VAN DAMME STATE PARK

The walk up the creek at VAN DAMME was nice and cool as might be expected this time of year. The path is pretty eroded from flooding of the creek but we did not encounter any broken bridges, though signs warned of such. one wonders if the trail will ever be restored. Hiking were Barbara, Tom (no Nancy), Beth, Bob, Charlene, Mark, Sky, Eve, Gary, Jean, Fran, John, and Joe (13).

The breakfast was at the Good Life Cafe in Mendocino.

John sent us some photos:

Vandamme-Geese-in-Little-River

The-green-pond

Fog-Dodgers-heading-back

Little-River-High-Tide 

Big-River-High-Tide

Owl

NEXT SUNDAY, February 8 @ 8:00 A.M.: GROUP RUN/WALK/BIKE, MENDOCINO HEADLANDS (this time the standard route). You can click on the "Our Routes" tab at the top to get directions, if needed.

EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, GROUP RUN/WALK @ 7:30 A.M.: COASTAL TRAIL - MIDDLE, behind the Fort Bragg Fire Station.

NAVARRO RIDGE

NAVARRO RIDGE was bit cool this Sunday because of a breeze but at least there seemed to be fewer vehicles to dodge as we walked east. Fogdodgers were Beth, Bob, Jean, Nancy, Tom, Charlene, Eric, Mark, Deb, Sam, Sky, Eve, Gary, Zelda, Joe, Shari, and John (17).

Afterwards most of us attended the pancake breakfast at the grange. This time there were about twice as many people there as had attended in the past. And the grange was trying a new system of serving - buffet style, which cause a few hiccups as the pancakes turned out to a bottleneck and they were running out of some items intermittently, but all turned out generally OK and they still had the blackberry pancake sauce if you were lucky and patient enough to get your pancakes.

Here are some photos by Zelda and John:

Daffodils

Old wine barrel planter

Farm shed

Barn-on-Navarro-Ridge

Deer-in-the-woods

Grassy road up a hill

Needs a new roof

Double decker water tower

Sunrise thru the mist 

NEXT SUNDAY, February 1 @ 8:00 A.M.: GROUP RUN/WALK/BIKE, VAN DAMME. You can click on the "Our Routes" tab at the top to get directions, if needed.

EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, GROUP RUN/WALK @ 7:30 A.M.: COASTAL TRAIL - MIDDLE, behind the Fort Bragg Fire Station.

POMO BLUFFS

Several of us braved the fog and hiked at POMO BLUFFS. There was fog along the coast, thick in places, but the sun was shining from the east underneath the fog down on the Noyo River as there was very little fog down at river level. The visual effect was stunning. Hiking were Nancy, Tom, Diana, Jeff, Eric, John, Joe, Shari, Deb, Sam, Jean, Fran, Charlene, Eve, Gary, Kelly, Mark, and Zelda (18).

Afterwords eleven of us enjoyed breakfast in the back room at the Laurel Deli.

John's photos for the day:

Sunrise-Noyo

Noyo-Harbor

Pomo-Park-Visitor

Noyo-Bridge

Urchin

NEXT SUNDAY, January 25 @ 8:00 A.M.: GROUP RUN/WALK/BIKE, NAVARRO RIDGE. You can click on the "Our Routes" tab at the top to get directions, if needed.

EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, GROUP RUN/WALK @ 7:30 A.M.: COASTAL TRAIL - MIDDLE, behind the Fort Bragg Fire Station.

MENDOCINO HEADLANDS (NORTH)

We tried a new route this time. Starting at the usual spot for a hike on Heeser Drive on the Mendocino Headlands we walked North along Lansing Street and then north over the Jack Peters Bridge using the new footpath recently added on the west side of the bridge. Then we got off the highway and followed Route 500D to its end just to the south of Russian Gulch State Park. Hiking were John, Nancy, Tom, Shari, Deb, Sam, Eve, Gary, Eric, Fran, Kelly, Lynne, Jean, Mark, and Joe. We were shortly joined by Bob who was running down Lansing. Later we learned that Sky had attempted to join us, but had taken the old Mendocino Headlands loop instead. Fran also had taken a shorter hike.

Most of us went to breakfast at Tony's (St Anthony's) for their pancake breakfast. There we were joined by Claudette, Beth and Bob.

John's photos:

Fog-Dodgers-on-Jack-Peters-Bridge

View-from-Jack-Peters-Creek

Chantrelles-HedgeHog-and-Yellow-feet

Frog-on-a-log

Mendocino-Headlands

Hunting-for-Treasure

NEXT SUNDAY, January 18 @ 8:00 A.M.: GROUP RUN/WALK/BIKE, POMO BLUFFS. You can click on the "Our Routes" tab at the top to get directions, if needed.

EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, GROUP RUN/WALK @ 7:30 A.M.: COASTAL TRAIL - MIDDLE, behind the Fort Bragg Fire Station.

SOUTH HARBOR

The rain gave us a break for our hike at SOUTH HARBOR, though this might be the last time we walk there. A gentleman informed us that the road is private property starting at the hill pretty near the parking lot. Anyway the walk was well attended: Nancy, Tom, Eric, Deb, Sam, Lynne, Charlene, John, Joe, Kelly, Eve, Gary, Sky and Jean (14).

Afterwards eleven of us crowded around the table at Denny'.s

John's photos:

Fog-Dodgers-1-4-2026-South-Harbor-Trail

Noyo-Harbor-View

Noyo-Basin

Noyo-Mooring-Basin-SeaLion

Noyo-Red-Shouldered-Hawk

Noyo-Sportsmans-Mooring

SeaLion-with-Ball

NEXT SUNDAY, January 11 @ 8:00 A.M.: GROUP RUN/WALK/BIKE, MENDOCINO HEADLANDS. You can click on the "Our Routes" tab at the top to get directions, if needed. It was proposed that we meet at the regular spot but hike north across Jack Peters Bridge rather than our normal hike along the headlands just for variety.

EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, GROUP RUN/WALK @ 7:30 A.M.: COASTAL TRAIL - MIDDLE, behind the Fort Bragg Fire Station.

CASPAR LOGGING ROAD

I good sized post Christmas crowd assembled for our walk at CASPAR LOGGING ROAD. We lucked out with the weather after all the rain we've been having (Toni and I just got our internet back this Monday). Hiking were Eric, John, Kelly, Nancy, Tom, Lynne, Deb, Sam, Eve, Gary, Sky, Shari, Fran, Doug, Kim, Joe, Mark, and Zelda.

Several went to the Laurel Deli for breakfast. 

John's photos:

Caspar-Sunrise-Deer

Fern-Creek-Pasture

Fern-Creek-Sunrise

Smokin-Horses

Asphalt-Floral 

NEXT SUNDAY, January 4 @ 8:00 A.M.: GROUP RUN/WALK/BIKE, SOUTH HARBOR. You can click on the "Our Routes" tab at the top to get directions, if needed.

EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, GROUP RUN/WALK @ 7:30 A.M.: COASTAL TRAIL - MIDDLE, behind the Fort Bragg Fire Station.

COASTAL TRAIL SOUTH (TACO BELL)

The harsh weather, high winds and intense bursts of rain, probably accounts for the low turnout this time at COASTAL TRAIL – SOUTH. Only Eric, Deb, Sam, Nancy, Tom, and Joe showed up. We decided not to walk and instead all headed over to the Homestyle Cafe for breakfast at their round table in the back corner (it was not too crowded as you might imagine).

Tom here, with a late edit: I found out that Bob C. arrived at our starting point just as the six of  us were departing for the Homestyle Cafe.  He had run from home.  So, he then headed back into the weather that we had just wimped out on, ran back home, thereby having completed a four mile run.  Good job, Bob!

Though John did not show, he did send some nice pictures:

Rain-Drops (I especially like this one)

Rainbow-@-Van-Damme

Christmas-Star

Hump-or-Bump

Rainy-Day-Oil-Spot

Buddah-in-the-rain

Roses-in-the-Rain

NEXT SUNDAY, December 28 @ 8:00 A.M.: GROUP RUN/WALK/BIKE, CASPAR LOGGING ROAD. You can click on the "Our Routes" tab at the top to get directions, if needed.

EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, GROUP RUN/WALK @ 7:30 A.M.: COASTAL TRAIL - MIDDLE, behind the Fort Bragg Fire Station.