Hwy 1 views

We love Hwy 1 travels - as long as we are not in a hurry! Going slow allows us to enjoy the sights that she has to offer. Here's some of our views from last weeks trip.

Coast beings!

Two of my favorites from the California trip - I expected ravens but not the burrowing owl.

A couple of follow-ons

Here's a couple of shots that I like - looking up the stairs at the lighthouse and looking down at swirls of surf!

Morning Walk

We're staying about 2 miles from the Point Arena Lighthouse (by road). I walked across the meadow nearby the restaurant earlier this morning and enjoyed the light and shadows. I very much wanted to see a deer - male or female - and sure enough, both showed up.
The wind was very cool and sharp - from the North - so hot coffee was waiting when I got home!

A beautiful big boy!

Naked Ladies on the hillside!

North to Mendocino

We took a great and slow day trip up to Mendocino to eat lunch at a place we had eaten at about 25 years ago! It and the B&B that we stayed at were still there! And the food was very good.

Along the way we stopped in Elk for coffee and - since I had to use a restroom - walked a short distance into Greenwood Park to find the RR.  Well, the guy cleaning it out quickly pointed out whales and dolphins out in the bay and we wound up spending quite a bit of time there.

The whales were barely surfacing and would blow occasionally but I have photos of definite 'blobs' that move!  Dolphins and brown Pelicans were more accommodating!

Once in Mendocino, Diana did some shopping and I wandered around looking for photo-ops. The best ones I found were at the Headlands where a Burrowing Owl posed and played peek=a=boo with me and a bold Raven took my offerings up close! What fun!

Ocean sculptures!

He is quite cute, you have to agree!

The power of the waves is hard to fathom!

If I had had a couple more treats I believe he would have taken one from my hand.

Point Arena Day 4

I spent time on the bluffs by the lighthouse this morning and then up at Manchester Beach Park this afternoon. Fog threatened this morning and delivered this afternoon - and what beauty there is in it!

Here's some shots from the adventures today.

Sea lions and sea otters were playing in the cove.

Manchester Beach State Park - a bit north of Point Arena.

Soft and rainy day

We traveled to Anderson Valley to visit some of the wineries there during the rainy daytime. Pretty easy trip, not much traffic and lots of turnoffs to let those in a hurry go by.

Here's some shots from today in no particular order.

Overcast skies saturated colors.

Wine country - Roederer Estate.

Songbirds are challenging to capture as they do not sit still very long. Here's a couple from Greenwood Ridge Winery - Diana was tasting and I was out here!

Wonderfull grapes!

Toulouse has the goose as it's symbol but none on the property because "they don't behave well"! A retired fireman from Oakland built this with first harvest in '02.