Point Richmond

I was in Point Richmond this afternoon and walked out to the abandoned structures at Ferry Point. I've lived in the Bay Area for almost 11 years now, and I'm still amazed at the amount of historical remnants scattered about. It appears that the railroads used to roll through the Point Richmond tunnel and were able to load their cargo onto the ferry bound for San Francisco at a time when there were no Bay Area bridges.

For my own sake, here's a little summary of the Bay Area Bridges and their construction dates:

Antioch Bridge 1926/1978
Carquinez Bridge 1927/1958/2003
Dumbarton Bridge 1927/1982
Bay Bridge 1936/2013
Golden Gate Bridge 1937
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge 1956
Benicia-Martinez Bridge 1962/2007
San Mateo Bridge 1967/2003

Once the bridges were up, there was less need for the system of ferries, and the respective ferry docks began to deteriorate. Ferry Point is a perfect example of such rapid changes to the Bay Area over the past 100 years. The aging hoist and tracks are still visible against the powerful ocean waves, with the tech savvy San Francisco skyline in the distant horizon. Concrete floors litter the grassy landing where large buildings once stood.

I mainly visited this site to see if it provided a better view of the sun setting over the soft silhouettes of the coastal clouds. I attached the neutral density filter and was able to get a decent shot, but the high level clouds created less of a distinct line between day and night. I think the view from the hills along Point Richmond will actually provide a better view of the cloud dynamic, but that also entails climbing with a significant portion of gear.

After the sun was fully down, the glow from Point Richmond illuminated the cove, so I set up for one last little shot. It was harder to get the proper shutter speed to provide enough light, yet also prevent the cloud action from becoming too blurry. Again, for me, the low level clouds are difficult to incorporate into a nighttime timelapse series.