Part 1
Back to a big city…we explored San Francisco! We aren’t fans of crowded metropolises but we wanted to explore the Bay Area where neither of us had been before.
Our home base was the Petaluma Coast Guard Station. The little training base proved to be an excellent deal and a great place to stay. The camp area has just six huge sites and is out on the edge of the base with farms surrounding it. There is a paved trail circling a pretty pond that was loaded with birds. We were serenaded by the moos of distant cows, the crowing of roosters, and honking geese. We ate many of our meals at the dining facility which served good food at an impossible to beat price. The camp site cost $20 a night and we had all amenities except a place to dump our tanks. However, the dump station was just a half mile away so we hooked up and dumped the tanks twice. You can’t beat $20 a night in this area. The California state parks charge $35 a night for NO hook-ups at all.
Petaluma Coast Guard Station at sunrise
White Egret Night Heron
Turkey Vulture and White Egret
Canada Geese
Point Reyes National Seashore was near the top of things we wanted to see in the area. There was a lot to explore within the 71,000 acres and along the 80 miles of wild coastline. Geologically the peninsula is very interesting. It is on the eastern edge of the Pacific plate and has been moving slowly northwest, about 2 inches per year, for millions of years. Tomales Bay roughly defines the San Andreas Fault with the North American plate creeping west. Rocks along the rugged Point Reyes coast match perfectly with the Tehachapi Mountains 310 miles to the south. During the 1906 earthquake, the peninsula lunged 20 feet northwest!
Our first stop was the Visitor Center where we got all kinds of good information. Then we hiked the short earthquake trail where I straddled the San Andreas Fault! Next we hiked up Mount Wittenberg where we got our first view of Point Reyes and a good workout.
Straddling the San Andreas Fault. The land under my right foot jumped 20 feet to the northwest in the 1906 earthquake.
Sunset over an oyster farm on Tomales Bay
The following day we hiked to Point Tomales. Though lengthy, a little less than 10 miles, and a bit hilly, this is one of the most enjoyable hikes we’ve done. The trail was fairly wide and smooth. The ocean was nearly always in view, often to both our left and right as we trekked along the spine of the long peninsula. We walked right by 4 or 5 herds of elk. Some of the herds had 30 or 40 critters. We saw over 100 total! We got out to the distant point, took a much needed break, and posed for pictures. This was a great hike!
Large cypress trees near the historic ranch by the trailhead.
On day three in Point Reyes, we went to the lighthouse and Chimney Rock on the far southwest peninsula of the park. We really wanted to see elephant seals and whales…and we did! There were quite a few mommy elephant seals with their nearly 1-year old pups. The little clusters of families were cute. But the big males were the main attraction. They are odd looking, huge, and vying for their harems. We watched one ornery male chase a potential competitor off his beach. The younger one was lucky to get a head start, but the bigger one followed him into the water. The two wakes were impressive as they snaked all over just under the water. Check out the video below…
Then we hiked out to Chimney Rock where we enjoyed the craggy cliffs of Drakes Beach and tried to spot San Francisco through the haze.
Next we headed to the other side of the peninsula where we walked down 320 steps to the most dramatic lighthouse we’ve seen. The national park ranger shared all kinds of interesting info. After learning about the lighthouse, we stepped outside and scanned the water…JACKPOT…two gray whales heading south! I alerted everybody on the platform and soon there were 20 people watching the huge, but graceful creatures swim past the point. The ranger asked three questions: how many? where? which direction? I answered and he radioed the info to the visitor center. Sure enough, the whale siting board had been updated by the time we climbed back up the stairs. We love seeing critters and it was cool being the first to spot them.
We enjoyed Point Reyes and were glad we spent three days exploring it.
Lone seal sunning on a beach
Two grey whales headed south for the winter Brown pelicans
Sunset over Tomales Bay
On 21 Dec, we went to Muir Woods National Monument. As we neared the monument there were people everywhere and the parking areas were full. We ended up parking along the road over a half mile from the entrance. While we walked to the entrance, people continued to stream past looking for places to park. Finally, near the entrance, we saw why…a winter solstice celebration! Festivities began shortly before sunset with wreath making near the arch. Children, parents, and grandparents flocked around the tables and got creative with the materials. There were lots of smiles! As it got darker, the park rangers led the large crowd in singing slightly altered (in a cute way) holiday songs. We sang a couple of songs and then headed into the woods. One or two miles of trail were lit with luminarias! It was surreal walking among the ancient trees with the faint glow of the candles. We stumbled into this unexpected experience and will always treasure the memory.
WHERE WE GOT OUR MAIL:
Valley Ford, California
Check out part two for Golden Gate National Recreation Area and San Francisco…
Merry Christmas
I happened upon your Blog through FaceBook. Having grown up in Northern CA, and now living in Poulsbo WA I was thrilled to read your posts. you are living my dream! Keep it up, because I can't wait for more. Safe travels.
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