COASTAL TRAIL - NORTH

Exceptional Weather brought a few Fog Dodgers and one doggy out of their homes this morning to take a nice walk along the bluff of what we call Glass Beach.  No wind, no fog, and bright blue sky with a mild ocean swell and many Pelicans gliding along the outcropping haystacks and reefs.  The walk was quite brisk, and the rule of thumb was followed......leaving at 8:00 sharp, and turning at 8:30 

                                                             Skunk Train Tracks West

                                                              Skunk Train tracks east

                                                A Sea Glass Picture from unknown artist

                               Ceramic piece ready for possible entry at Art Center (john)

                                                                    Walkers from today

The venues for the next three weeks are listed below, a slightly different way of posting our next run/walk.

NEXT 2 SUNDAYS, @ 8:00 A.M.,  GROUP RUN/WALK/BIKE,  

       AUGUST 6TH, CASPAR LOGGING ROAD

    AUGUST 13TH, COASTAL TRAIL - SOUTH (TACO BELL)

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

FOG DODGER'S SILVER JUBILEE / MENDOCINO

Silver jubilee marks a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, the 25th year of a monarch's reign or anything that has completed or is entering a 25-year mark.  

Such as the Fog Dodger's having completed 25 years of Sunday Group Runs and Walks having begun on July 26th, 1998. I thank Deb, a Charter Member, for the reminder that it was July 26.  Did you know, that it was Deb that coined the name Fog Dodgers and it was Sam that drew the logo? 

We've evolved a lot and are mostly a walking group now.  I felt great excitement today though, actuallly having a running group once more.  Our good friend and great runner, Healdsburg Tony, is visiting for the weekend.  He won the Jesse Pittman 5K in Willits yesterday.  Anyway, having Tony here, and then being joined by Bob and Scott and Nancy, and even some out of town lady, it brought back memories of the Fog Dodgers Running Group.

We have evolved though, mostly walkers now, and today we had a great group of friends.  We welcome all walkers and runners.

Present today: John, Fran, Barbara, Pat, Leon, Kim, Doug, Deb, Sam, Eric, Charlene, Cheryl, Scott, Shari, Bob, Nancy, Tom and Tony (18).

                                       Sam and Deb, Fog Dodgers Silver Jubilee

                                             Blue door, thanks to John for all of today's photos

The weather was great this morning, good for running and walking.  We went around Mendocino's Heeser Dr. and up and down the streets of Mendocino.   Seven of us enjoyed breakfast at The Good Life Cafe.

                                                        Mendocino in the morning

                      Agate Cove/Jack Peters Creek/Russian Gulch looking north from Heeser Dr.

                                                                  Blackberry time

                                     Across Mendocino Bay to Chapman's Point

The venues for the next three weeks are listed below, a slightly different way of posting our next run/walk.

NEXT 3 SUNDAYS, @ 8:00 A.M.,  GROUP RUN/WALK/BIKE,  

    JULY 30TH, COASTAL TRAIL - NORTH (GLASS BEACH),

    AUGUST 6TH, CASPAR LOGGING ROAD

    AUGUST 13TH, COASTAL TRAIL - SOUTH (TACO BELL)

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.

NOYO HARBOR

Well we returned to the south harbor walk, this time walking out a bit further to the east. A very pleasant walk while the town is full of refugees from the Central Valley heat. Hiking were Jeff, Diana, Eric, Charlene, Sky, Fran, Deb, Sam, John, Shari, Nancy, Tom, Pat, Leon, Toni, and Joe. This walk is a good one for hot days, as there is plenty of shade. We did see the osprey nest again - the same one we saw the last time we did this hike. Along the way we saw four harbor seals trying to sun themselves on a floating dock, but when John pulled out his camera three of them fled into the river. See the last one remaining below. It was interesting that the juvenile harbor seals, three of the four, looked larger than the one adult. Have some sympathy for the moms that fed them so well as pups!

Afterwards eight of us had a very good (and cheap) breakfast at Denny's. A few members took advantage of their AARP 15% discount bringing the price down even further.

John again provided pictures. The first is the aforementioned harbor seal, a juvenile.

Signs-of-Spring - Harbor Seal

Noyo-River-Up-River

Blue-Pacific-Noyo

South-Harbor-Drive-Roses

NEXT SUNDAY, JULY 23 @ 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.

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

WARD AVENUE

In spite of alternating one way traffic over the Pudding Creek Bridge we were all able to get to the Ward Avenue parking lot before 8. Almost everyone walked south to the boardwalk, with a few making it out to the seal rookery overlook. Hiking were Pat, Leon, John, Eric, Diana, Jeff, Nancy, Tom, Sky, Joe, Charlene, and Fran. Also hiking was Toni, who went north from the parking area along the beach since the tide was pretty low. Toni was rewarded with a sighting of a huge adult bald eagle on the beach. She was able to get pretty close, probably because she was alone. As luck would have it she did not have her cell phone with her, so, sorry, no photo.

After the hike nine of us went to the Home Style Cafe to have a tasty breakfast.

John's photos for the week:

View-North-10-Mile-Beach-Low-Tide

Toni-walked-the-10-mile-beach-low-tide

Ward-Ave-Surfer

Ward-Ave-Seal-Rookery

Ward-Ave-Resident

Tom-and-Sky-on-return

Ward-Ave-Clothes-Line

Sea-Motiffe-Abalone-inspiration

NEXT SUNDAY,  JULY 16TH @ 8:00 A.M.: GROUP RUN/WALK/BIKE, SOUTH HARBOR (Head east on Highway 20 and turn left on South Harbor Drive, the third left turn, second after the street into the Boatyard shopping center. Drive down the hill and meet in the large parking lot on the right.. 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.

CASPAR LOGGING ROAD

A nice walk at Caspar Logging Road. Very warm and pleasant weather. All of us were glad not to be out in the Central Valley with its intense heat. A decent turnout, especially for a holiday weekend. Hiking were Diana, Jeff, Pat, Leon, Eric, Deb, Sam, John, Nancy, Tom, Kim, Doug, Bowie, Fran, Sky, Toni and Joe (back from his Yosemite trip).

Afterwards nine of us went to breakfast at Home Style Cafe, which, initially, was not at all crowded but quickly filled up with a waiting line by the time we left. I guess the tourists were late to breakfast after the Salmon BBQ and fireworks on Saturday.

Some photos from John (but nothing to top the aviation news from last week!):

Early-Morning-Sunrise-Fort-Bragg

Home-Sweet-Home

Voodoo-Lily-(Corpse-Flower)

Red-White-Blue-and-Green

NEXT SUNDAY, July 9 @ 8:00 A.M.: GROUP RUN/WALK/BIKE, Ward Avenue. 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.