‘Tis the Season: Fog

The fog comes on little cat feet.  It sits looking over the harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. –Carl Sandburg

Port of Stockton.

After the first significant rain in late fall and lasting through early spring there is a phenomenon in California’s Great Central Valley known as Tule Fog. Named for the tule grass wetlands of the Valley, it extends from Bakersfield in the south to Red Bluff in the north and can drift as far west as San Francisco Bay, resulting in low visibility, often down to 500 feet or less. The Delta finds itself right smack in the cross hairs of this often dangerous condition. This dense fog has been known to last for several days, sometimes even weeks, before weather conditions change significantly enough to disturb it.

Shaking the ground as it speeds west through Holt, this west-bound freight takes on an almost ghostly aura cutting through the dense early morning fog.

We got saturating rain rain a few days ago. When the wind is calm and we get rapid cooling overnight the conditions for thick Tule fog are perfect. 

It’s quiet. Ethereal. Otherworldly. Ghostly, even. As the winter season wears on, the California Delta’s tule fog can be depressing and dangerous. But it can also inspire a person to unbag his camera. I actually like the mood and the photographs that can be made in the diaphanous mist of the Delta in winter.

Braving the elements at Buckley Cove, this fisherman said he was waiting for the incoming tide to warm the water slightly, which, he added, should improve his chances.
Honker Cut at Eight Mile Road.
Bull Frog Landing.

Along with the obvious danger of living and traveling in this dense fog, long spells of no sunshine can have an adverse effect on people known as Seasonal Adjustment Disorder, or SAD. It’s more than just a case of the winter blahs. This is a type of depression that can set in, sapping folks’ energy and causing otherwise unexplained moodiness. In extended periods of seemingly immovable tule fog, Joanna and I have been known to take drives into the mountains to enjoy the bright sunshine for an afternoon. It’s like a tonic, it really does help.

But it’s also fun to go out into the Delta with a camera in search of beauty that lies hidden in the dense cover of the thick, wet air. It’s there; you just have to look for it. 

Reminiscent of the Doc Pomus song, “Lonley Avenue.”

Parting thought.  Fog can be truly inspiring for writers, artists and photographers. Fred Lyon’s photographs of San Francisco in the 1940’s and 1950’s come to mind as well as the last scene in Casablanca when Humphrey Bogart and Claude Rains walk together into the foggy-wet night discussing the beginning of a beautiful friendship. On a soundstage, yes, but the mood was effectively captured. There are many more examples too numerous to list here. 

Make no mistake. Accident rates soar when visibility becomes limited. Stay safe out there. It can be deadly if you’re not paying attention.

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