Point Reyes National Seashore
After spending a week in Napa we made our way to Olema, CA. Olema is a tiny village just outside of Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS), about an hour north of San Francisco. This 71,000 acre National Park encompasses a landscape of beaches, cliffs, prairies, marshes, and farms. It is a wildlife sanctuary for Tule Elk, marine life and all sorts of birds. It is a beautiful area, when the weather cooperates. It rained much of the time we were there.
Tule Elk are native to California and were thought to be extinct in the mid 1800s. However, in 1874 a group of them were discovered on a ranch on the Point Reyes Peninsula. The ranch owner made a preserve to protect them. Today, they are thriving, especially at Tomales Point, the most northern area of the park.
Note the guys on the left
Birds love the environment on the peninsula.
I caught this gopher making his underground home.
Wildflowers were blooming throughout the park.
There is a neat area where you can walk through a Cypress Tunnel of Trees.
There are beautiful hills along the coast.
There are expansive beaches.
Historic dairy farms date back to the mid 1800s. Some still operate today.
Following a rainstorm this beautiful rainbow appeared on Limantour Beach.
Here are a couple more pictures from Point Reyes:
We did not get to explore some key areas of the park during our visit, as many areas were closed for various reasons. The lighthouse was under construction and closed. Drakes Beach was closed due to elephant seal activity. The McClures Beach Trailhead was closed due to numerous landslides. Some beaches were closed due to Harbor Seal Pupping Season. This, along with the onslaught of rain, was a disappointment. Regardless, we did enjoy our short visit to Point Reyes. It is such a beautiful and peaceful area.
We had dinner at the Saltwater Oyster Depot in Inverness. The grilled Oysters were fantastic, as was the Salmon. Inverness is another small village, just outside the park.
Just behind The Inverness Store you will find this shipwreck. I’m not sure how long it has been there, but it is pretty worn down.
Below is a picture of this same ship. I took it about 7 years ago when Charlie and I last visited PRNS. It was in much better condition, and we had much better weather. Apparently some people blew off fireworks in the ship a couple of years ago. The ship’s rear and port sides are now destroyed. I kept these areas out of the picture above.
In addition to visiting the PRNS we took a drive up to Bodega Bay. We stopped at various cheese shops along the way. Cheese is a significant industry in this area of the country.
While in Bodega Bay we enjoyed some clam chowder at Ginochio’s Kitchen. It is a great little restaurant. We went there thanks to fellow RVers, whom recommended it.
We stayed at the Olema Campground during our visit. With all of the rain the park was a muddy mess. The campground was nothing to write home about. It served its purpose for us, as it was just outside of the National Park and accommodated our 40’ Motorhome.
We’ll be working our way up the California and Oregon coasts. More on that later….