Point Reyes
It was 4.30 in the morning and we were on our way. We must be mad to be on the road so early, especially on Labor Day. We listened to the 4.30 news and our thoughts are with the people of new Orleans, who are bracing themselves for Hurricane Gustav to hit in a couple of hours. 90% of the residents have been evacuated, which must have been quite an operation.
(Click on the image for a larger version)
The weather here promises to be clear but there was a wind advisory for Sacramento. The wind tends to be quite strong at Point Reyes, so we must be prepared.
It is pitch black outside but I’m able to write because of my nifty pen. It is called ‘The Pilot’s Pen’ and great for writing in the dark as it has a built in light.
Just before 5.30 we draw up outside Peets on Geary in the city. The lights are on but the door is locked. We could see the baristas inside but were not sure what time they opened. If it’s 6, should we wait around for our last chance to get a decent cup of coffee? Our dilemma was solved when the door was unlocked and we were able to go inside. We spent half an hour enjoying our coffee, honey bran muffin and the paper.
As we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge at just after 6 am, it is still dark but there is no fog. We could see Alcatraz and Angel Islands and copuld vaguely make out Oakland across the Bay. Looking back over my shoulder I could see the famous skyline of San Francisco. The next time we will cross will be in two weeks when we will be with our friends Viv and Tom from England. They are coming for a three week road trip to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Yosemite. Then they will spend a couple more days with us before flying home. We plan to take them on a day trip to Healdsburg and the Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys on September 22.
After crossing the bridge, we took Sir Francis Drake Blvd through San Anselmo, Farifax and up to Olema. The sun is beginning to peep above the hill so I turn the light off on my pen to save the battery. I must say it is a real pleasure to be out and about on the roads with very little traffic around. Not only do we make very good time but we get to enjoy the scenery more without being stuck behind smelly vehicles and slow moving trucks. The wonderful scenery with views of open countryside, forested slopes and rounded hills plus the smell of eucalyptus is invigorating.
As usual I kept my eyes open for wildlife. You just never know what you may see. I was reminded of something we were told on Saturday. Tom and I met up with friends Cindy and Tim. We had a lovely meal at Tanglewood on Santana Row. During the meal Tim related a recent close encounter with a mountain lion. He was driving alone in his 30 year old Mercedes convertible with the roof down on the Pescadero to San Gregorio Stage Coach Road. About half way along, on a secluded stretch, he rounded a corner and suddenly came across an adult male mountain lion at the side of the road. It was stationary, with his back legs up on the steep bank and his front legs on the roadway. Tim stopped, not knowing what to do. At first he was so excited to come eyeball to eyeball with such a magnificent creature, the first he had ever seen, but then the reality hit him. Here he was, almost within touching distance of a lion, motionless and sitting in an open topped car. The lion turned and walked back up the hill and then stopped and turned back. Tim drove slowly ahead, not wanting to frighten the creature but anxious to get away safely. He felt extremely vulnerable, half expecting the lion to launch himself into the car.
Driving through the San Geronimo Valley, it looks a little foggy ahead. It doesn’t look too bad but, of course, it could get worse.
Point Reyes is a huge protected wildlife area. At the southern end there are many trails and remote beaches;
to the left a long drive to the Point Reyes Lighthouse (read about our visit back in January this year) and to the north is Pierce Point Ranch and the spectacular trail to Tomales Point. Today we had two options - the above mentioned Tomales Point hike or the trail from Shell Beach to Pebble Beach. Due to the wind warning, we decided to take the latter option. We have seen wild boars, turkeys, a couple of bobcats and even a tarantulas on our travels but never a mountain lion. It would be great to see one but at a safe distance and certainly not in an open topped car.
At Olema, we turn right and drive along Highway 1for a short distance before turning left towards Inverness. We drive alongside the mudflats at the southern end of Tomales Bay . A wispy fog hovers over the surface of the water.
In Inverness we pull in behind The Inverness Store, which is opposite the small post office, and park. We always stop here. Stuck in the mud a short distance away is an old 50′ wooden fishing boat. Still discernible on the bow is the name ’Point Reyes’. It is slowly disintegrating and sinking into the sand and mud. Over the years we have watched it become more and more dilapidated. There is a footpath which takes you all the way to the boat. It is even possible to jump across a small creek and get right up to the boat. Tom took lots of photos and I just admired the view. It was so peaceful there and it was such a lovely morning.
We did avail ourselves of the portapotty - probably our last chance for a few hours. These out houses can be pretty gruesome but, though full, it wasn’t too bad. At least it had water, soap, paper towels and even hand sanitizer.
About a mile north of Inverness we took a sharp right hand turn on Camino Del Mar. There are no signs telling you there is beach access but at the end of the road is a small car park for Shell Beach and the beginning of the Johnstone Trail. From here you can walk to Shell Beach - 0.5 km, Pebble Beach - 6.4 km, Hearts Desire Beach - 7.0 km and Indian Beach 7.8 km. All the way to Indian Beach and back is a 10 mile hike. The trail is open from 8 am until 8 pm.
It was just before 8 and there were no other cars about. The first part of the trail is an easy descent to the beach. Shell Beach is tiny and was deserted. Just offshore is a small raft. Tom remembered swimming out to it one day in his youth with a couple of mates. As they lay and sat about on the raft, one of them mentioned that something large had brushed against his leg on the way out. Speculation amongst the three of them came to the conclusion it was a shark and they recounted shark stories for the next half hour. Tom said the swim back to the beach was far longer than the way out and he was relieved when his feet eventually felt solid ground under him.
We lingered, pottered and explored for a while. By walking south along the beach we discovered another small cove which must be covered at high tide. The rocks were damp, covered in muscles and glistened in the sun. At the back was a small, interesting cave. Tom took lots of photos. I searched for shells but the only one I found, apart from the hundreds of firmly affixed muscles, was half an oyster shell. Oysters are a specialty of Tomales Bay.
Then we set off to walk to Pebble Beach which was 3.7 miles away. A wooden bridge over a tiny creek pointed the way. The trail was narrow, twisty and lined with ferns. Tall trees, both deciduous and pine, surrounded us. I led the way. We were obviously the first people to pass this way today as, before long, my face was covered by the hundreds of cobwebs I’d walked through which had been suspended across the trail.
The path climbed higher and higher and before long we were heading inland and not north. I must confess to being slightly nervous. After recalling Tim’s story, I imagined a mountain lion lying in wait. Constantly I was checking the undergrowth both to the right and left; looking ahead for suspicious movement and shadows; down on the ground for animal tracks and up in the trees because I guess mountain lions can climb. I don’t know whether any mountain lions have been spotted in Point Reyes but there have certainly been more and more sightings in the Bay Area. Must check when I get home. It is safe to assume though that mountain lions could be living in the area. A rustle to the side would startle me and the sudden fluttering of a bird made my heart miss a beat.
I’ve read that mountain lions avoid human contact as much as possible so the best way to frighten them off is to make a noise. I tried to keep up a constant dialogue and at one point even broke into song. Tom soon put a stop to that by saying I sounded like a wailing banshee! Charming. When I wasn’t talking or singing I tried to make noise with my feet by tramping heavily through the dried leaves and scuffing through the pine needles where there were no leaves.
We stopped at a convenient bench along the way with a far away view of Tomales Bay. Had we really come all that far inland? How much further is Pebble Beach? How much longer can I sustain this constant vigilance? I asked Tom if he wanted to go back but he was all for carrying on.
So the trek continued, still with me in front and Tom bringing up the rear. After another mile I spotted an animal track. Tom said it was a deer, so we carried on. Then we saw a different track. That, Tom said, was a mountain lion stalking the deer. He was joking I think. We passed some scat. Even I could see it was dropped by a deer. Then I was pulled up short by another deer scat but this one had a completely different scat right on top of it. My fevered imagination convinced me it had been left there by a mountain lion.
I again asked Tom if he wanted to go back and some of my fear must have got through to him, so we turned back. Besides which he was beginning to get hungry and the tripod was digging into his shoulder. There were no photo opportunities along the way as the trail was so narrow and the light was not good. We stopped once again at the bench. Tom took some time to cleaning his camera lens, packing the camera into its case and telescoping the tripod. We drank water and nibbled on cheese and Tom had a yogurt. It was not breakfast but reduced the hunger pangs a bit.
The walk back to Shell Beach seemed shorter than the outward journey. At one point he asked me why I was walking so oddly - I was still tramping through the dried leaves and scuffing the pine needles - so I told him I was frightening away mountain lions. He laughed and I’m sure he thought I was joking but in reality I was telling the truth. He then realized that what I was doing had been creating a lot of dust, which he then had to walk through and that is why his camera lens had been so filthy.
There were a few more people at Shell Beach. One man was laying stretched out on the sand sun bathing and a family group were enjoying playing and climbing on a fallen tree. The final stretch of the trail up to the car park, which I described earlier as an ‘easy descent’, now turned out to be a much steeper ascent. Tom stopped along the way to take photos and I sat on a wooden fence and waited. I drank in my surroundings, soaking in the relative safety and the utter quiet. I enjoyed the dappled shade and watched tiny bugs flitting in and out of the shadows. A million spider webs suspended between the trees shimmered when caught in the sun’s rays. The moment was heightened by the arrival of a doe followed by two half grown fawns. They passed within 10 feet of me, completely oblivious of my presence. A precious moment.
When we arrived back at the car park it was almost full even though there were only seven cars parked there. If you want to visit, get here early or there will be no where to park.
We drove into Point Reyes Station for breakfast - see previous entry - and at 12.30 we were on our way home. On our journey here today we were almost the only car on the road. Now the hordes are out. On Highway 101 the line of cars in both directions for the turning to Stinson Beach were backed up some way. I bet all roads to the coast must be the same. Thank goodness we are heading home. The section between Golden Gate Bridge, through the Presidio, Golden Gate Park and along 19th Avenue to Highway 280 with its 35 plus traffic signals, which were 99% green this morning, now sported mostly red lights. Tom’s comment - ‘Get me out of here’.
On reflection, I wished I had enjoyed the walk more today. It was a perfect day and under different circumstances it would have been a marvelous hike.
Note 1 - There have been sightings of mountain lions on Point Reyes and it is estimated that between 4 - 8 live in the area. I also looked up about mountain lion scats and I’m almost certain that the last one we saw on top of the deer scat was mountain lion. The shape and description were identical. Also mountain lions do deposit their droppings in the open and sometimes on top of a mound of leaves and twigs. Our only regret is that we didn’t take a photo.
Not 2 - Fortunately Hurricane Gustav didn’t cause as much damage and flooding as once feared.
September 05 2008 08:53 pm | Special Places
