Photographed by Michael Belew

Franklin Point Beach is a beautiful wide sandy beach in the northern portion of Ano Nuevo State Reserve. The trail to the beach follows a sandy path and two long boardwalks across the plateau through natural vegetation. The Point is named for the clipper ship Sir John Franklin which ran aground in dense fog in 1865. Much of the crew perished in the encounter. Over the years, I have explored and photographed most of the beaches on the San Mateo Coast and beyond. I had never been to this particular beach and my intention this day was to make some preliminary exposures. After parking in a pullout on Hwy 1, I headed down a sandy path which led to the beach. Since it was late afternoon, I encountered no other people but by the number of footprints in the sand, many others had taken the same journey. The path led up and over sand dunes and across a long boardwalk. The hills of sand were mostly covered with dune grasses and other vegetation. The sandy path cut through expanses of dune grass creating a kind of gateway effect in places. There was a gentle sea breeze which caused the grasses to sway and dance. Beautiful clouds hung in the sky as the sun was beginning its descent. I became so enthralled with what I found that I abandoned my original plan and began exploring this area instead. After a few initial exposures were made and reviewed, I made a plan to return which led to many such trips back to what I call, Dunes @ Franklin Point. The photographs which I present here are the culmination of those efforts.

28.75" W x 22.75" H Framed