It may be one of the busiest times of the year, with parties and friends and family, but it's been really nice to make time for some slower, quieter times., too.
While Peanut was hiking in Big Basin with his Ranger Explorers program one Saturday, Daddy-o and I signed up for a day of bird watching and nature journaling with John Muir Laws, who is one of my favorite naturalist people. I feel like we're pretty lucky that he lives in the Bay Area and there are occasional events that we can join with him.
And one of the best parts was spending a few hours with a bunch of other nature enthusiasts. We spent the morning at the Cosumnes River Preserve drawing ducks and other water birds, and then met up for a delicious potluck lunch (seriously, there was so much good food!) After lunch, someone from the Blue Point conservation group talked with us about bird migration and we shared our nature journals from the day.
And then it was on to the main event--driving out to where the Sandhill Cranes hang out in the winter. The feed in the fields in the delta area all day and then fly in to the flooded areas for the night. The fly in itself is supposed to be amazing, and I hope to see it soon, but it was a really cold day and after hours outside, we were so cold that we really didn't want to wait for an extra hour. But it was a really fun day and we'll be back for more cranes.
The next week I headed to the redwoods for a hike with a friend. I wanted to scout it out for one of my upcoming Nature Explorers groups, and also just really wanted to see some mushrooms.
We got lucky and found a couple of rough skinned newts, too.
And a bunch of banana slugs, of course.
And mushrooms!
This area has always been good in the winter, and it looks like we're going to get a lot of rain, so I think we should be good for my scheduled hike in a few weeks.
I love finding them as they are emerging.
And the little tiny ones are always some of my favorites.
It was an excellent way to spend one of the last days of school.
I'm sure there were plenty of other things I "should" have been doing, but this was more fun for sure.
And Daddy-o and I also went to the Oakland temple one morning. It takes a little scheduling to fit it in so we can make sure Peanut gets to seminary and Daddy-o can still get to work for a chunk of the day, but it was a nice start to the day.
We got there almost early enough to enjoy the Christmas lights that are all over the grounds. I think we'll make it back with family one evening.
As much as I enjoy a lot of the louder, crazier parts of Christmas, and all the time with family and friends, I also really appreciate the time that I get in nature and to actually reflect on what it is we're celebrating this season.
What was supposed to be a family camping trip became another solo trip for me when Peanut woke up sick the morning we were leaving. Since Daddy-o can't really hike right now, and I had really been looking forward to visiting Big Sur this fall, it made more sense for me to go, even though it's my third solo trip in three weeks. But someone's got to do it, haha.
I made it down there with just enough time to do a 3 mile hike near my campground. Pfeiffer Falls and Valley View trails were fun.
I always appreciate a redwood hike.
And then I drove a few minutes down the coast to find a spot to watch the sunset. The fog blanket was thick!
It made for a beautiful sunset, even if it wasn't over the water how I'd originally expected.
There are so many pullouts along Highway 1, so it was easy to find a spot to pull the van over.
I feel like the van is happy when it gets to go on these adventures :).
I hung out there until the sun disappeared, and then went back to the campground at the late hour of 5:30--fall camping is a little different than summer!
Seriously, I made a fire, cooked dinner (tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich) and then read by the fire for a really long time. And around 7:45, when my fire was starting to die down, I decided I might as well get ready for bed. I think I actually really like the early nights. I was tucked in bed before 9 and read until I fell asleep around 9:30. It was nice to get a full night of sleep and still be awake before 7.
And I'm glad I didn't get too late of a start because Pfeiffer Beach was first on the list for the day and it was beautiful down there.
Saw Keyhole Arch,
and walked along the beach for awhile.
This beach is also known as the purple sand beach,
due to the garnet rock erosion from the cliffs above.
And then, about 30 minutes later, the fog started rolling back in. I was really glad that I got to see it when it was sunny.
I spent a little while trying to sketch some of the gulls that were running around on the beach,
and watching the fog get thicker. And then I got cold and walked back up to the van to make some hot chocolate and go to the next spot:
McWay Falls, which were almost completely hidden in the fog. I got a glimpse of the falls, which are one of only two in California that empty directly into the ocean. It's one of the main things that I wanted to see in the Big Sur area, so it was kind of a bummer that it was so foggy the whole time I was there. I'll have to come back (and bring my family.)
But the Ewoldsen Trail was beautiful.
I didn't do the whole hike, but wandered through the redwoods for awhile.
And found banana slugs! Always a favorite.
I opted to not do the whole thing because after I climbed out of the redwoods, it looked more like the scrubby oak trails we have all over the bay area and I wanted to head back to another trail near the Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground.
The Buzzard Roost Trail was also beautiful, starting along the Big Sur River.
There were a lot of mushrooms along this trail.
Found several stages of the coccora mushroom.
And at the top, there were views of the fog bank over the ocean.
It was pretty up there.
I ran into a guy who is a new mushroom hunter and we stopped to look at a couple along the trail.
And I found SO many banana slugs on this hike. Most were the Slender Banana Slug, which is different than the ones we usually see in the Santa Cruz mountains.
After I got back into the main part of the park, I walked along the river path, checked out the short nature trail, and then spent a little while soaking my feet and sketching mushrooms I'd seen that day. It was really relaxing and I felt like I thoroughly explored the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. It's a great park with a nice campground, stores, a lodge with a fire place and a restaurant, and good amenities and trails.
Back at the campground for another evening by the fire, I had visitors. It was getting close to 8 and my fire was almost gone and since I was reading on my kindle, I didn't have any lights on when I heard a little rustling sound and then felt something brush my leg. And when I turned on my flashlight, this racoon went running away from me and climbed the tree! And then he and his friend who came out from the bushes on the other side of me took turns trying to sneak back up to me while I was shining the light on the other one. They were really determined, and I'm not even sure why! I didn't have any food out at that point, but I went ahead and packed my chairs back in the van in case there was some smell on them that might have led to holes being chewed or ripped through them when I went to bed.
On my way back from the bathroom, I saw them fighting over a piece of food in the campsite across the road from me. Luckily I was safe in my bed and didn't even hear them through the van. And I ended up sleeping for over 9 hours! I really think I need to do more fall camping. It's the best.
Tuesday morning, it was time to head home.
I stopped at the Bixby Bridge to take some pictures,
And then again at Garrapata State Park to do the Bluff hike which was beautiful.
And it was less foggy so I could actually see the ocean on this one.
The central coast is so rocky--it's just breathtaking.
The water was really pretty right along the coast, too.
And then, one final stop at Moss Landing to look for birds in the marsh near the beach. I found a lot of the usual suspects near the coast--including hundreds of willets, and a couple types of plovers and grebes, and marbled godwits.
It wasn't the family trip we'd planned, and I was honestly missing having people to hike with and hang out at the campground with at night, but I'm glad that I went and would love to revisit that area again. But I will say that we're really spoiled with where we live. The Santa Cruz mountains and north bay have better redwood hikes, and we have our share of rocky beaches and beautiful cliff views, but with more accessible beaches, too. So as pretty as the coast in along that area, I think the places we can get to just an hour or so from our house are even more spectacular.
