NAVARRO RIDGE ROAD

John (can you find him?) ran the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, along with 4,000 others in Redondo Beach!

It was 41 when I left home this morning and I think that it was about the same at The Whitesboro Grange at our 8:00 a.m. start. It was a beautiful Fall morning, clear blue skies above and fog in the Navarro River Canyon below us. There's always something interesting to see or hear on Navarro Ridge. Today, I saw a couple of grave site headstones that I had never noticed. Suzi liked the throaty (?) sounds that the emus made. It was just a nice morning. Present were: Gay, Mark, Geri, Suzi, Tanya, Nancy T., Roger, Charlene, Ron, Nancy and Tom (11). Five of the group stayed for breakfast at the Grange.

I hope this date works for everybody. Nancy and I would like to have the Fog Dodger Christmas Potluck and Cookie Exchange at our house on Sunday, Dec. 18th. It would follow our normal morning run/walk. More later but please try to save the date.

New on the blog! Check out the "High Resolution Local Maps" to the right. Roger created this program and I really like it. It makes it easy to zoom in find a local trail or road. Give it a try and thank you, Roger!

NEXT SUNDAY, 12/4/11 @ 8:00 A.M.: Ten Mile River 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 its south end.

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

Bin Runnin' and Walkin' Lately?

It was an absolutely beautiful morning for a short run/walk from Harvest Market to Safeway, then on to Purity Market and back, filling the Fort Bragg Food Bank bins along the way.  Four of us showed up today - Tom, Nancy, Geri and Johnny - but it was our distinct pleasure.

We then had a great breakfast with Brad at David's deli, and plotted how to get the rest of you to come join us next year.   More forewarning?

Maybe next month?

How about a prediction run?  A shopping cart rally?  A shopping cart ride-and-tie?  Or?

See you all on Sunday.  You can't sleep in every morning....

Fern Canyon, Van Damme State Park

John Loomis sent the above photo along with a wish for a Happy Thanksgiving!

This morning it was cold, so cold that the Fog Dodgers could not be held back, taking off 15 seconds early, for a beautiful run or walk, up and back through Fern Canyon. It was 40 degrees but didn't seem that warm. Luckily, it was calm and clear. The deciduous trees are all about half naked now and the creek is flowing nicely, very "Fall-like" and pretty in the canyon.

Present this morning: Suzi, Johnny, John, Nancy B., Rick, Orah, Steve, Nancy T., Roger, Tanya, Nancy and Tom (12). Nine of us had a great breakfast at the Little River Inn.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving. A good way to start the day on Thanksgiving would be to come out for our 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Food Bank Run and Walk. You can read more about it in last week's post. I hope that we can get a good turn out, it's really for a very good cause. Right now, the weather forecast calls for rain on Thanksgiving Day. Since this is a "Fun Run and Walk", if it is really pouring, we will likely modify things a bit, but we will definitely be having breakfast at David's Restaurant, so please come and join us.

NEXT SUNDAY, 11/27/11 @ 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 its south end.

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

CASPAR LOGGING ROAD

It was another great morning on the coast! We had calm, blue skies and 45 degrees at start time. The roads now are all in perfect condition, not dusty nor muddy and a lot of the loose rock has been packed down. Present for the run/walk today were: Fran, Cindy, Jim, Toni, Randy, Nancy B., Rick, John, Johnny, Nancy T., Roger, Gay, Mark, Geri, Ron, Nancy and Tom (17).

Brad joined ten of us for a really good breakfast at David's Restaurant.

This morning, I noticed on the door at David's a sign saying that they would be open on Thanksgiving Day. A little later, while shopping in Harvest Market, Deanne, the manager, asked if the Fog Dodgers were doing the Thanksgiving Food Run again this year. The time has just flown by lately and frankly, I hadn't thought about it. But, it's not too late right now to announce that yes, on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24th, at 8:00 a.m., we will have our Second Annual Fog Dodgers Thanksgiving Food Bank Run and Walk.

About a half dozen of us last year year participated in the inaugural Food Bank Run and Walk and we really enjoyed it. I hope that this year, we have 25 people show up! It may be raining, it may be cold, it may be beautiful, whatever the conditions, the Food Bank will be so happy for your contributions. Please come!

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. There may be one prize, that being a raffle where the winner will receive breakfast free. The raffle will be conducted by dropping our receipts for purchased food items into a "hat" (one will have a winning symbol on it) and drawing one receipt. Breakfast cost will be equally distributed to other other entrants.

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.

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

NEXT SUNDAY, 11/20/11 @ 8:00 A.M.: VAN DAMME STATE PARK, see "Our Routes" above. I hope the rain forecast later this week doesn't make things too muddy. Just in case, and I don't know if this will work out or not, bring an extra pair of shoes if you want, some have been wanting to go to the Little River Inn again for breakfast.

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

EVERY THURSDAY (except Thanksgiving) @ 7:00 A.M.: VAN DAMME STATE PARK, beginning at the beach. On Thanksgiving, we do the Fog Dodger's Thanksgiving Day Food Run and Walk, beginning at The Boatyard at 8:00.

Ron Jahelka Trail (Big River)

Photo: Nancy B.

To fish for crabs along the coast here, you've got to be able to put up with some miserable weather.

It was a brisk, 41 degrees at Big River this morning. We had a nice turn out. Wonder if setting the clocks back one hour last night had anything to do with that??? Kristina, a friend of Johnny's came for the first time, welcome! Also present: Johnny, Cindy, Jim, Deb, Sam, Elaine, Gay, Mark, Tanya, Bob, Nancy B., Rick, Nancy T., Roger, Fran, Charlene, Orah, Steve, Peter, Nancy and Tom (22). After the breezy beginning and going up that little hill at the start, it was really a nice morning for a run or walk.

Eight of us went to The Bayview Cafe for breakfast afterwards.

NEXT SUNDAY, 11/13/11 @ 8:00 A.M.: CASPAR LOGGING ROAD, JSF RD. 500, (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 its south end.

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