Tennesse Valley

Overcast day, we explored the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The Tennessee Valley Trail is mostly flat and is about 3 kms from the parking area to the sea. The area is also on the San Andreas fault line.

 Plenty of rocks and textures for my creative mind.

Tighe and I saw long tailed weasel. It wasn't afraid of people. Tighe described it as having a sausage dog shape. 

We saw lots of hawks circling and there were also swallows. The  California buttercup, and California poppy created colour against the muted colours of the landscape.

The trail was very popular, even on an overcast day.  It was a weird feeling walking a trail with so many people.  Dogs are not allowed, however there were plenty of them as well.

 The temperature was quite chilly, and there were lots of jellyfish washed up in the sand.

I was fascinated by all the different colours in the rock structures.

It's not a swimming beach and rogue waves caught us out.

We were there at low tide, so could explore a smaller cove, and tried to beat the waves and tide.  Tighe and I got wet feet, as we miss timed the large wave coming in.

In May 2018, a 11m dead adult female gray whale washed at Tennessee Valley Beach. The whale suffered with two lacerations on the right side and multiple skull fractures consistent with a ship propeller. 

 The whale was left to decompose on the beach.  The smell was evident, but only parts of the whale remained.

Also on the beach, the remains of the engine of the shipwreaked SS Tennesse were visible.  In 1853 the passenger steamship missed the Golden Gate in the fog and accidentally turned into the cove.  The captain successfully beached the ship on the cove, saving 500 passengers and 14 chests of gold.

Saw two snakes on the walk back to the car, a striped racer, and a gopher snake.

Striped Racer - 150cms long, eats gophers, lizards, voles, etc.

That evening, we also saw a coyote on the road.