Greetings from Bodega Bay, California, home to many fantastic walks! I can hear the Pacific from my hotel room, which overlooks a peaceful marsh just above Doran Beach. I flew into San Jose on a Thursday about 2pm, caught a bit of traffic through Oakland and San Francisco but was in my room by 5pm. I gotta a lotta walking to do – feets don’t fail me now!
I was put in my place at Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve in a nearby town called Gurneville. The redwoods are spectacular – “Colonel Armstrong” stands 308 feet, is over 14 feet wide and over 1400 years old. 1400 years old. Really puts things in perspective.
The visitors center suggested nine different walks and hikes. I took a short 1.7 mile hike to Armstrong Tree. Nature’s artistry is on display here – it’s as if there are sculptures naturally carved into the bark of many of the trees. Some of the fallen wood take the shape of artistic testaments to these mighty trees.
