Did a 9-mile hike with Mr B yesterday, up to the northernmost point of Point Reyes. Hadn't done any hiking since last summer, really. The Death Valley trip in February had only a two-hour trek in it. So I wound up with blisters and a sunburn, for the first time in years and years.
Blisters means time for new boots. The really nice set that he gave me for my birthday in 2008 have passed their date. Will try to replace them with the closest model, since the company, of course, no longer makes this model, one of its most popular of all time.
What is it with people, that they can't leave well enough alone? It's such a frequent occurrence, that people find they can't replace a product they like because someone else has decided to "improve" it.
We moved through the Tule Elk Reserve, and to our astonishment, saw a ton of elk! Three groups of about two or three dozen each: a group of bulls, a group of females with some young males, and large group of females reigned over by a single bull. Impressive animals.
These are not the largest by far. When we did see a very dominant male
with an impressive set of antlers, Mr B could not restrain himself.
Said, "Nice rack!"
with an impressive set of antlers, Mr B could not restrain himself.
Said, "Nice rack!"
Even though the area is also a cougar habitat, I can't imagine that the cats are able to keep the herds small enough. I suspect they have to cull them, but keep it quiet. Animal lovers can be utterly irrational about things that Mother Nature, oblivious either to compassion or cruelty, handles every minute.
There was a light fog and wind, so the parts of the landscape you could see kept changing. We sat down for lunch near a high rock, a bright spot surrounded by fog.
All of a sudden it melted away and we discovered that there was ocean on one side and bay on the other.
Though it's really kinda late in the season for it, much of the peninsula was covered in yellow flowering bushes.
Mr B was in a bit of a tense mood. Something that, for him, is vanishingly rare. We talked a bit about the reason --some family stuff-- and then let nature take its course. He revived a bit later and was his usual chipper self. Even his tenseness is easy to handle: he's just quieter than usual and doesn't laugh at his own jokes as much. For a lot of people, his tense mood would be an evolutionary leap forward!
Stopped in San Rafael for Italian dinner, then took our pooped selves home and slept like rocks.
I love days like that.
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6 comments:
Really would love to get out to California one day to look at the landscape. From a geologic perspective, the state is basically a patchwork quilt, with bits of ocean floor lifted onto the continent, and numerous island chains fused with North American crust. Though only to visit, and not to live, if possible. With the San Andreas in the south and the Cascades in the North, the state screams "death trap."
-Sean
Yep. If the Nature won't kill you, the bullshit will. I have no idea how it is that Ex Cathedra lives with it. I also have no idea how those who are so damned ignorant of Nature Herself are able to live in such a dangerous area without calling Nature a survivalphobic or humanphobic. Honestly, I would love the absurdity to get so extreme that the Green Peace bitches take Nature to court for being prejudiced against their survival. If they would admit to the danger, I would think that AIDS would be enough for that.
-A
Sean,
Death trap? My goodness. I rent in a well-constructed high-rise in LA that I could walk away from, but I'm sure that when the Big One comes, we will all pull together like the Japanese did in 2011 and that Diversity will be our greatest strength.
HAH! Al, you're a hoot. Keep 'em comin'!
I spent some of my happiest days up north hiking at Point Reyes. I especially remember a white deer I'd occasionally spot from a distance.
Yes, the population is kinda nuts, but the landscape and the architecture combined is so damned beautiful and the weather is so temperate...
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