Muir Woods National Monument & Point Reyes National Seashore

February 9, 2014

We're in the midst of a major drought here in California.  You wouldn't know it from these pictures, though.  We've had a bit of rain here over the last week.  In Alameda we got an inch or so over the weekend.  I heard on the radio while I was driving around Marin on Sunday that there were places there that got up to seven inches over the same time frame.  I believe it.

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

I started Sunday's activities at Muir Woods National Monument.  The rain was coming down pretty hard.  Redwood Creek was running high and swift.  A ranger told me that the creek had risen four feet overnight.  While I was there the creek breached its bank near the visitor center turning the wooden pathway into a bridge of sorts.

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

I love Muir Woods in the rain.  The place is small and usually very crowded on the weekends.  The rain drives a lot of people away, which is nice because this is a place that's best experienced when the only hustle and bustle is coming from the water in the creek and the wind in the trees.  There are no screaming kids in the rain, no loud tourists yelling between the trees.

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

I left my new camera in the car while walking through Muir Woods.  I took my old camera, and it got so wet it stopped working toward the end in spite of my best efforts to keep it dry.  It seems to work OK now, no permanent damage apparently.

Bolinas Lagoon, CA

After a good drenching at Muir Woods, I drove up Highway One to Point Reyes.  The road was in rough shape.  There were a lot of large rocks in the road that had been washed down from the roadside cliffs and a few mud flows blocked one lane of traffic.  The road was flooded here and there, including a section near Bolinas Lagoon where it was almost a foot deep in the shallowest section.  That was fun.

Drake's Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA

I hiked up Drake's Beach where I encountered a solitary elephant seal hauled out on the beach.  I'm always concerned about bothering the seals I encounter on the beach, and I have to wrestle with wanting to get closer to the animals than is allowed.  I have to remind myself that these animals need their space just like I do.  It's tough, though.

Elephant Seal -- Drake's Beach, Drake's Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA

As usual, there were plenty of deer and cattle to be seen.  It wouldn't be a trip to Point Reyes without seeing deer and cows.  Red-tailed hawks, too, those birds seem to thrive on the Point.

Point Reyes National Seashore, CA

Point Reyes National Seashore, CA