Simple scene: Pacific Ocean from Russian Ridge

Matt Tilghman

Hello all. Here's another shot from my favorite location, this one actually from February... yearning for the rainy season I suppose. In this simple scene from Russian Ridge, California, the drama was all in my mind. I know that the Pacific Ocean got its name when Ferdinand Magellan passed through the Straits of Magellan and into the relative calmness of the ocean beyond, but here I was rewriting history in my head. As someone who moved from Florida to San Francisco, it's hard for me to imagine that anyone considers the Pacific calm. However, unlike the Atlantic in Florida, many of my chances to glimpse the Pacific come from mountaintops. From up here, where you can't make out the swells and breakers, the sea looks as tranquil as an alpine lake. Even though I know it's incorrect, I imagined that the Pacific Ocean got its name when the early land-based explorers ascended these coastal mountains and got their first glimpse of the ocean, from up high. It's the only place where I can see the Pacific as "calm."


Pacific Ocean from Russian Ridge

Thanks for looking!

kdog

Yup, looks calm to me! Take up surfing, and you'll be bemoaning how calm the coast is whenever you make the journey out there. "Should have been here yesterday", is what they'll tell you on the beach.

This is a really great shot. You couldn't have gotten better light, and I love the way the canyon and trees meander towards the setting sun. Definitely one of your best.

Matt Tilghman

Thanks for the great compliment!