It's amazing how quickly you enter the wild and rugged coastal countryside once you leave San Francisco city, and within a few moments of turning onto Highway 1 we could see the vast stretch of the ocean. It was grey, like the clouds hanging over it, but no less magnificent and even a little more atmospheric. We were soon at the lighthouse and checked in.
A rough path leads behind the hotel and through sea cabbage and oatgrass down to a little private beach. After several dire warnings to Meg, it was actually Hannah who got her feet soaked when venturing too near some of the beautiful blue-green anemones on the rocky shoreline. I'm always amazed by the size of the waves crashing in. They're gigantic compared to the ones in the English Channel, which is surprising because the English Channel is so much bigger than the Pacific...
We only have one night here, so after dark (and jetlagged people went to bed) Hannah and I wandered down to the bluffs that stretch out into the water and watched the tide rushing in under a full moon. Our little beach disappeared in minutes! We'll be sleeping tonight to the crashing of the waves outside (and probably, like last night, waking to irrepressible Megan singing at 4am).
Arriving at the light-hostel.
Ellen is quietly impressed by the view from her bedroom.
Megan on a cliff.
Hello sailor!
Down on the beach (you can take the girl out of Cal...)
Oystercatchers (I think) frolic amongst the mussels.
A banana slug! After spending hours searching for them in redwood forests, we saw four on our walk up from the beach. I thought slugs didn't like salt!
The sun vaguely came out for a bit.
Dining room window.
The sky at night.
