I parked along Lighthouse Road outside the town of Point Arena and entered the Stornetta Public Lands through a gate I had never used before, curious to see what I might find. To be honest, I was hoping to spot some cows, or maybe even a few deer. But I saw none of these, only empty pasture land — although I did have to watch my step, being careful to avoid the cow dung and deep holes left in the dried mud by their hooves. It was barely noon, but the fog was creeping inland, and while I could hear the roar of the ocean growing ever louder, for a long time I couldn’t tell precisely how close I was. Then suddenly I was standing on the cliff, looking down at the churning waves and gazing at a lone figure perched on the rocks to my left, recognizable to me even through the fog.

Lighthouse Road (right) rises and falls from Highway 1 to the Point Arena Lighthouse

The Big Guy was too busy fishing to even notice me