Point Reyes Lighthouse - Point Reyes National Seashore

We visited the Point Reyes Lighthouse on a foggy afternoon in late August 2013.  According to the park service, "Point Reyes is the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest place on the North American continent."  The drive from the Bear Valley Visitor Center to the parking area near Point Reyes is about 45 minutes and passes through several historic, operating dairy farms.  The public road ends at a turn around and small parking area.  On a clear day, there are excellent views to the north-northeast of the incredibly linear Point Reyes Beach.  

After finding a place to park, a one-half mile paved road leads to the small visitor center and restroom facility.  From here, a concrete ramp and 308 stairs lead down to the lighthouse.  The lighthouse was authorized in 1855, but wasn't completed until 1870.  It remained operational until 1975.  Instead of building the lighthouse on top of the bluff, it was built 275 feet lower with the light at an elevation of 294 feet above the sea.  This was to allow the light to be visible through the fog instead of being masked by the fog.  A fog horn was located only 100 feet above the sea.  The original path to the lighthouse was via wooden steps.  These were replaced with concrete in 1929 and again in 2003.  The four lightkeepers assigned to the station lived in a two-story dwelling on top of the bluff where the park service dwelling unit is located.  A nearby cistern and catchment system was used to provide water to the steam-driven fog horn.

The trail is paved and accessible up to the very small visitor center

Lichens growing on the rocks

The small visitor center is on the right

The surface portion of the cistern and water collection system

A variety of plant life manages to endure the harsh conditions

The coastline is hidden by the fog

The top of the 308 steps leading to the lighthouse

Two usable benches are located along the steps and ramps leading to the lighthouse

The lighthouse finally comes into view

Waves crash against the rocks far below

The original 1870 lighthouse with support buildings

Looking east along the bluff toward Sea Lion Cove

Looking past the 1962 foghorn compressor building at the path back up to the top of the 612' bluff

A better view of the ocean as the fog lifted a bit

Waves crash against the headland of Point Reyes

This building was used as the fog horn station from 1934 to 1962

Imagine hiking down to the lighthouse on wooden stairs without handrails

Red furry algae such as these need no soil and are called "rock violets" (Trentepohlia)

Note the wind-sculpted tree behind the ranger residence

On sunny days, these few trees provide the only shade along the route, but on foggy days they add to the gloom

A black-tailed deer beside the road

A pair of black-tailed deer looking for food

There is no fee to enter Point Reyes National Seashore.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm.

Bear Valley - Point Reyes National Seashore

We visited Point Reyes National Seashore on the final day of August, 2013.  Our first stop was the Bear Valley Visitor Center.  Inside the center is an auditorium that doubles as a theater, a variety of exhibits in the museum, a bookstore and an information desk.  We watched another excellent film produced by the park service.  This fifteen minute orientation video is entitled "Point Reyes: The Point of Kings".

Bear Valley Visitor Center

Parking was at a premium at Bear Valley on Labor Day weekend

We attended part of a ranger-led walk along the 0.6 mile, paved Earthquake Trail that forms a loop near the visitor center.  Ranger Chris was very knowledgeable of the geology, geography and cultural history of the area.  Due to time constraints, we couldn't stay for all of his 75 minute walk.  One of the geographic oddities mentioned by Ranger Chris was that the northwest flowing Olema Creek parallels the southeast flowing Pine Gulch Creek along the same valley in the southern section of the park.  At one time, the headwaters of these two creeks would not have overlapped, but as the Point Reyes landform continues to slide to the north compared to the Bolinas Ridge, Pine Gulch Creek extends further north as well and now overlaps a section of Olema Creek.

Land shift from the 1906 earthquake

Another view of the land shift

California Bay Laurel

There was an artists' reception at the Red Barn that was open to all visitors one of the days we were at the seashore.  The exhibit was "BayWood Artists Paint Point Reyes".  Photography wasn't allowed, so I followed the blue posts that mark the fault line that moved during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.  Note that it went right through the barn.

Blue posts mark the 1906 fault line through the Red Barn

There is no entrance fee to visit Point Reyes National Seashore.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm.

California Route 1 - California Coastal National Monument

Our August 2013 exploration of Northern California continued with a scenic drive south along California Route 1.  We turned off of US 101 at Leggett and began the switchbacks up and over the coastal mountains.  The curves and scenery attracted several motorcyclists and sports car enthusiasts.  Our first view of the Pacific Ocean was at the mouth of Hardy Creek.  The coastal fog bank was offshore and offered a beautiful backdrop to the seastacks and ocean.  All of the exposed offshore islands, rocks, reefs and seastacks are part of the California Coastal National Monument that stretches across 1,100 miles of the California coast.

First view of the Pacific Ocean at Hardy Creek

Two gulls catching the thermals

About 11 miles south of Hardy Creek and 10 miles north of Fort Bragg, we stopped at a roadside picnic area near latitude N39.571  and longitude W123.772.  This is just north of Abalobadiah Creek.  A memorial marker for Randy Fry, a local diver killed by a shark in 2004 is inlaid in a picnic table top.  In the short time it took to drive this section of the highway, the fog bank had almost reached the shore and obscured the blue skies of just moments before.

The mouth of Abalobadiah Creek is in the cove on the horizon

The shore from 90 feet up

Islets and rocky outcrops

By the time we arrived in Fort Bragg, visibility was down to two to three blocks due to the fog.  A few miles south of town, the fog bank had moved offshore again.  Route 1 bisects Van Damme State Park south of Mendocino.  Although we didn't have time to hike along the Little River, we stopped above Van Damme Beach to enjoy the view of the small bay.

A park concessionaire rents kayaks

The rocks on the horizon help create a placid cove

Van Damme Beach

Our next stop was a very small pullout near the top of Cavanaugh Grade just north of Cavanaugh Gulch near latitude N39.156 and longitude W123.734 south of the Navarro River.  The pullout is approximately 3.8 miles south of the intersection of California routes 1 and 128 just as the road begins its descent into Cavanaugh Gulch.  The fog continued to stay offshore, so we had some great views from this location almost 300 feet above the water.

Sunshine and sea stacks

The rock outcrops focus the waves in a bow shape

Whitewater around the rocks

Another view of the cliffs and beach

After crossing Elk Creek, we stopped at another pullout on top of the bluff near latitude N39.100 and longitude W123.707.  This is about 5.7 miles south of the last stop at Cavanaugh Grade.

Note the line of whitewater signaling submerged rocks

The beautiful, rugged coast of California

Another 30 miles down the coast and just south of the town of Gualala, California, the Gualala River flows into the Pacific Ocean.  A massive sandbar directs the river flow north for about one mile before it meets the sea.

The Gualala River turns north before meeting the ocean

Blackberries beginning to ripen on the beach

Our next stop was at a pullout near the entrance to the Stillwater Cove Regional Park.  This location is 21.7 miles south of the Gualala River and near the mouth of Stockhoff Creek at approximately latitude N38.547 and longitude W123.297.  This is between Ocean Cove to the north and Stillwater Cove to the south.

Sunlight filters through the trees

Evening shadows begin to form on the cliff face

The next breathtaking landscape was near the top of Russian Gulch at sunset.  The location is near latitude N38.742 and longitude W123.159 at an elevation of about 400 feet.

Highway 1 twists and turns its way down to the sea

Sunset glow

Our final photo stop of the day was at a pullout just south of Russian Gulch near latitude N38.462 and longitude W123.142 at an elevation of about 220 feet.

Even without clouds, the afterglow of the sunset was magnificent

The cone shaped rock is a good reference point for finding the location

Twilight with what appears to be two clumps of feather reed grass

If you have the time, the coast drive is definitely a better alternative than the inland Interstate 5. 

There is no fee to visit the national monument.  However, some California state parks charge day use fees as well as camping fees.  

The monument website is http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/content/ca/en/prog/blm_special_areas/nm/ccnm.html.

Avenue of the Giants - Humboldt Redwoods State Park

The Avenue of the Giants is a 31 mile section of the old two-lane US 101 that was bypassed in the 1960's by the current US 101 freeway.  This scenic byway passes through Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California's largest redwood park.  Interpretive signs are located at both the north and south entrances to the byway and a visitor center is located at approximately the midpoint of the route.  The visitor center houses a bookstore, theater, exhibits and offices for the employees and volunteers.  Restroom facilities with running water are also available. The park also has nearly 100 miles of trails, numerous picnic areas and several campgrounds.  Additional lodging is available at several towns along the way.  We visited the park on our way from Redwood National and State Parks to Point Reyes National Seashore in late August 2013.  

The appropriately named Avenue of the Giants

Looking over 200 feet up at a giant

Even trees that aren't giants are six to eight feet in diameter

Looking downstream on the Eel River

The Eel River just downstream of the confluence of the South Fork Eel River

While at the visitor center, we watched a movie about the the devastating Christmas 1964 flood of the Eel River.  In some locations, the river was more than 70 feet higher than its normal level.  Sections of the Avenue of the Giants were underwater as well as the visitor center and adjacent campground.

Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center south of Weott

"This tree fell near Bear Creek December 26, 2006.
The cut the date tags are mounted on is a third cut
about 70 feet above the base.  The beginning ring at
the center of this cut is from 912 A.D."

Date markers from "1000 Vikings discover North America" to "1928 California State Park system established"

The following text is from an outdoor display at the Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center:

Distinctive Qualities of Redwoods

Coast redwood has been referred to as "eternal" or "immortal" and in fact the scientific name, sempervirens, means, "ever-living."  However, it just seems so in the human timeframe.  Most redwoods live for 500+ years, with some over 2,000 years.  Unique adaptations, which contribute to their longevity, include:

• A network of shallow roots which extend radially for many feet interconnecting with other trees to hug the earth and hold the trees during windstorms.

• A thick, fibrous bark which protects the trees from fire and insects.

• Concentrations of tannic acid throughout the tree act as a deterrent to insects and decomposition.

• A root system that is able to re-establish itself after flooding or siltation.

• The ability to sprout from root collar burl tissue located near the base of the tree.  Sometimes you will see a tree with hundreds of sprouts coming from the base.  Some of these sprouts will survive and eventually form a cluster or ring of trees all from a single root, which may be centuries old.

At the north end, the byway parallels the north-flowing Eel River.  At the confluence of the South Fork Eel River, the avenue follows the South Fork upstream.  Almost 400 miles of this river system have been designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers by Congress including all the sections within and near the park.

South Fork Eel River

Entrance to Humboldt Redwoods State Park is free.  However, a day use fee of $8.00 per vehicle is charged at Williams Grove Day Use Area.

The park website is http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=425.