Bodega Dunes

Ever since I road on the Coastal Prairie Trail, I've wanted to come back and bring GG, and go into Bodega Dunes instead of my previous destination.  GG likes to ride bike, so I want to take her to stunning places to explore on bike to deepen her love.   


Bodega Dunes is also part of Sonoma Coast State Park, which includes many different beaches and campgrounds along the Sonoma County coast.  We've spent many a night camping at Bodega Dunes with dear friends.  Its a WONDERFUL campground and the beach is stunningly beautiful.   It is often not crowded because there is a day use fee to get it with a car.   There are no dogs allowed on this beach because they are protecting the Western Snowy Plover  that nests in the dunes and is listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act as a threatened species.

We had two friends join us today on the adventure, which was great fun!   When we couldn't distance, we wore masks (not to worry).  As we turned into Bodega Dunes, we were treated to big long downhills on the bikes... it was fun!  There was also beautiful scenery to look at the whole way.   A couple of long, gradual uphills, but mostly downhill.   The invasive ice plant added a dash of color to the landscape, which we definitely enjoyed.



Once we arrived at the beach, there is a big parking lot, bathrooms, and a place to lock our bikes.  We immediately removed our shoes and headed out to the beach on the access boardwalk.   


We then spent a good long time at the beach hanging out, talking, walking, frolicking in the water and just enjoying the views.  I have been particularly enjoying the winter sky these days.  The gentle colors of blue, white, grey and pale orange or pale pink along with the muted sunlight and dramatic clouds has had me swooning.  




It was a bit chillier than it has been, so by the time we were ready to leave, our feet were super cold!   We headed back up on the boardwalk, and we happily put on our socks and shoes and hopped on our bikes.  


We were not cold for long though, because it was mostly uphill on the way back, and it was a good workout.  There were some big hills and smaller hills, and I'm happy to say that I didn't get off my bike once to walk - just to take a photo of our friends coming up a hill:


We all really enjoyed the time at the beach, being with friends and the workout!   


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kortum Trail - Wright's Beach to Shell Beach

Image
Today, I took a solo hike on the Kortum Trail from Wright's Beach to Shell Beach.  It was exactly the medicine I needed to breathe and take my mind off the insurrection that happened at the Capitol the previous day.  I have been glued to the news, so I needed to break away.  Naturally, I decided that the coast would be the best place for me to breathe... breathe the sweet smells of the fresh, ocean air, feel the sun on my skin, move my body, and feast my eyes on the dramatic beauty of the Sonoma Coast State Park. As I drove out to the beach, I listened to the news on NPR while taking in the stunning views in West Sonoma County.  I feel so blessed that I live in this place, where I can escape to nature easily as a relief to what things that are out of my control.  This was the view from my parking spot at Wright's Beach.  .....Exhale... As I arrived at Wright's Beach Campground, I quickly realized that there is a parking lot immediately off to the right of ...
Read more

Mt. Tamalpais State Park / Cataract Trail

Image
 One of my all time favorite places to hike in the North Bay is Mt. Tamalpais State Park.   I used to hike here all the time when I lived in Sausalito.  The trail I chose to hike is the Cataract Trail starting from the Rock Spring Parking lot.  I wanted to hike here because it was my favorite hike to take with my dog Bonsai.  She is now 17 years old, and we are preparing to send to her soul over the rainbow bridge.  I've been doing a lot of reminiscing about her, and all the many hours we spent hiking together.  This was our favorite trail to hike together.  It is rare for a CA State Park to allow dogs on the trail, and this park does, but you have to keep them on leash.  We actually saw some people being lectured by a Ranger about their dogs being off leash.  He gave them a warning, and he said next time it would be a $300 fine.  I used to let Bonsai off leash here all the time (oops!).  This trail is so beautiful because it ...
Read more

Hamilton Wetlands Trail / Bay Trail

Image
This morning, I ventured down to Novato with my bike to take a ride on the Hamilton Wetlands Trail , which is by the old Hamilton Airfield.  I rode on this trail with Sierra on Black Friday, and I absolutely loved it!  Everywhere I looked, I saw beautiful scenery and lots of birds.   The trail is a 2.7 mile flat stretch along San Pablo Bay.  It is a beautiful, wide, well-maintained trail with great parking and even Chargepoint EV charging stations.   It is part of the 500 mile Bay trail , and I am now motivated and fascinated to explore the Bay Trail!  Check out the website, it's pretty impressive. Today, I went North on the trail, to see how far it goes, and I was surprised at how far it went, then I went back South to the other end - probably about 4 mile in total.  I swear I had a smile on my face the whole time - it was chilly and a bit rainy, but it was so beautiful I didn't mind.  It also made it easier to wear a mask when I needed...
Read more