Point Reyes Weekend

You Mon Tsang June 29th, 2008

Cypress Tree Tunnel, originally uploaded by geckonia.

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You Mon Tsang June 24th, 2008

Many of you come from San Francisco to visit. And if you go to mapping site to get driving directions to Point Reyes, chances are the mapping site will tell you to head over Mount Tam and go up Highway 1 (Option 1 below). This is a stunning, but slow and very windy, route to Point Reyes.

But there are other ways into the Point Reyes area. Here are the four major drives in and out (I map it to the Bear Valley Visitors Center).

Option 1: Highway 1

PROS:

• This is the beautiful iconic California drive, where car commercials are made.
• Passes through the Stinson Beach

CONS:

• Passes through Stinson Beach, which can be very very slow on summer weekends
• Mapping software says it’s the fastest way. Don’t believe it. The twists and turns are pretty intense and you or someone in front of you will be driving very slowly
• Out of the way for those of you coming from the East Bay over the Richmond Bridge

BOTTOM LINE: If you have time and haven’t done it, do it.

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Option 2: SIR FRANCIS DRAKE

PROS:

• Go through the fun towns of Fairfax and San Anselmo
• Lots of services along the way (gas, food, drink)
• If you don’t like winding roads, this is probably the tamest way to go

CONS:

• You’re going through suburbs, so backups are possible

BOTTOM LINE: Most Bay Area (rather than out-of-town) visitors coming to Point Reyes come through here.

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Option 3: LUCAS VALLEY ROAD

PROS:

• Very pretty ride through ranch land and past the Nicasio Reservoir
• No traffic

CONS:

• Longer way to go, but generally as fast as Sir Francis Drake

BOTTOM LINE: Locals who want to go to San Francisco and back usually take this route

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Option 4: D STREET (FROM PETALUMA)

PROS:

• So so pretty. I think it’s my favorite drive to 101.

CONS:

• Only good for those coming from the North (as a percentage, that’s very few of us)

BOTTOM LINE:

• If you need to go to Petaluma; this is the only way. Luckily, it’s gorgeous.

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You Mon Tsang June 22nd, 2008

This one really calms me down; I can look at it all day.

Wild Oats, originally uploaded by gcquinn.

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You Mon Tsang June 22nd, 2008

Some summer 2008 news on the public transportation front.  The National Park Service has received a special grant from the Department of Transportation to provide a free trial shuttle bus during the month of July 2008 to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The free shuttle is scheduled to run on weekends between Olema RV Resort, Bear Valley Visitor Center and Limantour Beach and to connect with the West Marin Stagecoach schedule. The park will evaluate ridership, impacts on parking congestion at Bear Valley Visitor Center, etc. to determine if the bus service is sustainable.

Now it is possible to get all the way from the Bay Area to West Marin onto a beach via bus!

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You Mon Tsang June 21st, 2008

[Click for information on the latest on the Point Reyes Farmers Market]

Today was the first day of the 2008 season of the Point Reyes Farmers Market.  This market is the all local, all certified organic produce market.  If you passing through the area, definitely stop and pickup some produce for home and lunch for a beach picnic.  You will find many local farms and artisans represented as well as a nice mix of local flavor and international visitors.

The 2008 Point Reyes Farmers Market takes place every Saturday (June 21 – November 1, 2008) from 9AM to 1PM (rain or shine).

Location: Toby’s Feed Barn, 11315 Highway One, Point Reyes Station, CA.  Click for a map with a photo of Toby’s.

Here is the calendar of the Point Reyes Farmers Market’s events for 2008.

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You Mon Tsang June 18th, 2008

The National Park Service publishes a newsletter about events, closures, natural history, and cultural history at Point Reyes. Here is the issue from 2008-06-18:

Summer solstice is around the corner 4:59 pm on Friday, June 20th but also marked on many calendars for June 21st!  The beginning of summer has been marked by several high fire danger days in the area so be extra careful. Drown all fires with plenty of water, watch car exhaust pipes when parking near dry grass, be sure power equipment has spark arresters on it.

Ladybugs or Ladybird beetles have been observed clumping along Drakes Beach. They do converge as a strategy in winter to conserve heat and may be in seen in large masses such as these as they migrate inland – lowland vegetation begins to dry out and they seek additional food. Unfortunately, they may have been blown off course and ended up on the beach far from their favorite aphid snacks.

A rare double plumed male California Quail was seen crossing the road near the hostel.  They are usually in large coveys of 10-20 birds which pair off in spring to scrape a small ground nest and lay 6-17 brown spotted, cream colored eggs. Many quail families are being observed now, drive carefully! Coast Miwok collected the male plumes to decorate baskets and also held a special dance to honor this bird.

Marin County Parks and Open Space rangers lead a guided walk “Wildflowers and Wildlife of Bull Point on Thursday, June 26 th between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. The trailhead is off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard before the North Beach turnoff. A good place for burrowing owls and rare plants!

A film permit for a car commercial (80 people) has been issued for the north area of the park on Thursday June 19th and 20th. Traffic control with Highway Patrol officers will be in place with short delays not to exceed 5 minutes is expected. Filming areas include Ottingers Hill, South Beach, and near Abbots Lagoon.

Thanks to the NPS Park Service.

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You Mon Tsang June 17th, 2008

[Note: the 2009 Western Weekend is scheduled for the weekend of June 6 / 7.]

Steve Kroiss was kind enough to share these great photos from 2008 Western Weekend parade, which took place on June 8, 2008 at Point Reyes Station.

One of the many aspects of the Point Reyes area that I enjoy is the progressive rancher feel of the area. The Cowgirls for Peace photo represents this well.

Apparently a flamethrowing, 4-wheeling, fire-shooting missile. Dr. Strangelove style with cowboy hats.

Meat carving demonstration by Marin Sun Farms.

The rest of the photos look more like a pleasant rural community.

Thanks again, Steve Kroiss for the photos.

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You Mon Tsang June 15th, 2008

Drake’s beach, Point Reyes at sunset, originally uploaded by canbalci.

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You Mon Tsang June 13th, 2008

I am always shocked when I meet people who were born in the Bay Area or who have lived here for many years and who have never been to Point Reyes. To me, Point Reyes is still an authentic rural area. But it’s fair to worry that it can tip over and become a Carmel or a Napa-like getaway. That is the subject of this article on Weekend America. A snippet:

Geologically speaking, there has not been much dramatic change to this place since the earthquake of 1906. But in the last few years, the town itself has gone through a continental shift from mostly cow-town to mostly tourist… All the actual cows are gone.

Many of the older locals used to say that when the cows left — taking the smell and the flies with them — that would be the end of Point Reyes Station.

Read the whole article: Authentic Pt Reyes on Weekend America.

Photo credit: Krissy Clark

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You Mon Tsang June 13th, 2008

A note from the National Park Service for Point Reyes visitors:

Please keep an open eye for two highly invasive plant species that are currently in very low abundance in our park:

Oblong spurge (Euphorbia oblongata), yellow flower in the pictures, is an upright perennial with alternate leaves, growing up to 3 feet tall. Its tiny flowers are surrounded by yellow petal-like bracts in spring and summer. This deep-rooted species can form dense colonies that outcompete native and rangeland plants.

I know of 4 populations in the park (SFD on Olema Hill across from the Bolinas Ridge trailhead; adjacent to the Palomarin trailhead parking lot; on McFadden Ranch; and in the Olema pasture across the creek from the campground, between Bear Valley Rd and the creek corridor. A large patch grows at the SFD edge of private property in Inverness.

Purple star-thistle (Centaurea calcitrapa), purple flower in the pictures, is an annual to perennial thistle with long sharp spines below its purple (or white to pink) flower heads. Not currently flowering (though it could begin to flower very soon), it is distinguished from yellow star-thistle by the larger, wider lobed leaves. Young leaves can be grey with cobwebby hairs while older leaves are hairless and 4-8″ long.

There’s a patch on Genazzi Ranch and last week I removed 5 plants on SFD on the east side of the road between Inverness Park and Inverness.

If you or visitors find any other populations, please report to me: the location (as exactly as possible, including distance from trail or road), approximate number of plants and/or patch size, and whether they are flowering. Feel free to remove them as well. Purple star-thistle can be knocked down to ground level and if not flowering, disposal isn’t an issue. Once it starts to flower, please dispose of the flowering heads. If you want to remove oblong spurge, please wear gloves and long sleeves (like all Euphorbias, they contain a toxic milky sap that’s especially damaging to eyes) and bag and throw out all flowering plants.

To familiarize yourself with other early detection species for PORE and GOGA, check out I&M’s excellent online resource: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sfan/vital_signs/Invasives/ID_cards.cfm

Ellen Hamingson
Restoration Biologist
Point Reyes National Seashore
1 Bear Valley Road
Point Reyes, CA 94956
phone 415-464-5196 fax 415-464-5183

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