Life here in the little town of Bodega Bay is quiet and relaxing….and very enjoyable. Bodega Bay RV Park is small, in comparison; about 85 sites, and is visited by many RV clubs and groups, as well as campers and RVers from throughout the US and abroad. We meet nice folks from all over, and it’s great working in an environment where everyone is having fun! We really look forward to our days at work (how often do you hear someone say they look forward to going to work?). The managers, John and Margaret are very nice people ~ the type of folks you immediately feel comfortable with. On our days off, we take long walks, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells along the way. On our usual route, we walk through an earthy smelling path covered by a cypress and pine canopy, stoop to see new wildflowers, listen to the wild turkeys gobbling in the distance, pass deer as they graze, and end up at the bay where we watch the fishing boats come and go, breathing in the smell of the harbor and listening to different voices of the many shorebirds that call the bay home. Does it sound like we’re enjoying life? The beaches in the area each offer a little something different. Some are long and expansive and good for walking, some are rocky with tiny polished stones, supposedly jade. We like Miwok, a great beach for tide-pooling, where Joe gets mussels and I search for sea stars. We took a day trip down to Tomales Bay and Point Reyes National Seashore where we enjoyed more beautiful scenery. We walked the fault line (yes! the San Andreas Fault runs right through this area) and watched the whales as they guided their young back up the coast. In the "Bodega & Sonoma Coast" album you’ll see local creatures of land, sea and air, St. Theresa’s church with Potter schoolhouse behind (from the movie "The Birds"), boats in the harbor, Tomales Bay and Pt. Reyes National Seashore, and the Fisherman’s Festival boat parade and blessing of the fleet - a big deal and a local holiday here in Bodega Bay. Unfortunately, the local fishermen have been devastated by the closure of the salmon season. It is the first time in 160 years that this has taken place, closing all waters from the Mexican border to Oregon. Both commercial and sport fishing are affected; the governor has declared a state of emergency.
On May 5th, we took a trip up the coast to the Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve and to Fort Ross State Historic Park. The rhododendron reserve was kind of a bust, as the blooms were just starting, so I had Joe lay inside an old stump to at least get a picture there…it looked like an old rotten coffin! Ft. Ross, a 200 year old Russian fur traders’ settlement, was quite interesting. On the drive south heading home along steep and winding Highway 1, we encountered a herd of cows, weaving in and out of traffic, who apparently have the right of way. I can’t figure this one out! It’s "open range" at the scariest section of the coast highway. The single lane road carved into the side of a cliff is barely wide enough for one small car in each direction. The road twists like a pretzel, there is no guard rail, and about 3 feet from your tire the drop is more than 800’…straight down! And these big heifers are stopping traffic and tippy-toeing along the ridge. Crazy! The final shots are of the harbor seals and pups at the mouth of the Russian river in Jenner, just a few miles north of where we live. Check out the "Fort Ross-Kruse" album to view the images of the day.