Rain Again

We’re just north of Monterey (Moss Landing/Elkhorn Slough) and waiting out our fourth consective day of rain/clouds. I can see now why they have so many landslides in coastal Ca. – and we’re not even to the worst part yet. The cramper is shrinking, at least on the inside. Fortunately we have lots to read, although Alice is starting Great Expectations, and it can’t get more desperate than that. She probably thinks it will give her some insight for the rest of the trip.

We went out to the Elephant seals at Ano Nuevo. Is was interesting and you could get close enough (70-400 range), but it was cloudy and they’re aren’t in very good habitat (dirty, dusty beach). We’ll be down at San Simeon next week, which is the Elephant seal capitol.

Elkhorn Slough has definitely lived up to its reputation for wildlife. Sea Otters, sea lions, seals, and birds in great numbers. I think I’ll wait and do the Slough proper on the return trip when the migrants will be here, but in the meantime (between showers) the sea otters have been pretty good.

The CG we’re at offers a free whale watching trip, so we’re going to do that tomorrow. Meantime, its the pitter-patter of rain on aluminum…

Long-billed dowitcher

Headland near Pacifica, Ca.

Western grebe

Pebble Beach SP

Elephant seal at Ano Nuevo

Tafoni, Pebble Beach SP

Sea otter pup nursing

Point Reyes

Spent the last few days at Pt. Reyes National Seashore after driving CA 1 down the coast. If we has to continue south on Rt.1 towing the trailer, we’d spend the rest of the trip in Pt. Reyes. I doubt we could have pulled the 20% grades with the trailer. The switchbacks are so tight we almost had to stop while making the turn. Fortunately there was another way out.

Pt. Reyes was pretty neat. Nice beaches and lots of diverse habitats. Elephant seals, harbor seals, Tule elk, and some good landscapes.

Yesterday we found a campground near a ferry to San Francisco, so we spent the day walking around there. We didn’t see either Dirty Harry or Karl Malden. Must have been off duty. We’ll stop there again on the way back and spend more time. We’re at Half Moon Bay tonight and will be in Monterey thru next Monday. Tidepools tomorrow. I like the starfish – they don’t move too fast.

aliforniascrub jay

The Big Game

We’re moving steadily down the California coast toward Point Reyes.  Leaving Ft. Bragg today where we’ve been for a few days to get mail and watch the Super Bowl.  A woman in the campground showwed us how to hook up the cable so we finally got TV in the cramper.  Now all I have to do is figure out where to put the decliner and we can stay out another six months.

The “Lost Coast” of California was pretty interesting.  Its 26 miles of coastline that’s BLM Wilderness.  The Trail is the beach.  It would be interesting to backpack sometime.  We were able to get to both ends of the trail (on some of the steepest roads I’ve ever been on.  Fortunately we weren”t pulling the trailer) but  it was high tide so we couldn’t get very far down the beach.

Ft. Bragg is a logging/fishing town turned into a semi-artistic colony. Some good galleries (especially photography) and lots of fugitives from the 60’s.  We took an old logging train into the hills and saw where they let a lot of daylight into the swamp. They sure did a number on the redwoods.  The coast all along here is prett spetacular, so there’s no shortage of Places to photograph.  It’s a lot different than Florida. Spent a couple of hours with a bunch of harbor seals yesterday morning.

Good thing he was behind that fence or I never would have gotten so close

BLM allotment, California coast. Shoreline trampling 76%. THEY'RE WIDENING THE OCEAN111

 

Roosevelt Elk

 

Lost Coast

Surf Scoter

 

Ft. Bragg coast