detour: Point Reyes

road trip!

On the day the world stopped I was on an anniversary road trip. Literally it was announced that the county I was in was shut down right after we checked into our cabin (here in Nor Cal that was March 16). So, no going out for that anniversary dinner, we got a few extra supplies at the grocery store and tucked into our cozy retreat for a couple days.

iconic much photographed launch

The parks and beaches weren't closed (they would be in a week), but everyone was home. It was a strange ghost-town feel. During the week Point Reyes is pretty quiet anyway, but it was eerie…and awesome for this introvert, who thinks someone on the beach 100 feet from me is too close!

new to me, yeah!

I had a good book, but there is too much to explore. The roads are rough in Point Reyes, but this was a first road trip for my new-to-me car! The exact same car I had, just 17 years newer! So many "fancy" features, like syncing your phone to the stereo, nice! Other than that, it is much the same (literally, it is still silver, with a sunroof and seat heaters, my main desires, but without a funky transmission, yeah!)

empty beaches

sand reflecting clouds

wind and sand create art

riders (how fun, but please wear helmets!)

Empty beaches beckoned, a brief morning walk along the beach turned into 5 miles of beach walking (that my legs felt the next day!), but we also sat in the sand to eat a picnic lunch and just enjoyed the quiet (as we would any other time, just with a hint of worry behind it this time).

sea pearls treasure

aliens among us

sea stars await dinner

One afternoon the tide was negative (I always use my tides app, so handy!) and I love exploring tidepools. I caught a few hermit crabs but mostly tried not to fall in and be cut by the sharp mussels while taking precarious pictures!

poppy path

the huge National Register of Historic Places barn

lichen on old fence

Out on the peninsula is the Pierce Point Ranch and tule elk reserve. We hiked the narrow trail down to the beach, and also around the historic hay barn, an immense structure, 65 by 180 feet, it was a 300 stall dairy barn! The elk are contained in this peninsula since their reintroduction, but there certainly seem to be a lot. A huge herd were all by the roadside, and I was just watching them from right outside the car when they all decided it was dinner time on the other side of the road! It was awesome to watch them streaming across the road, clattering hooves.

just quietly watching the herd

It was a strange vacation, and it seems so very long ago. But I know we'll be back, because sometimes there is something about a place, and this is one of those places.