Category: California

Up early and ready to do a nice 5 mile hike if I turn around as suggested. There is a campground up there the ranger told me, but that’s about 5 miles in and the last hunters back there had to get emergency services to get out. Armed with binoculars, water and whistle I head on ward.

It starts as a nice wide trail and then there is a fork. The sign points trail to the left a much smaller trail. It’s wedged in some rocks. I’m a little concerned. Was this a joke.. I took the smaller trail.. .. .. Right away met a beautiful waterfall with huge moss covered rocks and was happy with my trail. Another sign, pack it in pack it out. Must be on the trail.

Next section runs across a grassy area where I needed to be a billy goat to stay on the miniscule ledge. I put my arm to feel safe, all reality I’m sliding to the bottom on a misstep.

Back under brush in the woods, I see a bullet casing. Other humans. It’s the trail.

For what must be the next 5 miles I wonder when they stopped maintaining the trail and the way the switch banks happen you come to the dead pines a coupe of times. I am still back and forthing across the face of the mountain. I can barely see the ranger station and slaf now. Back into the woods, over and back over the falls a couple times. I end up at the campground.

Go back or go forward. If this was unmaintained I figure it wasnt that bad and i was fairly easily staying on the trail.

As I come across the falls a final time a few feet of rocks and at the top. Made it!!

I look for the trail out nope, then the trail I came from, nope. It’s gone. As I try to force myself Back up the hill to find the trail my body is going down the hill. There is no stopping it. Just going down, down, down, then I grab a tree. I know I have to get back on that trail. I forge through the thicker brush back to the falls and finally find the trail, but with my little downscursion I cut off a bit of the trail and didn’t see the camp ground coming back. I’m super ok with that. 🙂

The billy goat scrambles were not as intimidating going back. Once on the trail I get my hop and skip back admiring the flowers, mushrooms, sounds, fragrances and sunlight.

I make it back to the fork where this crazy up hill questionable trail started and have to see where the other end goes. Hoping It’s not another 10 miler I decide to go to just the top of the hill at least. Oh my. Wow. Glad I did. A waterfall garden with stone walls and bridges back and forth across the rippling stream, I hung out here and relaxed from my gruesome, exceptional feat of a hike!! I didn’t do the willett loop. But I think I came close enough and No body had to rescue either.

I did end up with a nasty war wound on my shin and three tick hikers. Let’s just say these are no east coast ticks, when they bite they mean it!

Soooo did not do this on purpose. Between no service, no place to stop, no service when there is a place to stop, fog and then finally blinding darkness I had to make the call. I plowed through a good portion of northern California. Upside is I ended up point reyes station, right next to point reyes national seashore, my next must see.

At this point the 1 has been a terrifying driving nightmare. I barely get over 30 mph for 90%. I love the 55 mph signs in front of the 30mph curve sign, but 15mph curves are the really good ones. Sometimes the tilt on the rig really feels like it’s gonna flip. These are the moments you might see me eyes and mouth wide open completely petrified. The shoulders on the roads are non-existent for the most part. Mostly the white line and the edge of the cliff and the edge of the world are the same thing. It seems going south is worse. Going north you are on the inside more often, but that just is an opportunity for a limb to side swipe you or clock the windshield. I was really hoping the first 30 miles, that weren’t as bad as the next 200, were the worst of it. Then you have the hills. Straight up, angles I didn’t think were legal only to come down the same angle and throw a curve in it. So at 11 pm with intermittent fog and blind darkness I parked.

Completely paranoid about parking on the side of the road, I woke up before sunrise to move to the welcome center of the Reyes national seashore. They had a nice trail head there, of course in the darkness I pulled in the wrong way and didnt see the rv/trailer parking and ended up headed out,arghhh. All good, lets do our orginial first plan north beachparking and work our way down.

Finally made it to the first real parking I could find and what A FIND. Beautiful sunrise walk over the marsh to the sand dunes by a lake to the beach. seriously amazingly beautiful!!!

I started the walk with a herd of little hen looking birds taking over the trail, then some small brown birds and red wing black birds, herons, a peacock nesting, and the singing, oh the wonderful sounds of morning bird songs. The sun cusping over the mountains in the distance and warming my back. Ahhh mornings like this Make a day!!

Found glass beach which is why I was in fort brag. I had been told of this place. When I looked on line it says the beach is closed, but I found a trail head parking that ended up being what everyone thinks is glass beach. As later come to find out with almost all beach access in northern California, no RVs!! I pull in and as I pull out my phone to look for some alternate parking the police show up to make sure I saw the sign. I told them I did and is there somewhere else i can park. He points to the road and says on the side of the road up there. Highly uneven roadside dirt parking, thanks.

Make my way to the beach. It is all glass as they say it is going to be. like the agate beaches but all tiny pieces of broken glass with pottery and other hardy trash items. This used to be a landfill. This is what is left. People come from all over to see this and pick up pieces. With the recent storms the glass had been covered with fresh sand along with the holiday weekend and the scavengers. I picked up a couple of pieces and chatted with some strangers.

On the road again the other reason to be in fort brag, cheep gas. Dont know why, but at least 50 cents cheaper than anyone else for the next 200 miles.

The last chunk of the 101 after I ended the avenue of the ancients had a couple more stops, Hill of confusion in particular looked super fun. I was disappointed I missed, but once I got one to 1, I was happy I kept going. The first 30 miles of 1 are nuts! It warms you at least, nothing longer than 30 ft.   Tight turns and narrow lanes.

As the sun was setting I found my vista stop I was told you can over night.  There were several pull before this one and a very nice camp ground right on the beach cliff view side, but I forged ahead to my vista and had it all to my self.   The sunset and the sunrise with a spectacular vista view and trails along the bluff, seals, birds, mushrooms and flowers.   Fun Morning.