After a grueling work-filled week at the Lab, Geoff and I were stunned in disbelief that we were actually done working. Geoff got on Facebook and saw that Vegas Drift’s Nick Dizon wished he was in Santa Cruz. Just to rub it in, Geoff impulsively decided we needed to go visit the Grove of Fine Knocks, which is not far from Santa Cruz in the small coastal down of Davenport. I have a bit of an impulse streak myself so away we went. We first found this place when we went to a photographer meet in Davenport put on by some Flickr members. We decided we didn’t like the idea of 20 people all wandering around together and getting in each others’ shots, so we wandered away from the group and discovered the a place that I named the Grove of Fine Knocks.
Geoff wanted to make it there for the sunset so we didn’t have much time to spare. The fastest way was down 880 and over 17 to Santa Cruz, but he just got Fastrak and wanted to test it out so we took 92 instead. It worked!
By the time we hit Half Moon Bay (where Geoff grew up and goes to any chance he can get [like right now]), we wondered if the cloud cover would completely obscure the sunset. We decided to chance it anyway. Then on the way down Highway 1 we spotted the guys from GQC Entertainment wrapping up a commercial shoot. All of their Red One Mysterium-X’s were already packed up though.
As we got further south, we kept seeing more and more blue sky! This trip might have been worth it after all!! Eventually we hit Davenport. What a small town! 24mm was almost enough to capture the whole place. It’s cool though, they have some pretty dope beaches around there.
The Grove itself is on the ocean side of Highway 1, and just across the tracks. By the looks of it, we had just enough time to find a shooting spot and wait for the sun to be juuuuust right.
Just like Moss Landing has its looming power plant, Davenport has its looming cement factory. This thing really looms hard doesn’t it?
The low light coming through the trees just looked amazing. There were countless opportunities for photos here!
Someone on the beach below us was also shooting the sunset. Because of the cliff, the sun disappeared a lot earlier down there than up where we were.
The time was nigh!
And the moment we came here for in the first place: sunset! The trip was officially a success!
It’s a long way down to the beach. Geoff thought I was crazy for even getting this close.
Thought the sun had officially set, Geoff still had a lot of pictures to take.
There are ruins of an old pier on the beach. I don’t know exactly how it was used since there’s no way to get trucks down there and no evidence of cranes or anything that used to be there.
There is also lots of iceplant. Geoff LOVES iceplant so he took at least 100 pictures of it.
And he threw his Nikon in the daisies for some reason.
I mean, they were pretty cool daisies, but still.
Geoff threw himself in the daisies too, and tried to look sexy. Sorry buddy, it’s not working.
Isn’t this a great picture of Geoff? He loves his mustache more than life itself. All this shooting made us hungry so off we went in search of fish to eat!
.:Bohan
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