Tomales Point Trail

Why is it every time I type Tomales Point Trail it types Tamales!  lol   Silly auto correct.

The other day we went to Tomales Point Trail which goes through the Tule Elk Preserve at Point Reyes National Seashore.  I’d never been to this spot before usually opting for the more famous area of Point Reyes, the Lighthouse.   I’ve included a map so you can see the trail and where we hiked.

I couldn’t carry anything heavy like a zoom lens or even my Nikon because it’s a long hike out there for me, so I opted for my Sony A7 mirrorless with the cheap lens it came with, the 28-70.  As a side note, there is a HUGE HUGE difference between that cheap-o lens and my 16-35mm.  Just a confirmation that glass makes a huge difference!   But honestly, I didn’t really even care because my main excitement was to see the elk and accomplish the hike.  To some, the hike might not seem that much but for me it’s like climbing Mt. Everest given the health issues I have.  I’m paying for it two days later as it sort of wore me down but it was so worth it because…..

We saw two groups of elk!  The first one we came upon contained about 30 elk.  They were too far away for my lens but there were docents there with spotting scopes for people to see them up close.  Naturally we checked them out through the scope.  With our naked eye we could see them clearly though….bulls with huge racks on them on the ridge looking down at us, and activity up and down the hill.  The second grouping came much further along the hike….a pond just off the right side of the trail with maybe 10-15 elk sitting there relaxing.  The docent told us the old bulls come here and just chill and eat the grass around them.  They were spectacular to see so close!   Still couldn’t get a close picture with my lens but I was so thrilled to see them and have included a cropped photo here for you to see.

One thing that was amazing to me is that we could see Bodega Bay from the farthest point we were on the trail.  Also along the walk we saw red fox hunting, an occasional coyote (one crossed the trail right in front of us about 30′ away) and of course a variety of birds flying around.  The trail is 4.3 miles to the point and 4.3 miles back.  We didn’t go the whole way, it was probably another .5 miles out to the point which would’ve added another mile to the hike and it’s a hilly hike so we opted to turn around after seeing the elk.  I was a bit worried about being able to get back but having seen the second herd of elk, I felt so accomplished that it pushed me to succeed in my return.  I guess I wasn’t the only one who felt challenged out there because we saw an emergency ATV at one point on its way to rescue someone.

The wild feeling of Point Reyes is so incredible.  I guess I would describe it as a wild abandon feeling.  There is such freedom there.  What can I say…I love our California Coast!

Point Reyes Seashore, McClures Beach

Point Reyes Seashore

Elk relaxing

Bodega Bay

Tomales Point Trail

Emergency!

 

 

 

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Garin Barn

Back at Garin Park, this time I have a picture of a barn for you.   It’s a visitor center now but once was the barn of Ukranian patriot, writer, and publisher Father Agapius Honcharenko and his wife Albina.

East Bay Regional Parks acquired the property in 1965.  Today little remains of the original farmstead except the barn, some remnant stone walls that appear to have lined the original drive to the barn, and a two acre orchard with 160 varieties of heritage apples.  So, for history lovers, bird watchers, hikers or wild flower seekers – this is a great spot.

I’ve included some history below in case you’re interested.  You can click on the image to see it larger.

Garin Barn – Antiqued Photograph

Father Honcharenko and his wife Albina lived here for 43 years during their exile from Ukraine.  Born in Kiev in 1832, Honcharenko attended Kiev Theological Seminary and entered a monastery at 21.  He was appalled by the Church’s suppression of peasants while the monks lived in luxury.  This led him to dedicate his work to the overthrow of the feudal system in the Russian Empire.  His writings and activities earned him his revolutionary reputation among government officials.  Among freedom fighters and patriots, he was respected around the world.  Honcharenko faced many hardships including arrest warrants and death threats, forcing his escape to New York.  In 1867, while being stalked by Czarist police, he moved to San Francisco.  Finally in 1873, he was tracked to the west.  Honcharenko sought sanctuary on the remote farm they purchased in the Hayward hills.  For decades, they quietly tended their orchards, while Honcharenko remained a champion of the under classes. He died in 1916, a year after Albina’s death.”   The site is State Historic Landmark No. 1025.  Honcharenko and Albina are buried at the site.

 

Trees at Sunset (2 images)

Yesterday I went with my camera club up to a ridge line in the east bay hills for a sunset.  I have never been to this particular location, and I was really excited to find a new place for sunset photos.  Here I’m including two images…the first was looking east at the pink sky toward Mt. Diablo and the other was looking through to the west at the orange sky.  I took some liberties here with processing them.  I can’t help myself!

Fairmont Ridge

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Fairmont Ridge