Sunday in Jenner up on California’s Sonoma Coast in mid-April.  We were supposed to be kayaking but the rain came pouring down, roads flooded, icy winds whipped across the Pacific but we still managed to pull in a bracing hike.  This time of year I expect blue skies, fields of wildflowers and temperatures that may drop down to the low 60’s.  Not this.  The weather was so bad I didn’t think it was a good idea to take my “real” camera with me.  $7,000 of equipment and heavy rain don’t mix too well so I just carried a small Canon G10 point and shoot.  Thank goodness I did.

The northern end of the Sonoma Coast State Park is a magnificently rugged stretch of cliffs and sea stacks and on stormy days the surf crashes ferociously against the rocks.  The hike along the bluff was pretty uninspiring and the grey light and constant rain did nothing to make me want to take my camera out but then we decided to hike down to the ocean, to Shell Beach.  The wasn’t a shell in sight but boy was it a dramatic scene.  It’s times like this that every landscape photographer prays for.  Dark stormy skies, white surf crashing onto black rocks, a true primal wilderness experience – and all within easy reach of a warm room at the Jenner Inn!  I cursed myself for not taking my big Nikon but to be fair, the Canon point and shoot performed wonderfully.  I zoomed into  the maximum telephoto setting to compress the scene and even in relatively low light and strong winds, the built-in image stabilization worked like a charm.

The moral, of course, is always carry a camera especially when the weather is at its worse – or best if you’re a photographer.