Walk #91: Armstrong Woods and Goat Rock Beach...

Walk Duration: Two Hours...

At Goat Rock Beach...

I had the day off. Rather than make the drive back to the Homestead for a brief-less-than-24-hour visit (although I am getting quite homesick)--I decided to stay in the Bay area. I called my friend (whom I shall call Hunter due to his devotion to Hunter Thompson) and asked if he wanted to take a walk with me. Being out of work with nothing else to do, he accepted my invitation.

I picked him up at 9:30 am, waking him. He is, after all, out of work. That's what unemployed folks do: sleep in. We gathered our materials (wine and old crow whiskey, sweaters and hats) and took the back roads to Armstrong Woods State Park, passing by Jack London's house.

We breakfasted at a Irish Pub outside the State Park. Guinness and Reuben sandwiches for breakfast.

I'm told that less than 5% of the Ancient Redwoods are left in California. The small amounts left are found in little groves like Armstrong Woods. Still, walking on the paths there, you can get a hint of what it must have been like when we still had the original 100 percent of Ancient Redwoods.

It is trite to say the Woods are like a Cathedral---but I'll say it anyway. You just have to whisper when in the presence of these ancient trees (some are 1400 years old). Respect for these trees is a natural response to their beauty, sacredness and wisdom.

Hard to believe it, but we managed to get lost in the woods! You lose all perspective in a Redwood forest; even with a well marked path and signs. A female Ranger had to guide Hunter and me (two middle aged psychiatric nurses with large bellies and very little sense) out of the woods. Damage done to the ego.

Next we drove to Goat Rock beach to watch a seal nursery and be with the ocean. The seals were on the other side of the Russian River (the beach is where the Russian River meets the ocean). We didn't bother to walk over there. The wind was at a gale force. Cold.

Instead, we found a tree that had washed up on the beach and had a "bump" on a log. The old crow whiskey. We laughed and told stories. A special day.

Speaking of stories, things I've written sure can wind up in the strangest of places. Adventist Today Magazine picked up one of these Walks and featured it on their SDA Blog Roundup. Never would I have ever thought that something I wrote would wind up in an Adventist Magazine's Website. Seems they thought my comments were funny! Or maybe they just wanted to make fun of me? They even got to put in one of those (sic) dealeybobs.