NAVARRO RIDGE ROAD & Whitesboro Grange

It was a beautiful morning on Navarro Ridge. A little cold (34), yes, but once we all got moving, I think it was okay. Big Thanksgiving dinners have a way of creating good turnouts for our walks and runs. The sky was clear and blue and the sun so low you couldn't see when headed east but beautiful vistas rewarded us coming back. We got the emus excited, they wanted to join us. Fog hung in the canyon below us like a white sea, or like the dry ice fog you see on a stage.

Thank you, Pat, for bringing your daughter, Teresa, and grand-daughter, Heather. Teresa did a half marathon last month and is now looking forward to her next one in May. She and Heather live in Virginia. Also present this morning were: Johnny, Fran, Cindy, Jim, Gay, Mark, Tanya, Brent, John, Bob, Nancy T., Roger, Maribeth, Rod, Charlene, Ron, Nancy and Tom (21).

After our run/walk, 16 of us enjoyed the great Whitesboro Grange Pancake Breakfast.

NEXT SUNDAY, 12/5/10 @ 8:00 A.M.: CASPAR LOGGING ROAD (see "Our Routes" above).

EVERY TUESDAY @ 7:00 A.M.: RUSSIAN GULCH STATE PARK, beginning on Point Cabrillo Drive, 1/10 of a mile north of it's south end.

EVERY THURSDAY @ 7:00 A.M.: VAN DAMME STATE PARK, beginning at the beach.

Thanksgiving Day Food Bank Bin Run 2010 - beta

Sunny and 35F at 8 AM, it was a great morning to burn off yet another frost and a few anticipated calories coming to visit later on today....

At the Boatyard, I was joined by Tom, Nancy, Rod, Maribeth, John, and Bob (7). We made our drops in the Fort Bragg Food Bank bin there, and took off for Safeway to do the same. From there it was on to Purity, but we had to carry our offerings back to Safeway as there was no bin there, and dry goods seemed more popular for some reason. Then back through Safeway again and on over the bridge to Harvest took us all just under an hour (3.4 miles round trip). Yes, I did manage another trip to Safeway and back in that time.

Along the way, several of us bumped into Jim and Cindy, and there was a Kim sighting as well. Hey, it's a small town after all!

A few confused-then-enthused cashiers seemed to enjoy our frenetic early morning shopping, though I'm sure they saw plenty of that later on. The breakfast choices are certainly limited on Thanksgiving Day, but Brad met 5 of us for breakfast at Perkos, where we eagerly plotted for next year. We hope many more will join us next year. If you have suggestions, do please let me know.

Hope you all had a Grand Thanksgiving Day. See you Sunday!

MacKerricher Haul Road

John Loomis, Lake Cleone, 7:15 a.m. Sunday 11/21/10

It was a little brisk and a whole lot of beautiful this morning on the MacKerricher Haul Road. At 8:00 it was 44 degrees and maybe 2/3 sunny and calm. The forecast was for much worse so it was a great morning! Present were: Pat, Fran, Gay, Mark, Melissa, Laurie, Nancy T., Roger, Rod, John, Randy E., Brad, Johnny, Randy F., Toni, Deb, Sam, Nancy and Tom (19). Ten of us went to The Laurel Deli for breakfast and it too was great!

Okay, so you're planning on a big Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday? The best way to start the day would be to join us 8:00 a.m. for a nice walk or run and to burn a couple hundred calories. We'll stop several times along the way to gather food for Food Bank. Please see the write-up below and try to join us.

NEXT SUNDAY, 11/28/10 @ 8:00 A.M.: NAVARRO RIDGE ROAD (see "Our Routes" above).

EVERY TUESDAY @ 7:00 A.M.: RUSSIAN GULCH STATE PARK, beginning on Point Cabrillo Drive, 1/10 of a mile north of it's south end.

EVERY THURSDAY @ 7:00 A.M.: VAN DAMME STATE PARK, beginning at the beach.

It's not a race. You won't even get a t-shirt for it. No goodie bags, and no start or finish lines, either.

THANKS-GIVING morning at 8 AM, we'll meet at the Boatyard -- NOT, I repeat, NOT the usual Thursday scene at Van Damme State Park at 7 AM. You can sleep in this Thursday!

First stop is Harvest Market, where you may wish to purchase something to put in the Fort Bragg Food Bank bin there. Then we'll run/walk to Safeway (1.1 miles), where you may wish to purchase something else to put in the Fort Bragg Food Bank bin at the east entrance. Then we'll run/walk to Purity (0.6 miles), where you may wish to purchase something else to put in the Fort Bragg Food Bank bin there. You get the idea.

Now follow the same path back, to Safeway, then to Harvest. You want to do a detour through Otis Johnson park with me? Sure, why not?

The walkers may only wish to do the Harvest-Safeway-Harvest route (2.2 miles round trip).

Who knows? Maybe this will become a feature event. That's up to you though.

We're still working on a breakfast venue following this, but unfortunately for us, David's Deli, Homestyle, and Laurel Deli are all closed. You'd think it was a holiday or something. Anyway, I'll update this when we find a spot.

Van Damme State Park's Fern Canyon

This morning, we were at Van Damme State Park. Nancy and I arrived just a couple of minutes before 8 and I thought to myself, I'll never remember who all is here, so many people. So, here goes, and if I leave your name off (and your spouse or guardian really cares where you are), just use the "Comment" box below to make corrections: Fran, Orah, Steve, Hector, Gay, Mark, Randy E., John, Toni, Randy F., Nancy T., Roger, Deb, Sam, Rod, Kennedy, Maddelyn, Scott, Brad, Johnny, Nancy B., Rick, Cheryl, Neil, Melissa, Suzi, Nancy and Tom (28).

The morning was just about perfect for running and walking, 51 degrees, part sun and part cloud with no wind. Fern Canyon was beautiful, the creek clear and sounds really nice. The trail is in really good condition but will probably only be so for one more rain.

Thanks to Steve Greenwood (Shaggy Cap photo) and to John Loomis (Boletus and Chantrelle photos) .


Nineteen of us had a fun and very good (I think?) breakfast at Mendocino's Bayview Cafe.

NEXT SUNDAY, Nov. 21st @ 8:00 A.M.: MACKERRICHER HAUL ROAD (see "Our Routes" tab above). Surprisingly, we've only been to MacKerricher four times this year.

SUNDAY, NOV. 28TH, NAVARRO RIDGE AND THE WHITESBORO GRANGE!

EVERY TUESDAY @ 7:00 A.M.: RUSSIAN GULCH STATE PARK, beginning on Point Cabrillo Drive, 1/10 of a mile north of it's south end.

EVERY THURSDAY @ 7:00 A.M.: VAN DAMME STATE PARK, beginning at the beach.

TEN MILE RIVER LOGGING ROAD

This morning, we ran and walked the Ten Mile River Logging Road. It was another perfect morning. Overnight, we had a good rain, good enough to freshen everything up and make the geese happy.

We welcomed a new member, Ann (or is it Anne?), and took off up the river as the geese were honking overhead (32). It was cloudy, calm and 54 degrees, very nice!

Also present today: Fran, Gay, Mark, Nancy T., Roger, Melissa, Johnny, Brad, Kennedy, Maddelyn, Scott, John, Randy, Nancy and Tom (16).

Afterwards, we split up and went to both Cafe One and The Laurel Deli for breakfast. Another very nice morning!

Thanks to John Loomis for this morning's photo.

NEXT SUNDAY, 11/14/2010 @ 8:00 A.M.: VAN DAMME STATE PARK (See "Our Routes" above).

EVERY TUESDAY @ 7:00 A.M.: RUSSIAN GULCH STATE PARK, beginning on Point Cabrillo Drive, 1/10 of a mile north of it's south end.

EVERY THURSDAY @ 7:00 A.M.: VAN DAMME STATE PARK, beginning at the beach.