.  Exposure was f/6.3 at 1/250s, ISO 200.  Hand-held.

*Right, so an NMR spectroscopist is a kind of biophysicist or physical chemist interested in using the absorption spectrum of a magnetically polarized sample (MHz energy range) to elucidate the structure and dynamics of molecules – sometimes really cool molecules, if that helps.  BTW, this is our day job.