End of February, Part of March 2024

February 23, 2024

Tree Root Waterfall, as named by granddaughter Avienda.

This is the waterfall I refer to as the most beautiful one in the park.

I'm surprised it still had this much water some days after rainfall.

I've not been very regular about updating the blog since February. This edition covers February 23 through March 20. I am going to try to catch up with another edition in the next week. The end of February and beginning of March were quite rainy, and when it didn't rain, it drizzled! All of us in the park were getting tired of the drippy weather, but now as I write this on April 30 we have been enjoying beautiful sun shiny days and we can hardly remember all the rain.

February 24, 2024

A deer on the trail ahead of me as I headed up the Barnabe Peak Trail.

Rob trying out the zipline at Stafford Lake Park near Novato.

February 26, on our way to Colfax for a couple of days.

Avi checking out the critters at a neighbor's as we headed back from our "picnic."

Avi packed a bag and and we headed out with Joy, the dog, for a short hike and "picnic" up the hill from where these goats live.

Joy in a rather odd pose.

Back at Samuel P Taylor, the beautiful connector trail.

This short little trail connects campsites to the Pioneer Tree Trail.

Another fun puzzle complete.

March 8, 2024

View from the Barnabe Peak Trail.

Looking out across the beautiful West Marin hills to Tomales Bay.

This deer was right next to our campsite.

We've seen many more deer in the campground this year than previously.

Saturday, March 9, daughter Erin and grandson Jacob came to the park and the three of us headed over to Point Reyes National Seashore. It is so close, but we don't get over there often enough.

This old wreck is in Tomales Bay, right behind the grocery store in Inverness.

We were on our way to the Point Reyes Lighthouse.

The Farralon Islands as viewed from the cliff above the lighthouse.

Erin, Me and Jacob at the lighthouse.

It was another beautiful day to walk down and up the 311 steps!

The curious orange growth on the rocks at the lighthouse area.

A juvenile Red Tail Hawk camouflaged.

Elephant seal on the beach by the Drake's Bay Visitor Center.

Looks like he's yawning.

One of the many weanling Elephant Seal pups we saw.

The mother seals have left their offspring on the shore to return to sea. I'm not sure how long before the pups will head out to sea, but at least several weeks after they are weaned they will enter the ocean waters to start feeding themselves. It is said about 50% of them will survive to return to their natal beach.

A corner of the Historic Life-Saving Station Cemetery.

Interesting patterns in this old stump in the cemetery.

Son

Mother

Father

This little cemetery was the final resting place for members of the Claussen family who had established a dairy here. In 1890 the United States Life-Saving Service established a station at Point Reyes. It was dangerous work for the surfmen stationed there and during the first few years of operation, four surfmen died and were ultimately buried at this cemetery.

Jacob on the hill above the graves.

On Monday, March 11 we had to travel to our dentist in Auburn for the completion of my root canal. Suffice it to say I was not a happy person when I left the endodondist without having the dentist install my new permanent crowns thus requiring me to schedule yet another appointment. I decided that for dinner I wanted to "drown" my sorrows in an ice cream Sundae. We stopped at an ice cream parlor in Vacaville on the way back to Taylor and each ordered a Sundae. We had absolutely no idea how big they would be!

Our Sundaes!

Needless to say we couldn't finish them!

Amazingly the leftovers lasted until our return to camp, and we enjoyed them for days!

Friends Paula and Ken came to camp for a couple of days at Camp Taylor and we enjoyed dinner out with them and a nice, short hike at Point Reyes on the Abbotts Lagoon Trail.

A river water near the end o the trail.

Another view of the otter.

I haven't been over to Devil's Gulch this year as much as I have sometimes in the past. Getting there on foot has become not as easy as it was since the old North Creek Trail has washed out more than in the past. It's been unmaintained for years, but last winter's storms eliminated quite a bit of it which makes it more difficult to access Devil's Gulch, a mile from the campground entrance and across Sir Francis Drake Blvd. from where we are. Instead of 1 mile to get there if I don't want to drive it is closer to two miles. Devil's Gulch is where the trail to Stair Step Falls is, and I did hike there finally on March 13, and was surprised by how much water was in the falls since it had been some time since significant rainfall.

Stair Step Falls.

Prettier in person than in picture, but still not a spectacular water fall.

Devil's Gulch creek going under Sir Francis Drake Blvd. on its way to Lagunitas Creek.

A grey fox greeting me on March 13 at the campfire center near our campsite.

A favorite place for Rob when the sun is shining.

Sunday, March 17, on the way back to camp from attending worship in Point Reyes Station Rob suggested I finally hike the little bit of the Bolinas Ridge Trail I had not yet hiked, so he dropped me off at the "end" of the trail, which most people think of as the beginning of the trail, and I hiked the 1.3 mile section to meet up with Jewel Trail which would take me down to the Cross Marin Trail and return me to our campsite - a total of about 4 miles.

Looking back to where Rob left me on Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

Heading up the hill.

Cows on the hillside.

A curious cow checking out a Turkey Vulture on a rock.

The Turkey vulture flew away.

Pretty rocks with Barnabe Peak in the background.

The top of Jewel Trail.

Sign at the top of Jewell Trail.

I've pretty much abandoned my goal of hiking the whole Bay Area Ridge Trail in sections, and have turned my focus to the trails at Point Reyes National Seashore. Ranger Nick Turner told me about a favorite jogging trail of his so on Monday, March 18, I headed over to the Laguna Trail for about a 5 mile hike that took me up and over a small ridge and along the ocean. Beautiful trail and beautiful day for a hike.

Laguna Trail trailhead.

Heading out.

A little bunny along the way.

A dark purple wild Iris.

And a light purple one.

First view of the Pacific after crossing the ridge.

I appreciated this facility at a primitive campsite along the way.

Looking into Drake's Bay, Chimney Rock and Point Reyes.

A vulture in a tree that caught my attention.

Another view into Drake's Bay.

The white strip is a slide on the cliffs above the beach.

Looking south.

On the beach looking south.

Domestic Daffodils and wild Iris along the trail.

Hog Weed is blooming.

The trail leading away from the beach.

Sun Cups

Wednesday, March 20, friends Jacky and Fred came to visit for the day. Jacky was Maid of Honor at our wedding on March 28, 1970. We had a great time catching up on our various adventures and family members.

Me, Fred, Jacky and Rob.

Finally!!!

The signs ordered for trails in the park in March 2022 have arrived!

This is one of 50 different signs I researched and proposed for our trails.

But sadly, as the wheels of the system continue to turn slowly, they have yet to be installed.

My blog this time of year would not be complete without pictures of Trilliums!

Trillium showing a little pink indicating pollination.

A pure white one.

I kept checking in on this one to see if that's a budding flower in the center.

I'm not sure what it is. After several days of watching it didn't open.

And another beauty!

Turning purple from its original white.

Three purple ones.

Wakerobin Trillium

This one is very different than the white Western Trillums.

California Buckeye leafing out mid-March.

Circinate Vernation.

There has been lots of pretty fungi too!

Pretty orange fungi.

Some of what I like to call Shelf Mushrooms.

Pretty mushrooms arranged on a fallen branch.

Nice and symmetrical.

Cabbage Parachute

Don't know what this one is.

Bird's Nest Fungi.

These tiny, less than a couple of inches in diameter little mushrooms are fascinating! After the top falls away the little egg like reproductive bodies are exposed, and then they wait for a raindrop to fall on them causing them to "explode" and send out millions of fungal spores. This picture shows them in three stages: with the tops still on, with the "eggs" exposed, and empty.