Category: nature

Choppity Chop Chop

Today’s paddle takes us from Barbara and Jay Vincent Park in Richmond to the Berkeley Marina. We launched on a rising tide, with quite a bit of gravel beach exposed at 10:30. Current was not much of a concern. A gentle breeze was blowing when we launched with more wind predicted for the afternoon.

Once all nine of us were on the water we headed for the southeast corner of Brooks Island and then changed course for Berkeley. A few pelicans wheeled overhead, and a harbor seal startled when we must have interrupted its nap. We paddled inside the Berkeley breakwater and holed up near the entrance to the marina. There our leader announced that we would paddle into the marina and haul out at the boat ramp for lunch. It was 11:45 when we landed. After lunch and the requisite chocolate fix we were back on the water retracing our path.

We had just enough wind to create a bit of chop with a few waves splashing over my boat. I discovered that my spray skirt was leaking, and I could feel the cold water dribbling down the back of my wetsuit. I ended up with more water in my boat that I would like. The spray skirt is something I’ve been meaning to replace; today’s paddle makes it a priority. My boat handles well in the wind and the chop so the wet and bouncy ride made for a fun run.

At 1:45 we were back on the beach having logged 7.3 miles, and I felt like I had had a good workout. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Paddling the Apostles

Our adventure starts on July 14. That’s when we met our guide and completed our safety check. The outfitters, Trek and Trail, require paddlers to demonstrate a wet exit and self-rescue to qualify to paddle single kayaks. Joann and I both successfully demonstrated the use the paddle float to get back in the boat.

The next morning, July 15 ,we arrived at the outfitters at 7:30 am to assemble the gear for our paddle. Once the gear was organized, we hopped in the van with kayaks in tow and headed to Sand Bay. We did a pretty quick job of packing all our gear for the three-day trip. At 9:30 we were on the water heading out to Sand Island.

On the Northeast corner of the island we paddled through some amazing sea caves. The red sandstone contrasting with the clear turquoise water was mesmerizing.

Once we were around the top of the island we stopped at the lighthouse, landing on some flat rocks. Nahon helped us beach our fully loaded kayaks. Actually, he single-handedly manhandled the boats.

We were treated to a personalized tour of the lighthouse from docent Laurie. With light rain falling and the forecast of a storm moving in, we didn’t dally too long at the lighthouse. We were back on the water shortly after noon, pressing on to get to our campsite for lunch.

On the last leg of our paddle, the sky continued to darken, and the skies exploded with thunder; not just occasional peal of thunder but a continual roar, as if the gods were tearing the skies apart. We were a bit anxious about being on the water with a thunderstorm in the distance. We pressed on and we were on the beach a short time later, landing at 12:30. We unpacked our gear and broke out lunch.

On July 16 we woke to wind, rain and the sound of surf pounding the beach. With small craft warnings up, we decided to explore the island on foot, hiking to the lighthouse and to East Bay. Dinner was pulled pork sandwiches. We ate well on the trip.

On July 17 we woke to sun and calm water. We broke camp, loaded the kayaks and continued our journey around Sand Island and back to the mainland.

Along the northwest side of the Bayfield Penninsua we found more sea caves to explore. We had fun paddling in and out of caves and through tunnels. The cliffs of red sandstone are covered with lush green vegetation and hanging gardens and waterfalls. I was struck by the sound created by the waves lapping into many miniature blow holes: plink, plop, ploink, squish, swish. It would be fun just to capture the sounds and compile them into a composition.

It was about 3:00 pm when we landed on Meyers Beach. There we unpacked and jumped in the van for the ride back to Trek and Trail in Bayfield. Our paddle out to the island and back logged a little over 22 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery. We were happy we had taken our drysuits with us. With the weather and cool temperatures, we stayed quite comfortable. The sign at Meyers Beach noted the water temperature at 41 degrees.

Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve

The Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve encompasses 552 acres protecting a habitat known as the Santa Cruz Sandhills. These sandhills are perched high above the bluffs, prairies and forests of the central California coast. The sandhills are outcrops of ancient marine life, sediment deposited over 15 million years ago when the region was beneath the sea. These habitats are host to a number of rare plants and animals. The reserve is managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Grandson Micah was quite the nature guide, pointing out various plants and trees including Ponderosa Pine, Redwood and Madrone. We also saw a number of wildflowers.

What’s notable is that in 1989 The Nature Conservancy hired me to photograph this location as part of a fundraising effort to purchase the property. Fun to think that I played a role in protecting this environment.

Also it’s a joy to be able to enjoy this hike pain free. Nine months have passed since I had knee replacement surgery. A year ago I would have been hobbling in pain. I still have work to do on the recovery. I’m continuing Physical Therapy and building strength in the muscles that I hadn’t used for years.

We spent about two hours exploring the preserve, covering 2.3 miles of varied terrain from pines to redwoods, through ferns and chaparral. A glorious day to be exploring nature with family.

Croatia: Walking – Day 4 – Gazul to Bol

At 9:00 our driver meets us at the Velaris Hotel in Supetar on the island of Brac. We jump in the van and are off on narrow winding roads that lead to the very top of the island. A half-hour later we reach the start for today’s hike, Gazul, a tiny village of sheep herders. We don our day packs for the day’s hike down to Bol. Our luggage stays in the van. We’ll reunite with our luggage at the ferry terminal in Bol later in the day.

Our hike takes us over the “highlands” of Brac, over meandering dirt roads and paths, through pine forest and over mossy rocks. Our route leads to Vildova Gora, the highest point on the island at 2559 feet and a spectacular view overlooking the Adriatic and the island of Hvar. As picturesque as the location is, I don’t manage to capture any photos that gave the view justice. It’s a daunting view though. We’re looking over the edge of a sheer cliff and wondering where the trail will take us. Neither of us are fond of steep rocky trails and that’s what this trail promises with its steep drop down to the water. We take our time, happy to have our hiking poles to assist us.

It is a steep walk down a trail which, given the rock curb, has been in use for centuries and shows centuries of erosion and wear. My shoes, which I have worn every day since I bought them two months ago, prove to be a bit light for the job. Fine for most walking but some more substantial boots would be a better choice for this trail. The steep descent causes my toes to jam into the toes of my shoes.

With our slow pace down the steep trail, we feel a little pressured by time given our tickets for the 5:30 ferry to Hvar. It is 4:30 when we reach the ferry dock, and at 5:15 our driver, who had dropped us off at the Gazul trailhead, shows up to reunite us with our luggage. Later that evening when I take off my shoes, I discover three bruised toenails. Over the course of the day, we logged 8.13 miles dropping 2500 feet over the last three miles.

Map of the hiking route from Gazul to Bol on the island of Brac, showing Vidova Gora and surrounding terrain.

Croatia: Walking – Day 2

At 8:30 we were on our way to the Ferry Terminal in Split for our ferry to Brac. We disembarked at Supetar, consulted our walking tour instructions and started our walk along the waterfront. Today’s tour is a loop walk on west side of Brac.

Our walk took us along the coast where we admired sculptures along an azure sea. As we approached the town of Mirca our route turned inland. Mirca had an interesting mix of traditional and contemporary houses. Leaving Mirca our route turned inland. Our directions were a bit confusing so we may have wandered off the prescribed route. Our track then took us back along the coast. A little after 2:00 we reached the town of Sutivan, a charming town of fishermen and farmers with a thousand-year-old tradition closely intertwined with the sea.

From there we started our return leg climbing up into the hills, following stone-lined roads and trails past fields of ancient olive trees.

It was after 6:00 when we finished our loop walk back in Supetar having walked 10 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Croatia: Walking – Day 1

The day before our tour began, we met a representative from the tour company for an orientation. He went over logistics, maps and other details. This included a binder with maps and detailed instructions. We also had an app on our iPhones we could use to guide us. We booked the tour through Macs Adventures; however, they contract with the local company MeridienTen to manage the trips. Both companies provide maps and guides. We discovered that there were a few slight discrepancies between the guides. For additional navigational help we used the app GaiaGPS to track our travels and to resolve the few occasions where the instructions left us confused.

On May 16 we grabbed our day packs and our trekking poles and started our walking journey around Marjan Hill and the Marjan peninsula.

The walk starts along the waterfront along the path of the Olympians. Here every Croatian Olympian medal winner is commemorated with a plaque.

From there our walk took us past a couple of churches and on to Ivan Meštrović’s estate. Ivan was a renowned Croatian sculptor. We stopped and toured the grounds to see some of Meštrović’s works. The gallery was closed so we were not able to view the main exhibits. but a short distance further along our route was Meštrović’s Crikvine, a unique religious and artistic complex with more of Meštrović’s work.

A panoramic view of a coastal city with terracotta roofs, lush greenery, a harbor with a cruise ship, and mountains in the background under a blue sky.
Panoramic view of Split from the top of Marjan Hill

The walk meandered around the penninsula taking us to the top of Marjan hill for a spectacular view of Split and the surrounding coast.

When we reached the western most point of the walk, we were hoping to find a cafe where we could stop and enjoy some refreshments. Unfortunately, since we were early in the season, we did not find any facilities open. We broke out our emergency energy bars and water and enjoyed a few minutes on the beach. Our return walk took us along the north side of the peninsula where the wind kicked up, throwing up whitecaps on the water. We continued our walk, deviating from the prescribed course a bit, looking for a place to have dinner. We found a Pizza place that fit the bill. Once we were back in Split it was time to find some Gelato. Over the course of the day, we walked 12.2 miles. With all of our stops to explore sites the walk took us just shy of 12 hours.

More photos are available in an online gallery.

Winter Road Trip to Bishop: Memories and Challenges

We missed the Bishop contingent of our family over Thanksgiving since they were hunkered down with Covid. This prompted us to clear our calendars to make the trek over the mountains for a visit. Since the camper had been sitting idle in the driveway for three months, it was no surprise that the battery was dead. A quick trip to the local auto parts store and we were ready to roll. We decided we’d break the drive up over two days.

We like to take our time. It was 10:30 am when we rolled out of the driveway. Highway 89 was open, so we drove over Echo Summit on Highway 50 and then took 89 over Luther Pass and down through Markleeville. It was 5:30 pm when we parked the rig for the night on National Forest land near Mono Lake. It was dark, but we found a spot to camp without much trouble. Four-wheel drive is recommended here since there is soft sand. This is dispersed camping, boondocking if you like. No services. We cooked dinner, turned the heater on and hunkered down for the night. It was 18 degrees when I stepped out of the camper at 7 am the next morning. I wandered around with my camera, fascinated by the stark beauty of our location.

We arrived in Bishop at 10:30 am with plenty of time to get settled before the evening Winter Tradition program at granddaughter Annabelle’s school.

Holiday activities also included a visit the Laws Railroad Museum, where we rode the train and sang Christmas carols with Santa. Daughter-in-law Serena got to show off a quilt project that she participated in.

On December 15 it was time to head home. A winter storm had dumped snow on the mountains, leaving the roads icy. We started our return journey by heading north on 395, but the ice on the roads was intimidating even with four-wheel drive and snow tires.

We turned around and headed south, arriving back in Bishop about noon where we rendezvoused with family for lunch at the Pupfish Cafe. This is one of our favorite local restaurants, noted for their Belgian waffles. From there we continued south going over Walker Pass. We found a gorgeous little campground, Sandy Flat Camp, on the Kern River and spent the night there. We were the only campers in the campground. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Exploring the Beauty of Point Reyes by Kayak

Our adventure today starts at Miller Boat Launch. Nine of us were on the water at 10:30. Here’s a photo of Steve and Joann carrying my red Dagger Stratos down the boat ramp. Since I’m still a little gimpy following knee surgery I’m happy to have help. Once we were on the water, we paddled south across Tomales Bay, and then followed the shore along the Point Reyes Peninsula.

We encountered thousands of birds flying past us, most of them cormorants. We paddled past Tomales Beach and Marshall Beach and poked into a little inlet with a cabin, trying to recall the history of this location. Then with ample water from a high tide, we explored a little marsh at Long Cove Beach.

For lunch we found a little beach just south of Fruit Tree Beach. After lunch we paddled north back across the bay and followed the coast back to our launch site.

We were back on the beach at 2:00 having paddled a little over eight miles. It’s always an adventure to paddle on Tomales Bay, one of my favorite places to paddle.

Redwoods in the Bay Area: Visiting Muir Woods

Peter, my Cornish “cousin” spent a couple of day with us on his recent visit. I mentioned Peter in a previous post. One of Peter’s requests while visiting was to see redwoods. What better place to see redwoods in the Bay Area than Muir Woods National Monument? This can be a very busy location, and you must book parking ahead of time to ensure you can access the park if you are driving. There is also a shuttle run by Marin Transit.

Here you can see Peter and me standing in front of a grove of trees. Looking up these trees are truly awe inspiring, raising their limbs high above the forest floor. The tallest tree in the park is 786 years old give or take a few years, standing at over 250 feet. This tree sprouted at about the time of the last Crusades. Redwood trees can live as long as 2500 years and grow up to 380 feet tall. The oldest tree in the park is at least 1,200 years old.

We walked the main trail along the east side of the creek as far as the Fourth Bridge, which was out of service and being repaired. We then backtracked and crossed the creek at the Third Bridge, returning on the west side of the creek. I was pleased to be able to walk the 2.5 miles given my recent knee surgery. The fact that the trail is quite flat was a welcome benefit given my gimpy knee.

Book Review: The Invention of Nature

Let me start by telling you how this book came into my hands. I was at a dinner party at a friend’s house. This was a dinner party that revolved around the theme of creation care. All of the dinner guests were people of faith that have an interest in taking care of the planet. We had an Episcopalian priest, a Presbyterian minister and a number of people from various churches. I had just finished reading On the Origin of Species and The Voyage of the Beagle, both by Charles Darwin, both as homework for a trip to the Galapagos Islands. On sharing some of the insights I had in my readings, my good friend
Carol said I have a book you should read. She handed me a copy of this book.

The Invention of Nature by Andra Wulf

I would consider this book to be a “must read” for anybody with an interest in the natural world.

Humbolt had an insatiable curiosity about the natural world and Wulf’s writing infects the reader with that curiosity. Darwin called Humbolt “the greatest scientific traveler who ever lived.” Humbolt was instrumental in formulating a wholistic and unified approach to the natural world, ideas that are fundamental to our current understanding of the world. His ideas influenced scientific, artistic and geopolitical worlds, from Jules Verne to Thomas Jefferson, to Simon Bolivar, to Henry David Thoreau, to John Muir and beyond. While his legacy lives on in many parts of the world, particularly Latin America, he seems to have been forgotten here. As Andrea Wulf remarks “it is almost as though his ideas have become so manifest that the man behind them has disappeared.” A very entertaining and enlightening book. Highly recommended.