Marvelous Marin

I stayed a night in West Marin on my way home earlier this week. Though all of Marin county is beautiful, the western side is much wilder and less populated than the suburban eastern part of the county. Most of West Marin is preserved in parks and reserves, with Point Reyes National Seashore the prime protected area. Point Reyes is beautiful and tranquil, especially on weekdays.

Dairy farming has been the main commercial activity on the Point for 150 years, and continues today. One farm, the Pierce Point Ranch, closed in the 1960s and is now a historic preserve. The old fences have been covered by lichens...more visible if you blow up the pic.

The old farm buildings blend with the cypress windbreak to create a rustic, peaceful scene. Even the operating farms, with their cows, create a mellow atmosphere at the point.

I went out to Pierce Point, at the far northern end of the seashore, near dusk, when the setting sun shone through a thin fog layer. The light was fantastic, a photographers dream! By this time of the evening, almost no one was around. The atmosphere was eerie in a good way. I imagine the Scottish moors, though I've never been there.

The next morning the fog was gone, and I ventured to Abbots Lagoon at Point Reyes. The surrounding meadows were full of wildflowers, and the freshwater lagoon was backed by a large area of sand dunes.

This bunny was hanging by the trail near the lagoon. He's obviously used to people, but he's not safe by any means...there are bobcats, raccoons, and even a few mountain lions at Pt Reyes.

Spring Scenes at the Sea Ranch

I spent my annual week at The Sea Ranch earlier this month; I was here last year at about the same time. Early May is glorious here; the countryside is in full bloom. It's very quiet, especially during the weekdays, and you can get a little bit of any kind of weather. The day I arrived, May 4, we had a winterlike storm with blustery winds and a good ol' downpour. This activated the waterfalls that plunge over the cliffs during wet weather. This one is about 40 feet high.

There's a vast array of vegetation at the Ranch. Wildflowers abound, and you find a wide variety of trees, including pine, cypress, fir, and redwood. The pines are sprouting massive new growth at this time of year.

Horsetails thrive in the shady areas. These plants are prehistoric; they were growing along with the dinosaurs.

There are orchids everywhere at the ranch in May! Also a huge variety of other flowers.

Blow this pic up for a better view of the frog, hunkered down on a rock at Shell Beach.

Cali Coastal Shots

Brooke is showing off her license plate! To most people it may not look unusual, but we meteorologists know it's really a personalized plate depicting weather observation code for fine weather conditions...unrestricted visibility with no significant clouds.

I've been roaming up and down the coast lately, visiting Spike and Danny in Moss Beach, hanging at the Sea Ranch, and roaming around Marin. I hit the Vista Point on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge on one of those shallow fog days that makes for quirky views. Here San Francisco looms ghostly out of the soup, with higher clouds above. Notice Coit Tower on the far left. Blow the pic up for better detail.

This fine sunset brought to you courtesy Spike and Danny, from their deck in Moss Beach. I never get tired of watching the ocean; it's always changing, perpetually beautiful and majestic.

This sign on highway 116 near Guerneville tells you that suburbia has been left behind.