January 23, 2010

Storm of the Decade

Steve's been a lover of open water all his life, swimming, surfing, and scuba diving in the Pacific Ocean. But even he was intimidated when he saw these waves off the coast of Elk, CA (just south of Mendocino) on Monday, January 18, in the midst of a winter storm. He estimated the swells at close to 30 feet.

These, too, although you had to be there to appreciate them (and be terrified by them).

The brown pelicans were wary, too; they huddled on the shore in a group of 200 the first two days we were there.

Steve was standing on a hilltop when he took this photo. I found the abalone shell at the edge of a creek that had become a river that was rushing into the ocean. The rain gear is no joke -- about three minutes after the photo was taken, the sky opened and Zeus drained his bathtub on our heads.

5 comments:

Lakin said...

Holey Moley, Mother of .. Posiedon; what a week to be out there! The sound alone must have been something else. Hope you had a fireplace to cozy up to...

Renee Thompson said...

I did have a fireplace, Lakin, but no cell-phone coverage and no TV. Got a boatload (little pun, funny) of work done. I highly recommend it!

Steve Thompson said...

Great pics; did I take those?

Michelle Panik said...

Oooh, I love abalone. Do you ever collect and cook it?

Renee Thompson said...

Michelle, I guess you need a permit to pry these things from the rocks. Steve has gone diving for them a few times, as he's a fan. Me, not so much. Halibut's my game!