This is one of the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen. We were situated above the coastal fog, approximately on O’Rourke’s Bench in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. Phenomenal.
Sea of fog sunsets Point Reyes falls, seals, lighthouse
Muir Woods sky-scrapers
As if we had not been spoiled enough, we were treated to this gorgeous view out of our tent on Saturday morning at the Pantoll campground in Mt. Tamalpais State Park.Our Saturday adventure began with a seven-ish mile hike along the coast at Point Reyes National Seashore.Our destination was Alamere Falls, a waterfall into the ocean. California really does have it all.We made it!Throughout the park, we encountered an abundance of blooming wildflowers. The Douglas iris (pictured here) was particularly stunning.In the afternoon, we journeyed across the park to see the Point Reyes Lighthouse. For the physics buffs out there: the Point Reyes Lighthouse is a “first order” Fresnel lens, and its inner workings are particularly display-worthy because they originally debuted at the 1867 Paris World’s Fair.Our final park stop was to see the elephant seals. This is a picture through a binocular of one of the male elephant seals calling. It was a rather amusing sound.Day two of our adventure led Laura and I to Muir Woods National Monument. Yes, we are wearing matching rain jackets and pants; we bought the rain jackets separately.There is something captivating about these trees. For the botany enthusiasts, these are the coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). You will see a picture of another of the “redwoods” in the next section.Walking among giants
GIANT sequoias Rim Trail, peep s’mores, & dyed eggs
Sippin’ the good life
In early April, a group of us went to see the “Big Trees” of Calaveras State Park in Arnold, California. The “Big Trees” are giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), and no picture can do them justice, you will have to come see them for yourself.
Walking along the North Grove Trail was akin to walking through an adult-sized jungle gym made of tree parts past and present. Look how big they are!On day two, David and I hiked a 10-mile section of the Arnold Rim Trail. Here I am at the Top of the World.At night, we refueled and rewarded ourselves with peep s’mores, which are like a traditional s’more, but with the marshmallow replaced by a peep! Before you dismiss the idea, try it: it’s all about the caramelized sugar.Easter coincided with our trip and to celebrate, we dyed eggs. I think that one is looking at you!
Cache Creek backpacking
Rolling trail, wild blooms, critters
Vast oak savanna
The last weekend of March, three of us went on our first backpacking trip of 2015. Our travel destination was Cache Creek Natural Area, a 70,000+ acre expanse of BLM land. For our adventure, we selected the 10-mile Ridge Trail hike, which meandered through oak savannas and the occasional stretch of chamise chaparral. It was a beautiful trip full of wildflowers and animal sightings, the latter of which included a coyote, a gopher snake, a ring-necked snake, a squirrel, and more lizards than I could count.
Sometimes the best way to celebrate trail life is with a shady nap.Dinner never tastes so fine as when it comes at the end of a 10-mile hike and is made over a camp stove. Here we are enjoying pita pizzas.Wildlife sightings/catchings: gopher snake left and ring-necked snake right.Happy crew nearing the end of our trek – what a weekend!
*Weekend Warrior endnote: hopefully now it is clear why there have been a dearth of posts. This blog is still something I intend to keep up, but the spread between posts might continue at the current pace. Thank you for reading!
Drive and tunes: gorgeous drive to the coast with a solid playlist courtesy of David D. We made a delightful stop at the Straw House Cafe, I highly recommend it if you are ever driving 299 to the coast.
Straw House Cafe on Rt 299View from the back porch of the Straw House Cafe
Ocean pools: our first stop on the coast was Patrick’s Point State Park. We strolled through a forest of giant sitka spruce before descending to the rocky tide pools.
Sitka forestSo close to the ocean! Is that a whale in the background?Looking for valentine candidates in the tide pools at Patrick’s Point State ParkWill you be my valentine?Look at those muscles!Want to seal it with a kiss? (the seals are the white blobs on the rocks)
All the valentine searching left us famished. Our hunt for food ended in the best veggie burger I have ever had; it was so good, I took a picture:
Nut burger at the Lighthouse Grill in Trinidad, CA
Bourbon, Elvis, hoops, stars, hearts: our evening activity was going to have it all!
Here’s the flyer!
Please note, it was actually Psychedelvis – but that was too many syllables for my haiku.
I thoroughly enjoyed my evening. Here are some pictures to prove it:
There were heart signs everywhere!Hearts!Psychedelvis!Live painting!Face paint! (another form of “live painting” =P )Band! (The Lonesome Heroes from Austin, TX)
I do not have a picture of the hoops, but among the circus performers were some serious hula-hoopers.
The stars reference was also not photo-documented, so you will have to trust me on it. We went to the beach after the show, laid on the sand, and experienced the awe. I even saw a shooting star!
Redwoods: you can probably guess this one; here are the tree pictures:
So big! (This was in the Lady Bird Johnson Grove.)Will you be my valentine?
Ferns: after the super trees, we went to see Fern Canyon. As its name implies, it is a canyon full of ferns. It is also famously known for being one of the Jurassic Park filming locations.
Fern canyon – a sight worth seeing!
Beach and sun: out of the canyon and into the sunlight. I am told that we had atypical north coast weather, and though I am concerned for the redwoods, which depend on the cool, moist air, I thoroughly enjoyed the sun on my face.
I am super excited to share this brief video I put together from pictures and clips I have captured over the last four weeks. Highlights include: rain, snakes, running, Banditos, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and more salmon than you can shake a stick at! Enjoy then go explore your backyard!
