Mendocino County - Russian Gulch Bridge

Russian Gulch bridge in Mendocino, CA. I was here on a family trip, and we spent the previous day hiking all around the Russian Gulch State Park, and the following morning I decided I wanted to get up early and try to get a sunrise photo on the beach before my wife got up. Little did I know, the real magic would come from the headlands, not the beach. Once my alarm went off, I tried to get out of our hotel room as quickly and quietly as I could, trying not to be too disruptive to my wife's sleeping. I made it to the beach and early morning's at the ocean are always so peaceful and serene. I tried out a couple things and nothing was really working, so I decided I would walk the headlands trail among the cliffs, and see if anything popped out there. I came to the farthest tip, looked back at the bridge, and could not believe my eyes. The morning light coming over the hillside, shining onto the bridge was unlike anything I have ever seen before. I got my camera out as fast as I could, and as soon as I heard the first click of the shutter, I felt like I had struck gold. What began as an afterthought, became the real treasure of the day.