The rugged Mendocino Coast of California is a true gem on the Pacific Coast of North America. Narrow winding two-lane highways are the only way to visit this area by land.

On this particular trip, we had three days to relax, and the weather was as quiet and calm as could be wished for.

After a winter of heavy rains over the area, it seemed winter had been turned off with a switch, and summer had instantly arrived in Mid-April. On this day, the morning began cloud-free, and an early morning walk to this spot was uninspiring with blue sky, small waves and a static landscape.

But things changed abruptly shortly before noon when a low cloud bank and fog layer moved in. I grabbed my camera bag for another excursion to Greenwood State Beach. I was beckoned to stop in front of small Greenwood Creek, pushing its light sediment load into the Pacific Ocean in front of a massive rock outcrop. The image had the impression of a tongue reaching out into the Pacific.