After breakfast, we quickly gathered our belongings and headed toward checking out.
In the parking lot, the Commander Supreme made her final checks, and our journey to the Point Reyes National Seashore started.
We traveled the back roads of California toward the visitor’s center. Wisps of low clouds, lots of twists and turns, rolling hills with pretty land, and massive redwoods greeted us. Occasionally, we encountered brave bicycle riders on these narrow roads that offered very few straight sections for easy peddling.
Upon our arrival at the Bear Valley Visitor Center in the Point Reyes National Seashore, we were greeted by a few quietly grazing deer in the rolling pastures around the building.
The visitor center has extremely helpful national park employees. No matter your questions, these knowledgeable and patient staff have the answers.
The center also has a nice layout of effective displays giving visitors a glimpse of what they might encounter during their visit.
From the visitor center, our goal was to visit the historical Point Reyes Lighthouse. The ride to the lighthouse was remarkable.
I’m sure I will repeat myself, but no matter where our eyes took us, we were greeted with striking scenery.
I didn’t expect to see beef and dairy cattle grazing on this magnificent land. But occasionally, we’d come across a weather battered farmhouse with barns and out buildings scattered around. I wondered about the loneliness that might brew in this isolated beauty.
If you travel this road, you will come across the historic KPH Radio building. Set off the road, you will walk a straight path lined on both sides with magnificent Monterey cypress trees. This tree-lined walk toward the building will never leave your memory.
It’s not long before we reach the parking area for the lighthouse.
According to the National Park Service, the Point Reyes Headlands ‘jut ten miles out to sea.’ This probe out into the Pacific Ocean creates a potential nautical challenge for ships venturing north of San Francisco.
In 1870, this lighthouse was constructed to serve as a warning to ship captains and their crews. In 1975, the United States Coast Guard put to rest the first light. A new automated light was installed adjacent to the original lighthouse.
To truly encounter this magnificent lighthouse, visitors must descend 313 steps. This requires an alert patience in going down and coming back up, but the challenge of the walk is worth it. You will not want to stop taking pictures.
Additionally, park rangers are on site to answer questions and guide you. It is worth a chat alone to hear about the extreme weather conditions that impact Point Reyes.
On the steps back to the parking lot, we paused a couple of times, caught our breath, and admired the view.
We regrouped in the parking lot, and from there we made stops at Chimney Rock, South Beach, and briefly explored a trail that were an ideal habitat for elk. And in each of those treks, wildflowers greeted us.
Again, I reminded myself of the people who had the vision and the will to preserve this priceless national park.
As we worked our way out of the national park, we stopped at the Tavern X Market for a sandwich. After lunch, I noticed the sign ‘Happy Trails’ hanging over the parking lot exit. Hopefully, the traffic gods would grant us ‘happy trails’ during the remainder of our afternoon driving toward Monterey.
Now following an interstate route, we skirted past Oakland. From a distance, we could see its attempts to re-invent itself, though graffiti was still a dominant nuisance in some stretches.
Occasionally, the traffic snarled with slow downs, but we kept moving.
The closer to Monterey, the more frequently we began to see the impact of farming on the outskirts of the Salinas Valley. But when we left the interstate, the farming communities really came into focus. Sure there was equipment, but I was more drawn to the richness of soil.
That soil reminded me of deep shades of chocolate and roasted coffee beans contrasted with healthy rows of green. Those fields were a tribute to the artistry of the farmers and their farmhands who year after year grow our nutrition.
Approaching the city limits of Monterey, the waters of the Pacific changed the backdrop.
It was Sunday afternoon, Mother’s Day, Monterey was still restless.
Our hotel on a side street in the city came into view.
We checked in.
Friendly staff at the front desk, guided our footsteps toward the Alvarado Street Brewery for dinner.
The walk back in the cool coastal air prepped us for our collapse and sleep.
might be baloney 