So I'm back from Point Reyes... and I have much to say about my experience there. BRACE YOURSELF.
On Burning Balls Falling From the Sky
Earlier yesterday evening, Ruth, Katie, Curtiss, and I admired elk grazing on a hillside. Then we witnessed a magnificent burning comet fall from the sky, lit in flames and then suddenly dissipating into nothing. First we thought a small airplane had gone down. What a crazy sight! Later on, we saw a few more shooting stars. Shooting stars are always fun...
On Camping in No-Camping Areas
After driving for who knows how long - - at least over an hour - - we finally decided to sleep in a grassy field, spattered with cow patties. The winds nearly blew our tents away. I truly feared that I would get blown away during the night. As I lay down in my tent, the ocean waves teased my imagination. I wondered what the rocky cliffs would look like in the morning. We thought up a brilliant plan to tell national park rangers if we were ticketed. Then we said our good-nights: Ruth, Katie, and Curtiss in one tent while I braved the night alone. Cows mooed in the distance.
On Sunrises
Once I woke up really early to walk 2 miles to see the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. The sunrise snuck up on me this morning as I peered out my tent. The clouds looked frozen in place, just swirls across the sky. Birds flittered around in the grassy field - a falcon soaring above. In the distance, the ocean crashed along the shore. There they were, the cows grazing uphill.
On The Moon
I saw the moonrise last night. First, brilliant stars surrounded the night sky, so clear I could see the galaxy far above. And then an orange blaze rose over the grassy field. Rocky cliffs and the ocean to the right of me, and a nearly full moon to the left of me. I watched as the moon crept up into the sky to be hugged by nearby clouds. Its brilliant glow lighting its edges up in the darkness.
On The Ocean
From up on a cliff, the ocean looks so calm, so peaceful. Yet the great swells rise over gigantic rocks, creating massive waves as they splash over. I could feel saltwater sprays land on my face, cooling me from the day's hikes. A nap near an ocean cliff restored my energy as the sun beamed down onto me, the ocean singing me to sleep. Magnificent views down below, Chimney Rock. Elephant seals lazily bathed along the shore with their young.
On Picnics
Picnics on Drake's Beach.. bread, cheese, and chocolate. Orange juice from sandy bowls, crispy 2-week old grapes.. Rocks crumbled down cliffs behind us. The waves washed in closer as the sun fell lower, beginning to set.
On Sunsets
I've seen many sunsets. Sunsets over lakes, over forest canopies.. sunsets over the ocean. Last night, we experienced a post-sunset at Tomales Bay around 5:30pm.. a sunset so beautiful I could hardly breath. Twelve-foot waves crashed along the shores of the beach and over towering rocks. A glorious sight to watch as the sun's light disappeared below the horizon. We watched in awe and wonder as we stood barefoot in the wet sand. We could have stood like that for hours, the waves lapping at our legs and feet. I wish I could share those emotions with someone else, but my explanation and even photographs won't ever honestly portray what we saw last night.
The sun set over the Pacific Ocean as we drove along the Golden Gate Bridge tonight. Smiles and laughter were all around. We cheered for the day's end.
