Catching Up...Again

I finally made it to Mendocino



on a clear day so here is the "money shot" of the little village of 824 souls, taken from across the bay or inlet or whatever. (I've discovered that you can only enlarge these photos if I put them into the post in the "medium" size rather than "large," so that's what I will do from now on. Click to enlarge.)

And then there's the Point Cabrillo Light Station that I also mentioned last time. I stopped by on my way out of town. It is a lovely little spot but the half-mile walk from the parking lot was a bit trying (I wasn't wearing the right shoes), especially on the uphill return trip.


There are so many more photos to share that I will put them into a slide show in the right sidebar for your leisurely perusal. Stop the slide show (click on any picture) to read the captions if you want to know what you're seeing.

Besides my overnight stop at Salt Point State Park, I also made a side trip to Point Reyes National Seashore. There's another lighthouse there but it was closed, so I took a one-mile hike to see the Tule Elk. It's mating season and the bucks are gathering their harems. I could hear them calling somewhere off in the fog. Yes, of course it was foggy way out on Point Tomales, but it lent an air of mystery to my sighting of a dozen does with their lord and master.

Today I am recuperating from the l-o-n-g (in hours) 186-mile journey from Fort Bragg and Point Cabrillo up in the redwood country, south on Hwy. 1 with its twists and turns, and on into Oakland, known far and wide as the Bay Area, arriving after dark last night (after missing my exit on the Nimitz Freeway--sheesh!).

I'm parked on the street, near the home of two wonderful women friends of my new Seattle friend, Fai. I'm not hooked up but they have really fast wireless internet, so I am currently ensconced on their sofa with two dogs and several cats for company. And they serve great desserts so I am happy as a new puppy in fresh-cut grass.

Plans are to head for Sacramento on Sept. 3 to get that souvenir capitol city postcard, then push on the same day to Lake Tahoe, where I have actually reserved a campsite! Can you believe it? Two days in the "wilderness." I spent one night in a state park on the way here and will include some bird photos in the slide show. The western equivalent of the eastern Bluejay, the Steller's Jay, is a lovely large bird. Bird fact: there are no Cardinals in this part of the country. I miss them!

It's already nearing 5 pm, so I'm going to post those photos, which it took most of the day to organize, and you may be able to see them tomorrow.

Here's a short traveling poem for you.

The Longest Mile

When next I travel the Shoreline Highway
I'm going to hire a chaffeur.
'Twas lovely to wander that beautiful byway
But I really needed a go-fer.

August 27, 2009
Oakland, California

TTFN...