click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
I am told that the original inhabitants of Point Reyes, the Miwok Indians, were the first human beings to live in this area. 120 known village sites have been discovered. It is thought, and sometimes disputed, that Sir Francis Drake landed here in 1579, the first European explorer to do so. By the early 1800's the entire population of Miwoks had been wiped out by diseases the White Man brought with him, although missionaries from Mission Dolores, 40 miles to the south in San Francisco, probably did their best to "save the souls" of the "savages" before their demise. By the way, try to avoid shooting here in the middle of the day--advice I ignored in this photo (above).
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
This photo, taken in December of 2012 is the placid view of Point Reyes and part of her 12 mile long white sandy beach, looking west towards the lighthouse on the tip of the peninsula. For you photographers, the best time of year to visit Point Reyes is in Winter, when the sun is at a low angle.
Point Reyes was once again "saved" in the 1970's by the Federal Government, who formed the first National Seashore and opened the beaches and bluffs to the public. By then two dozen dairy ranches and one oyster farm had been established, and were allowed to continue their operations. Currently the Feds are in the process of a heavy-handed attempt to shut down the oyster farm and restore that part of Drake's Bay to its original and pristine condition. The majority of the public is against eviction of the oyster farm, but the family operated business has lost every appeal thus far.
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