Point Reyes National Seashore & Muir Woods, California
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is located on a peninsula on the west side of the San Adreas fault, north of San Francisco. There is a hiking trail near the visitor's center where you can see where a fenceline has been split and moved over the years by the movement of the earth's crust (but we didn't take a picture this trip because we had a picture at home that we took on our first visit to the area in 1982 - sorry!). The western part of the peninsula was covered with fog when we first got there; only some of it eventually burned off. We drove down to Drake's Beach for a lunchtime picnic and walked along the beach below the distinctive sandstone cliffs noted by Sir Francis Drake and his crew in the late 1500's. We turned around when the wind coming over the cliffs blew more sand in our faces than we could tolerate. Our drive out to the point took us to an overview of the lighthouse which happened to be closed to visitors that day. We also stopped along the cliffs where we could overlook a favorite lounging area for sea lions, which you can almost see on the rocks in this picture.
Between Point Reyes and Muir Woods we decided to drive along US Highway 1 which hugs (very tightly!) the ins and outs of the cliffs high above the ocean. I was SO glad I was driving the car and hugging the center line, and not hanging over the edge (or so it seemed) of those cliffs! Thank you, I don't need to do that ever again!
Muir Woods Redwood Preserve
Muir Woods was similar to Armstrong Woods preserve but had a more extensive trail system. It's more well-known and more crowded than Armstrong Woods because it's closer (and therefore more accessible) to San Francisco. I don't think we heard anyone other than ourselves speaking English while we were walking on the trails! We took this picture in Cathedral Grove, of a redwood tree which had toppled in recent years. Cathedral Grove was the site (thus the plaque) of a famous early meeting of UN representatives in the 20th century, and this tree was prominent in the photographs taken at that time. Now it will take decades to decompose and return its nutrients to the soil of Cathedral Grove.