Just a short way farther north from the Point Arena Pier is the turnoff, Lighthouse Road, that leads to the Point Arena Lighthouse. There were plenty of tempting sights urging us to pause along this narrow 2-mile road, but we carried on to the end of the cul-de-sac and parked. The first thing I noticed was not the lighthouse itself […]
While staying a few nights at the Fort Ross Lodge, we decided to take a drive up the coast beyond Gualala, farther than we usually go on our escapes to the ocean. Since I failed to consult a map, I had the mistaken impression that Fort Bragg was just a short trip up the coast, and I expected we would […]
I’ve never really practiced meditation, but in a spot like this one, near Salt Point State Park, I could easily sit in solitude and ponder the universe and my place in it. Every place I look, I see details of nature that speak directly to the deepest parts of my being.
North America’s littlest falcon, the American Kestrel packs a predator’s fierce intensity into its small body. It’s one of the most colorful of all raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same warm reddish on her wings, back, and tail. Hunting for insects and other small prey in […]
The day after the rainstorm, the ocean off the Mendocino County coast looked calm and the sky was a serene blue, but the waves still pounded the shoreline, throwing foam high up onto the cliffs. We stood back and admired the sea from a safe distance!
High tide, Mendocino County.
We spent a few days at the coast back in early September, and one afternoon our explorations took us along a quiet trail north of Stump Beach to Chinese Gulch. I’ve already shared a few of my photos from that hike, but there was so much more. Not too long after we crossed the wooden bridge, we found the trail […]
The skies were grey with fog — with some smoke added in — but the day was still beautiful and the ocean views breathtaking. We started a short way up the coast from Stump Beach and hiked north along the cliff edge as far as Chinese Gulch, giving up when the trail became too overgrown to continue. These are just […]