It was great to finally get out to the beach after staying home since October! The weather was forecast to be quite stormy after our first couple days. That we can do- games and snacking- and just hanging out. But… more about that later.The campground had been closed for a couple of weeks, at least the loop near the beach, so we knew the storms had done some damage. It was sooo weird when we got there. The rocks leading down to the sand were almost gone. Where site #3 (where we stayed) had a 4 to 5 foot drop before with boulders to pass through, there was maybe one level of boulder drop down. The sand was so high! The dunes were way up against the water. As usual for this time of year, the stream between the sites and beach was pretty big with a nice “waterfall” coming out of the pipe. We were close enough to be able to easily hear it which is such a great sound. That and the crashing waves!
The first morning we went to Goat Rock where the Harbor seal nursery is – it is the area where the Russian River empties into the ocean. It is always one of our favorite walks. It is too early for their pups but we were interested in seeing how that area changed with the storms. It also lost the dune in the middle of the edge we walk on (land between the ocean and river) and was wide open at the sea. Sometimes it closes shut if the river is too low. Not the problem this time!
Since the weather was nice, we decided to also go to Bodega Head and walk the trails. The whales are still headed south (most have already gone by now) but you can’t really see them because they are so far off shore. They had seen a few with the spotting scopes but far out from the point. Of course, we also HAD to stop at Spud Point for clam chowder cuz…you know…clam chowder! It was trying to be sunny but mostly was a high cloud cover. The walk was pretty comfortable and mostly dry.
The second day we were there, we decided to go to Point Reyes (Drake’s Beach) to see the elephant seal pups. This is the start of the birthing season. But first we stopped by the Valley Ford Creamery to get their awesome focaccias. But they don’t have real food until after 10 so we had some baked goods (which mine was VERY good – sort of a cheesy egg bite) and headed to Point Reyes. We stopped at the Visitor’s Center just long enough to get a bathroom break and headed out to Drake’s Beach. That gate was still closed so we waited maybe 10 minutes. That was PERFECT timing. As I walked up to the fence to see the Mamas just maybe 20 yards away, I noticed one in some discomfort. The docent was saying that she might be in labor when I saw the head crowning. Right in front of me. Dave barely got his camera set up in time and plop- the pup was born. It was amazing!!!
We decided we could leave and try to see another harem or two on our way to the lighthouse. The visitor’s center there was finally open! We did see some more moms and pups, and I noticed the bulls are still in pretty good shape. I think by next month, when we usually see them, they start looking pretty worn out and ratty. And they were much farther from us than at Drake’s so the pictures are not very impressive. And, when we finally got to the lighthouse, the visitor’s center is only open on the weekends. ARG! Website needs updating for sure!
We really hadn’t seen elk so we decided to go back to Drake’sBeach since there are often elk along the road (in the dairy pastures). And of course, to check on “our” baby! We did find elk and we could see the pup was already filling out from nursing. The cow and pup made some very adorable calls back and forth. Unfortunately, the cow behind our mama was not nursing her pup and it still looked pretty scrawny. Ours was plumped. There were some bulls right up against the parking lot fence and they were pretty fun to watch also. These were the “loser” males or ones even too young to try. The alpha males pretty much already have harems because the females come into heat within days of birthing so they have to be there. There were some bulls coming ashore and it is impressive how fast these big bulls can more their bulk in a challenge!!!
By the third day, the rains and winds got to Bodega Bay. It was pretty solid raining most of the day. We decided to venture out between storms and go back to Valley Ford for those focaccias. Well worth it although there was only one left when we got there at 2 pm. So tasty.
Then the fourth day…..it was crazy storming, rocking and rolling the rig but again – we are fine in this weather. We have walls, long underwear to stay warm (no power at Wright’s Beach), snacks and games! And a generator to run the electric heat every so often. What more do you need? It was a good day and we did manage to get a couple walks around the campground in between the storms. There were MANY open campsites! Then we get ready for bed about 10 pm. And there is a leak right at the edge of the slide out and into the middle of our bed. Quite a bit of water coming in. Right onto our nice thick, warm sleeping bag!!! We grabbed extra towels to catch the water and go to Plan B. We do have additional sleeping areas and extra sleeping bags (much lighter), blankets and even pillows. So Dave went into the bunk above the driver and passenger chairs and I slept on the couch. I wore my good long underwear and had blankets, and actually got a little overly warm. Luckily, Dave doesn’t have to get up as much as I do during the night and we got some decent sleep.
The next morning we were able to get weather info and realized that the BIGGER storm was coming, and decided to pack it in and head home 2 days early. We were sad but needed to get King Tut under his covered storage and figure out what happened. Once we dried the water up from the slide out, it did not get wet again but we had the wet sleeping bag, a bunch of wet towels etc. The drive home was fairly windy and rainy but the following day was insane winds and rain. So it was a good decision to leave.
EDIT NOTES: Dave sprayed a silicon cover over the entire surface and never did find a reason for the leak. That area was facing the storm and the wind was wild so hopefully, it was just a crazy coincidence. And I learned that Sunday morning is a STUPID time to go to the laundromat to wash sleeping bags – the rest of the world is their doing laundry too.