Hooray! We're off the couch! Dad got up early to take us to the car rental place this morning and by 8:00 am we were cruising west on I-80 towards Point Reyes National Seashore (PORE)! We decided to hit the lighthouse first, since it's closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The best part was adding a new bird to my list! I saw lots of Common Murres out on the rocks. They looked like little penguins. Now, not a new bird, but rare and very cool, was the Peregrine Falcon that was really complaining about the foghorn. Next, we went to the visitor center to reserve a backcountry camping spot and pick a hike. We went from there down to Wildcat Camp, the camp at the beach. There are only 4 camps at PORE, all backcountry. It was a pretty hike up and down through forest. The WHOLE WAY I kept hearing Swainson's Thrushes, another new one for my list! After setting up camp, we walked down the beach to Alamere Falls and took pictures. As it got cold and dark, we went back to camp for dinner (Mandarin Orange Chicken), then went to bed early. It was so great to go to bed tired, but not so sore we couldn't move. Although points of the hike were hard on the knees and feet today, it was nothing like the Tehachapis. And I must say the cool air and fog is great hiking weather... not to mention the constant, overwhelming greenery and wildlife. We saw birds, deer, snakes, and sea lions! And to top it all off, we even passed other hikers on the way to camp! It was so nice not to be the ones who are always getting passed! Oh yeah, and the quail and towhee are plentiful here too.
Denise poses at the top of the stairs down to the Point Reyes Lighthouse
Jay takes a photo of Alamere Falls, south of Wildcat CampJune 27, 2006 (9 miles)
We got up early and were walking out of camp by 8:00 am, even making good time uphill. We decided to head over to Arch Rock before going back to the car. It was a really wet (dewy), mostly downhill hike. The steep parts were pretty rough on Jay's knees, but it was worth it! Arch Rock was really beautiful, although the climb down slick rock was rather difficult and scary. The best part though, was that I saw 2 new birds! This time is was a group of 4 Pigeon Guillemots just passing where the waves were breaking, and Pelagic Cormorants on one of the off-shore rocks. As we started the hike back to the car, we saw an albino female deer with a normal-colored baby. Very strange... And before we made it back, we saw them again with ANOTHER albino female and normal baby! We stopped back by the visitor center to reserve another night camping, then headed out to the beach. Bad idea! It was so cold and windy we decided to walk around the estero instead. No new birds, but we did see a flock of baby Mallards. After planning out the next few days of our trip, we packed up and hiked up to our camp spot at Sky Camp. After setting up and having 3 daylight hours left, we read our books and had a leisurely dinner. It feels like we're up in a cloud with all the fog around us and it's really cold! In the 50's! While I was sitting here writing in my journal I called in a group of 4 Wilson's Warblers... so cute! Oh yeah, and we saw a little striped skunk out near the beach (we almost got too close!)
Jay hikes the Coastal Trail between Wildcat Camp and Arch Rock
In front of Arch Rock at Point Reyes National Seashore
June 28, 2006 (7 miles)
Today started off sore for me... the 1.5 miles hike from camp down to the car was mostly downhill, but the muscle behind my left knee was killing me! And we were a little wet due to the heavy fog/light rain overnight and through the morning. First stop today was the Tule Elk Reserve, where we spotted them at the trailhead... but we walked out a mile anyway and on the way back saw a Great-horned owl and fledgling! After lots of pictures we headed over to Abbotts Lagoon, where we saw an otter and some kind of weasel, then went out to the beach to search for the endangered Western Snowy Plover. No luck... and we didn't see any ducks in the lagoon either... but we did see tons of Brown Pelicans and Caspian Terns. After the hike, we stopped by a store for refreshments, including some yummy local cheese from the dairy farms at PORE, before heading north on Highway 1. We picknicked at the Tides Wharf in Bodega Bay, then continued the windy and foggy drive up to Fort Bragg. We snagged a walk-in site at MacKerrick State Park and took our 50 cent, 5 minute showers before dinner. Maybe even some time to read tonight before bed!
Female Tule Elk at the Tule Elk Reserve
Jay pauses on the walk out to the beach past Abbotts Lagoon
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