Part of Goat Rock and the parking lot for Blind Beach, Goat Rock State Park, Sonoma County, CA. After I entered the water, I paddled along the protected inner edge here.
The rest of the lower portion of Goat Rock. Another go-out I'll head around to the right here.
The view to the southwest from Blind Beach. With the camera, all that looks further than it is. Since I was soloing here for the first time, I did laps back and forth from Goat Rock to and into those rock gardens and pinnacles. I like checking my exits and watching the tide, swell, and wind patterns at a new place, so being solo meant it was easier for me to slow down and check out the conditions thoroughly. Of course, on such a mellow day, there's only so much change to be considered, but I feel better about future go-outs there.
I tried to catch the texture of the water, but I didn't quite succeed. The swell patterns from bouncing off all the different rocks and being directed by the different underlying channels produced a lively, frothy, pointy effect. (I'll review my other shots to see if I have a better photo.) Here, just a sample of texture that also keeps me going out onto (and into) the water.
A different angle on Arch Rock, a paddle-goal I'm saving for another time, ideally with my dive partner Gerald. The photos make the arch look further out than it is, but I'd say it's no further or only barely further than the arch out from Van Damme State Beach. (Are you reading this, Gerald?)
The view of my entry and exit point: Blind Beach and Goat Rock. I spent about two hours on the water paddling back and forth, paddling through rock channels, and just floating about, observing the patterns of water and wind, getting comfortable again. The ocean's a different beast, even on such a quiet day, than the Russian River, that mellow meanderer. There's always a fierce energy in even the smallest lift and drop of a wave that I find seductive and entrancing.
Note how the overcast never really lifted too. This is probably about noon or a bit after, and I'd hoped for sunnier skies. Still good; still counts.
