Point Reyes Bear Valley Visitor Center & Tule Elk Refuge - The End 4/10/16

Welcome back to my visit to Point Reyes National Seashore (or rather, parts of it since it's pretty huge)!  In my previous posts, we saw some cool landscapes, animals, birds, and flowers and and make the trek to the Lighthouse.  

After leaving the lighthouse, I stopped to take a picture of a cute cow with some flowers as I made my way to the Bear Valley Visitor's Center. 

My timing was perfect because when I arrived at the visitor's center, there was a beautiful, tall Great Blue Heron standing in the field just off the road.  What a welcome!

Some backpackers came through the field and startled him away from me. :-(  But he looked amazing from the back too!

I went for a brief walk on one of the paths and was rewarded by hearing (mostly) and seeing (a little) an Acorn Woodpecker.  I will apologize now for this picture.  This little guy was chopping away in a grove of trees and the tangle of branches where he was working was pretty high. 

Also, his face is to the wood (naturally) so you can only see his body.  But it's pretty!  As are the bokeh in the picture.  :-) 

On my short walk before making my way into the visitor's center, I also spotted some gorgeous flowers and two pairs of California Quail.  

And some other pretty birds.  

Mother Nature is such an incredible artist.  And I think too many people look at a "plain" little brown bird and don't really see it.  I'm so thankful that my growing love of photography has made me look at things a little closer.  Not trying to lecture or anything...I just think life is so fast and materialistic in general.  Watching birds and nature is a great break from that.  

Next to the visitor's center is the Morgan Horse Ranch. This working ranch has been training Morgan horses for years and visitors can see volunteers actually working with 3-10 horses depending.  There were three there when I was.  And a cat. 

 Same horse, different angle.  Still gorgeous.

Love this dappled beauty.

This guy was out to pasture.  The trees in the background are where I spotted the woodpecker, so you can see how tall and tangled they are. 

This little bird is called a Dark-eyed Junco.  Supposedly they are very common, but I don't recall seeing one before.  

(Note:  This weekend I did a 4-mile walk at Cosumnes River and saw them aplenty.  That's one thing I love...one I see a bird and learn about it, I start seeing them everywhere.)

On my way back to my car, I spotted a lovely Robin sitting in one of the pastures.

I next made my way to the Tule Elk Refuge since it was nearing the time I had to leave to return to Sacramento.  The reserve, along with everything else at Point Reyes, is absolutely beautiful.  Especially in the Spring with all the flowers. 

You won't see any antlers, because they shed them in the Spring.  The shed antlers are an important source of nutrition for many animals, so if you find one, it is illegal to remove it from the park. 

I adore this shot of cypress trees with fog and flowers.  Oh, and an elk off to the side.  :-)

 This guy on the left is shaggy!  To explain what all the elk are preoccupied with, there were several groups of people who had parked and walked out into the field. Which is fine, but if the animals are this wary of you, you are too close.  

I opted to go a bit further down the road (for which I ended up being very grateful as you'll see in a minute) so as not to add to their stress.  There were two herds and I ended up being pretty much in the middle of them. 

Occasionally, a fog bank would roll in and give the scene an otherworldly look. 

It's a baby!!  Awwww.

And these two look like twins as they graze. 

As I walked back to my car, I saw what appeared to be a largish dog by the cars parked on the road.  I was a little bit mad because when you enter the refuge, there is a sign that states no pets, which is understandable. 

However, as I started to slowly drive up the road, I realized that it was not a domestic dog, but a coyote!  Malia! (Teen wolf reference.)

It was so beautiful.  He was not interested in the people or the elk...he was trotting through the tall grass and flowers looking intently at the ground most of the time.  Obviously he was hoping for a rabbit, snake, or squirrel lunch. 

My pictures did not turn out so well because I was shooting them from inside my car.  :-(  I will be trying to rectify this in the future. 

What a stunning creature! They have such a hard life. 

After this very special treat, I had to head back home.  I already want to go back!  Next time I will have more time and better planning.  There are so many places to explore and things and animals to see!

xoxo

Nikon D3300

Point Reyes Lighthouse April 10, 2016 - The Middle

In my last post,  we got lost on the way to Point Reyes National Seashore, finally made it there, walked around, saw some deer, vultures, ravens, and cows, and then walked to the Point Reyes Lighthouse.

When I arrived, the stairs down to the lighthouse were closed and didn't open for another 40ish minutes. 

I love this picture looking down the stairs.  If you look to the right of the stairs, you can see two enclosures at different points down the stairs.  Those have benches for resting on the way back up.  I was very grateful for those benches later!

I spent the time talking to a fellow intrepid soul and trying not to get blown off the cliff in the sudden wind gusts.  There were also sights to see, such as the colony of Common Murres that spend their spring and summers at Point Reyes.

First, my photo in which these Penguin-like seabirds appear to almost look like bird poop on the rocks.  

And then a photo from the National Park Service so you can see how cute these guys really are. 

This is an interesting article about Murres and the biologists who love them.

In addition to watching and listening to the Murres, there were Seagulls, Cormorants, and Brant Geese to keep me occupied.  I was also looking for whales as they migrate close to the shore in the spring.  

And, as if nature isn't enough, there were ocean and air-going vessels. 

And then, magically on time(!) the Ranger arrived to open the gates so we could begin trekking down the 308 stairs.  There were approximately 10 of us waiting by this time.  This was taken about halfway down. 

This is Dudley Farinosa, more commonly known as bluff lettuce.  It seemed a bit strange to see succulents growing when it's not desert conditions (shows how much I know) but I guess they're pretty common. I think they're like lovely little red and green stars perched above the ocean. 

This is the side of the Equipment Building which overlooks the Murres colony.  Painted red by nature, it matches the red algae found on the surrounding rocks. 

On the opposite side of the Equipment Building, there is a walkway to the door of the lighthouse and a ramp to get to the lower level. The lighthouse was built in 1870.  The Fresnel lens and mechanism were built in France in 1867 and then shipped to Drake's Bay and carted overland to the Point. 

Unfortunately, the lens room didn't open until 4:30 and I planned to be long gone by then.  Another trip perhaps. 

From the lower level, the keepers could access the Fog Signal Building.  Now that the station is automated, the sound and flashing light emanates from the top of the building. 

Inside the Equipment Building, they have some of the old equipment including the old air horns that were used for the fog signal before the automation. 

Down at the lower level of the lighthouse - which had to be placed low on the cliffs to be under the heavy fog banks - I got a better view of the Brant Geese flying by.  Nicknamed the Sea Goose, these guys fly in lines, sometimes straight and sometimes wavy, and occasionally form the traditional V. But they stay low over the ocean.  

This is a cool view of the stairs and ramps leading from the lower level to the entrance to the Fog Signal Building and illustrate the need to protect ships from the sharp rocks. 

One final shot of the old light tower...

...and then it was time to head back up the loooooonnnnngggg flight of stairs (did I mention that there are 308?  did I mention that there is a ramp in between some of the stairs, so it's actually longer?) to the top.

I rested four times on the way back up. I usually took a photo to pretend I didn't HAVE to stop.
  

I don't think anyone was fooled though.  

Cormorants!

These were some off-limits ruins that looked pretty cool.
Especially with the Douglas Iris growing their midst. 

Almost there!

Last stop!  More Douglas Iris.  This time on the stairs growing under the chain link fence. With water droplets.  How could I not stop??  (No, really...I had to stop.)

I was really bummed about one thing though.  Just as I took the gimmicky picture of the lighthouse upside down in my magnifying glass (above), I heard a huge splash and looked just in time to see a whale partially breaching.  

And again, when I was talking to a fellow tourist (from another country, which was cool), we heard the telltale "blow" and turned just as it went under.  So I saw a whale, but didn't really see a whale. 

I will be rectifying this in the future!

Next post, we explore more of the vast National Seashore.  

xoxo

Nikon D3300

Point Reyes National Seashore April 10, 2016 - The Beginning

Last weekend, my wanderlust was at full force.  Probably because I was trying to avoid doing my taxes and other not-fun stuff.  So I decided to get up before dawn and head to Point Reyes National Seashore in search of exercise, fresh air, and animals. 

The blue hour before dawn came as I was making my way past Vallejo and down Highway 37 along the San Pablo Bay.  Of course I had to stop and take some photos since there are lots of cool bridges along the way. 

I did not count on the mosquitoes that swarmed me when I got out to take the picture.  
Yikes!  It was worth it though.  

My next "detour" came when I tried to follow my memory on a shortcut.  Of course, I haven't been to Point Reyes for many years, and the old memory ain't what it used to be.  But luckily, my detour looped me back underneath Highway 37 where I found some delightful sights to capture. 

This is the Petaluma river heading toward Black John Slough.  The blue hour creates such lovely contrast and reflections.  Heading in the opposite direction where the Petaluma meets San Pablo Bay, is a very photogenic swing bridge for the railroad tracks. 

And in the middle, is Highway 37 and the Black Point boat launch. 

Detour over and with dawn in full effect, I got back on Highway 37 and made my way to Point Reyes. I got to the park before the lighthouse was open, but I decided to head there anyway and just walk around the area. 

The first resident to greet me was a gorgeous Turkey Vulture.  Well, gorgeous in his own way. :-)

He put up with me for quite awhile, but then he decided to take his beauty elsewhere. 

All over Point Reyes are working cattle ranches. This is somewhat controversial, especially after the occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.  You can read more about the lawsuit over the ranches if you're interested.

But for me, I enjoy seeing the cattle.  They're cute... 

...even when they're blocking the road. 

I parked near the Sea Lion Overlook and decided to walk around for awhile and take some photos.  It was a bit foggy with some intermittent rain, but not too bad.  Made for some interesting photos, especially with all the wet, brown fencing. 

As I was walking around, I was thrilled to see some Black-tailed Deer.  I was happy that the deer seemed pretty okay with me walking around.  Of course these photos are with a zoom lens, but I was right below them on a road.  I really try to never approach too close so as not to stress an animal.  If they stand up, etc., you're too close and stressing them out.  

Just down the road, I ran into some nosy Ravens.  What a contrast from the silent deer!

This is the little path to the Sea Lion Overlook.  

There were sea lions to be overlooked, so the name is fitting.  However it's pretty far down to the rocks/ocean so it's kind of hard to be sure what you're looking at!  Here is a way zoomed in photo of the three I was fortunate to overlook through my lens.

There were so many wildflowers!  Including beautiful wild Iris all over the place.

I parked at the Lighthouse parking lot and began the walk over the hills. It's a nice little walk on a paved road, but be forewarned...there are hills.  And if you want to get down to the actual lighthouse, there are stairs.  Many, many stairs.  

This shot is of the 11-mile long Point Reyes Beach.  The weather was clearing up, but there were random fog banks rolling in front time to time. 

Cypress tree over the road by old, abandoned structures from the original lighthouse complex.

The rocks around the lighthouse are amazing. It's called Point Reyes Conglomerate and consists of chert pebbles and volcanic rock separated by beds of graded sandstone.  The rocks are millions of years old.  Fascinating and beautiful.

Next post we will make the trek down the stairs and explore the lighthouse and it's surroundings! 

xoxo

Nikon D3300