Point Reyes: Low tide at Sculptured Beach, cloaked in fog

Obvs, I found the cliffs as compelling as the beach. 



Erosive forces and what not have opened huge canyons now colonized with the usual coastal scrub. You can step into them a little bit, but is that a good idea? On that fateful April day in 1906, the whole of Point Reyes moved 17 feet north east in a span of 45 seconds. 





I couldn't help but notice all the Mimulus guttatus, growing not just from glorious patches in the valley floors,





but also directly from the vertical surfaces of canyon walls,



causing me to wonder, exactly how much water is moving through these cliffs? How long ago was 1906?  



I stayed focused on the beach.



A damn shame the Coast Miwok Indians did not have butter back in the day...

Point Reyes: On the way to Glen Camp

Some pictures from a 4-mile hike to my campsite in Point Reyes a couple of days ago. Leaving work in SF at 4pm, I had to hustle a bit to get there before the sun went down.

























I had site #6, on the the trail off to the right. I'd recommend 6 or 5.

Coast Camp, Point Reyes National Seashore

More winter camping! It's hard to get a spot at Coast Camp during the summer. Reservations are snatched up as soon as they become available. But I had the place to myself a week before Christmas.



All camping at Point Reyes is remote. It's a two-mile hike to Coast Camp.



I was about a mile in when I took this picture,



after which, I slipped on the trail and fell, tearing my jeans and scraping my knees something awful. Sigh... But the show must go on.







I didn't get close enough to see what these scavengers were eating, but it looks like a juvenile white shark!



















After setting up camp and tramping around for a couple hours, I settled in under a giant eucalyptus and waited for the sunset.







I took these last pictures from my campsite, standing on the picnic table.





It got quite cold overnight. I think my next camping gear acquisition should be a ski mask or something. Cold isn't the worst part about camping in winter in California tho', it's the long night. Bring your iPod and lots of things to read.









I crossed paths with a coyote this morning. I thought he was looking at me when I took this picture. Darn it!