You Mon Tsang September 27th, 2007
facing off by artolog
Every season, there is something unqiue to do at Point Reyes. In the early fall, it is the tule elk rutting (mating) season.
The rutting, best seen along Pierce Point Road and out on Tomales Point, can be a terrific sight as males bugle (a high-pitched cry from the males) and battle each other to form their “harems.”
I’ve seen the dominant male with two dozen females close around him, while other males guard their sad, female-less patches of land from afar.
As of late Sept, the Park HQ says that the rutting season should last until late October and that the elk are most active in the late afternoon.
Bring a pair of binoculars!
Here are some great resources on tule elk elsewhere on the Web…
You Mon Tsang September 26th, 2007
I love a new outsider’s point of view of the Point Reyes area and the North Coast in general. Places and activities that a frequent visitor can get used to become special again. A few excerpts from “Going Coastal” by Washington Post writer Cindy Loose:
…the portion of the northern California coast we toured is so spectacular, only the most jaded, nature-hating traveler would fail to have such perfect moments. Children are generally fairly immune to beautiful scenery. But during a four-day driving trip north of San Francisco, from Point Reyes to Mendocino on routes 1 and 101, I repeatedly hear the word “wow” coming from the back seat, from the mouth of my 12-year-old.
Regarding a tour of the Point Reyes Farmstead:
The two girls are so impressed, they decide that blue cheese, which they formerly hated, is really good. But only, of course, if it’s from Point Reyes. Luckily, it turns out Whole Foods carries the brand.
Read the whole story…
You Mon Tsang September 12th, 2007
From The California Coastal Commission Web Site:
California Coastal Cleanup Day is the premier volunteer event focused on the marine environment in the country. On this day, 50,000 volunteers turn out to over 700 cleanup sites statewide to conduct what has been hailed by the Guinness Book of World Records as “the largest garbage collection” (1993). Since the program started in 1985, over 750,000 Californians have removed more than 12 million pounds of debris from our state’s shorelines and coast. When combined with the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by The Ocean Conservancy and taking place on the same day, California Coastal Cleanup Day becomes part of one of the largest volunteer events of the year.
West Marin locations (http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/counties/marin.html)
- Agate Beach (Meet at 8am in the Agate Beach parking lot)
- Brighton Beach (Meet 9am at the end of Brighton Avenue)
- Bear Valley Visitor Center – Pt. Reyes National Seashore (Meet 9:30am at the Bear Valley Visitor Center, Pt. Reyes National Seashore)
- Duxbury Reef (Meet 9am in the Common Wheel Retreat Center parking lot on Mesa Road)
- Kent Island (Meet 9am at the Rod and Boat Club on Wharf Road)
- Muir Beach (Meet 9am at the Muir Beach parking lot)
- Slide Ranch (Meet 9:45am at the office at Slide Ranch. Bring a bag lunch.)
- Stinson Beach (Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the lifeguard station )
FREE Thank You BBQ for all cleanup volunteers, sponsored by the Bay Model Association and the Sausalito Lions Club. There will be a special performance by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Safety Team. (http://www.spn.usace.army.mil)
Photo by blmurch
You Mon Tsang September 4th, 2007
I am a former urban planner and, every so often, I have to sit back and appreciate the wonder of the Bay Area. Many urban areas go wanting for green space, but here, we have green areas close to almost every citizen. From the East Bay regional parks to the Peninsula Open Space District to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and, of course, to the Point Reyes National Seashore, we are a short walk or bike/car ride away from wondrous beauty and terrific recreation.
So how this is come to be? Who had the vision, passion and the endurance to make it happen? Recently, I read two recently released books that documented the creation of the parks and greenbelts of the Bay Area.
The Country in the City is a broad, detailed and pretty academic, yet readable, history of the the Parks and Greenbelt development in the Bay Area. The book covers the entire San Francisco Bay Area and is a great overview.
New Guardians for the Golden Gate covers the impassioned personalities and events that led to the creation of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area. The book also covers the Point Reyes are quite well.
These books were very inspiring and worth reading.
You Mon Tsang September 3rd, 2007
On a warm, crowded Labor Day weekend in the Point Reyes area, one highlight was the Sand Sculpture Contest at Drakes Bay.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, 60 contestants and 1,000 onlookers showed up for the fun, annual event. The Chronicle describes the winner of the adult group competition as a “cross between an igloo, an Egyptian pyramid and the loading dock of a Costco.” Wow.
Read the entire article and look at the photos…
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