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.