Well thanks to school, work, and girls I've been stressed out lately to the point of not wanting to be in my apartment during the weekends. I've spent so much damn time in my room and on the computer writing and researching papers for school, I just needed some time to myself.
So last weekend I took off to Northern California, Point Reyes to be exact. I planned to go with some people, but they all cancelled on me and I was happy about that in the end.
I left Santa Clara and headed west, attempting to hit Half Moon Bay on the way up to Point Reyes. Unfortunately the highway had other plans.
This meant a good 50 miles extra on my trip and I'd be a few hours late. Ever the optimist though I decided to hit the beach. Took photos, did some rock climbing over the sand and admired the beauty that is the California Coast.
So I turned around and an hour and a half later I was crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and heading north on 101. I later found out that this was a mistake, so in Petaluma I took 116 over to Highway 1. The ride was amazing, winding roads through redwoods and small little towns. I picked up a hitchhiker and gave him a lift a few miles down the road. Shortly after that I was rewarded with a view of the Russian River. Driving along next to that beauty of a waterway was amazing and I hit the coast right around sunset.
I raced down Highway 1. Late in the day no one drives this road and police cars are non-existant. I spent the entire time pushing my car to the limits, 60-70 mph in the turns, gunning it in the straight-a-ways and sliding into dirt turnoffs to take photos of the falling sun.
Sadly it was getting dark and I had to get to the Point Reyes Hostel. I missed the turnoff road twice, but I finally made it to the park and managed my way down the 14 miles of road into the park before getting to the hostel.
It was 9:30 when I got in and I hadn't eaten for hours. I cooked up a tasty meal of couscous, sundried tomatos, and mushrooms in the kitchen. I spent the evening reading and talking with a few others in the hostel. In the end I slept on the couch outside of the bedroom as there was a gentleman snoring hard enough to shake my bed.
That morning I got up and planned out a long hike while eating breakfast. I was the first on the trail in the morning and I saw a ton of wildlife. A bobcat crossed the trail right in front of me at one point. Several deer skittered off the trail as I passed along further up the hill I was climbing. The sandy trail held tracks well and I spent a lot of time studying the tracks of quail, deer, bobcats, rabbits, and a few other species.
The views were spectacular.
Along the way I met a grad student from Davis doing field studies on the local elk population. He had a radio reciever for the elk and knew his way around the park quite well.
We spent two hours hiking off the trail, back country stuff before locating a small herd of calving female elk. There were four females with calves, but we couldn't get very close as they are quite nervous at this time of the year. I still managed a shot of one with my long lens.
I finished off my hiking with a bit of canyoning along some eroded cliffs and a bit of climbing on the rocks at Monument Beach. I met a very nice couple who had camped on the beach and talked with them for a while before heading back to my car.
Climbing around stuff like this made the long drive worth it.
On the way back I was unfortunate enough to hit heavy traffic. This meant several hours on Highway 1 with nowhere to go. Still, the weather was amazing and I made it onto 101 with no problem. Even got some people to take my photo next to the Golden Gate Bridge (yah for pretending to be a tourist!).
While gas was expensive the trip was worth it. I came back home relaxed and full of life. I did end up with a nasty case of poison oak from the backcountry hiking, but it cleared up earlier this week. To anyone in California looking for an exotic place to get away close to home I highly reccomend Point Reyes and Highway 1. It is also one hell of a drive!
The Ito
So last weekend I took off to Northern California, Point Reyes to be exact. I planned to go with some people, but they all cancelled on me and I was happy about that in the end.
I left Santa Clara and headed west, attempting to hit Half Moon Bay on the way up to Point Reyes. Unfortunately the highway had other plans.
This meant a good 50 miles extra on my trip and I'd be a few hours late. Ever the optimist though I decided to hit the beach. Took photos, did some rock climbing over the sand and admired the beauty that is the California Coast.
So I turned around and an hour and a half later I was crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and heading north on 101. I later found out that this was a mistake, so in Petaluma I took 116 over to Highway 1. The ride was amazing, winding roads through redwoods and small little towns. I picked up a hitchhiker and gave him a lift a few miles down the road. Shortly after that I was rewarded with a view of the Russian River. Driving along next to that beauty of a waterway was amazing and I hit the coast right around sunset.
I raced down Highway 1. Late in the day no one drives this road and police cars are non-existant. I spent the entire time pushing my car to the limits, 60-70 mph in the turns, gunning it in the straight-a-ways and sliding into dirt turnoffs to take photos of the falling sun.
Sadly it was getting dark and I had to get to the Point Reyes Hostel. I missed the turnoff road twice, but I finally made it to the park and managed my way down the 14 miles of road into the park before getting to the hostel.
It was 9:30 when I got in and I hadn't eaten for hours. I cooked up a tasty meal of couscous, sundried tomatos, and mushrooms in the kitchen. I spent the evening reading and talking with a few others in the hostel. In the end I slept on the couch outside of the bedroom as there was a gentleman snoring hard enough to shake my bed.
That morning I got up and planned out a long hike while eating breakfast. I was the first on the trail in the morning and I saw a ton of wildlife. A bobcat crossed the trail right in front of me at one point. Several deer skittered off the trail as I passed along further up the hill I was climbing. The sandy trail held tracks well and I spent a lot of time studying the tracks of quail, deer, bobcats, rabbits, and a few other species.
The views were spectacular.
Along the way I met a grad student from Davis doing field studies on the local elk population. He had a radio reciever for the elk and knew his way around the park quite well.
We spent two hours hiking off the trail, back country stuff before locating a small herd of calving female elk. There were four females with calves, but we couldn't get very close as they are quite nervous at this time of the year. I still managed a shot of one with my long lens.
I finished off my hiking with a bit of canyoning along some eroded cliffs and a bit of climbing on the rocks at Monument Beach. I met a very nice couple who had camped on the beach and talked with them for a while before heading back to my car.
Climbing around stuff like this made the long drive worth it.
On the way back I was unfortunate enough to hit heavy traffic. This meant several hours on Highway 1 with nowhere to go. Still, the weather was amazing and I made it onto 101 with no problem. Even got some people to take my photo next to the Golden Gate Bridge (yah for pretending to be a tourist!).
While gas was expensive the trip was worth it. I came back home relaxed and full of life. I did end up with a nasty case of poison oak from the backcountry hiking, but it cleared up earlier this week. To anyone in California looking for an exotic place to get away close to home I highly reccomend Point Reyes and Highway 1. It is also one hell of a drive!
The Ito
