Healing through Nature!

 Sara and I enjoyed a gorgeous drive to Goat Rock State Beach  on Sunday afternoon.  We drove out route 116 through the redwoods and hills of  Forestville, Guerneville, Duncans Mills and finally out to Jenner where we joined up briefly with Highway One and entered the area known as Goat Rock.  We arrived there around 4:30 PM, just in time for the 'almost winter solstice' sunset, and we were treated to a GLORIOUS sunset! While we walked along the beach the sunset just got brighter and more colorful....and everything got more beautiful.   I felt lucky to live in a place where we can enjoy such natural beauty.    Goat Rock beach is right next to the mouth of the Russian River, and is home to a colony of harbor seals that haul out to rest on a daily basis.  They also have pupping season here between March and August.  It is important to leave a great distance between yourself and any seals - at least 50 feet.  This is their home, t...

Today, GG and I decided we were going to ride the the portion of the Bay Trail that run from Sausalito to Tiburon.  We ended up having our plans altered, which happens almost every time GG goes with me.  She is my adventure buddy, and we always end up having to figure out an alternative plan and have some sort of an adventure.  Its fun!   Today was no different -- we got a bit of a late start, then I didn't quite have enough charge on my car to get all the way to Sausalito - as it turned out, my car barely made it to the charging stations at the Village in Corte Madera.  There was a little turtle on my dashboard, and it said I was running on reduced power.  Yikes!!!  I have never cut it that close, and I was SUPER nervous.  We did make it though... phew!   I had to wait for a charger to free up, so at this point, I told GG that I remembered there was a trail on the other side of the mall, and it ran right along the water/wetlands, s...

 If you're in the local area, you need no introduction to Doran Regional Park , which we all call Doran Beach.    This is the closest beach to my home, so I go here quite often. Its a lovely beach with nice facilities, gentle waves and even good tide pooling when the tide is low. I first started going to this beach when my girls were toddlers.  Its a great family beach because its very accessible, the waves are gentle and there are bathrooms.   We have so many memories here!   More recently, Doran Beach has been my favorite place to go to take early morning walks on the beach.    I never tire of it because it looks different every single day!  It has also helped me maintain my sanity during this pandemic and tough year - the hardest time for me was when the beach was closed for two months. I never tire of it because  depending on the weather, what time of day, the tides, the wildlife... I always have a unique experience.  ...

  Today, Sierra and I went to Sugarloaf Ridge State Park  in Kenwood, CA.  We have been here many times, and we have camped here, and we always love it!    Before I talk about our hike, I want to share that I've really been enjoying exploring the parks, and I discovered that part of the joy is the journey to/from the park.  Because Northern California is so beautiful, it is just such a joy to take in the stunning scenery on my way to my destination.  Today was no different.   The journey from Sebastopol to Sugarloaf is a beautiful journey into the heart of wine country in the Sonoma Valley.  Especially right after several days of rain!  The green has started overtaking the dry, brown landscape.  It really transforms the landscape here when our winter rains arrive.   The other observation was the bare ridge line to the North of highway 12.  This was the site of not 1 but 2 major fires in the last few years.  ...

The Bird Walk Coastal Access Trail , part of Sonoma County Regional Parks, was our choice today.  This is a favorite of Sierra's.  We often go here around dusk to see a beautiful sunset and low tide, which is when there is a lot of wildlife.  We have even been blessed enough to see a river otter in Cheney Creek!  This time, we went around 11 am, and it was super high tide, we actually have never seen it this high before.    The creek was almost entirely merged into the Bay! The bird walk is on Highway One, in Bodega Bay, just passed the entrance to Doran Beach (if you're coming from Sebastopol or South).   There is a small parking lot with a bathroom, and there is a $7 fee to park there, unless you have an annual pass (which I highly recommend for locals).  This is an easy walk, but it is always a feast for the eyes -- it is ALWAYS beautiful.   It starts with a loop off the parking lot that has views of the Bay, the town of Bodega B...

Today Grace and I went to Southwest Community Park .   We had an hour to wait for someone in an appointment, so we decided to go to the closest park, and this was it!    It is truly a neighborhood park that I wouldn't normally choose to go to because its not my neighborhood and not in my path of travel.  Though I can tell that this park provides a lot of relief for the community right now, as do my neighborhood parks.   My photos don't show a lot of people, but there were a fare amount of people in other areas of the park.   It was a sweet park with a playground, lots of picnic areas, basketball courts and soccer fields.  It is 20 acres in size.  We were there late afternoon, so I definitely enjoyed the golden afternoon sun on the trees, and we took a nice 45-minute walk.  This had us walking around the perimeter of the park 3 times.   Pretty mellow today.  I'll have to choose someplace more exciting for my next ...

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...