From high up in Russian Ridge Open Space, California, the Pacific Ocean, under mottled sunlight, looks more like an archipelago.

On this hike through Russian Ridge Open Space, I saw a phenomenon that was completely knew to me. As the fog broke up, the sun began to peek through the cracks. I’m sure this must happen often, and I come here often, so I don’t know why it is so rare for me to see. Perhaps this usually happens when the sun is lower in the sky, thus it’s angle means it can’t shine through. Or perhaps there’s usually a lot more void than cloud. That would mean the projection is mostly sunshine, with just a few cloud shadows. Just based on memory, I think such a sight is far more common. But this sight, though it sounds similar, felt completely different. Instead of an archipelago of shadows, it’s an archipelago of sunlight. Rather than contiguous paths of sunlight, which would happen if the fog was “breaking up,” it’s the shadows that are contiguous. So instead, we’re witnessing holes being burned through the fog.

Purchase “Marbled Ocean – Russian Ridge Open Space” Fine Art Print: