Sunday in Fortuna


We are enjoying the SUN and watching the Patriots.  One nice thing about the West Coast is that we can eat homemade buttermilk waffles for brunch while watching the game.  As soon as the Patriots wrap this up we are going out on our bikes.  Last night we had heavy rain and wind and there were many flood alerts for Northern California.  We are safe and above the flooding in our current location. The skies cleared about 10 am and the sunshine is very welcome!

We hope to be able to pick up the Miata tomorrow and head towards Hollister CA - and our new assignment.  We will be camp hosts at Pinnacles National Monument campground.  We are excited to be in an area of outstanding beauty (and miles of hiking trails) and one that is historically drier than Oregon.

Pinnacles is know for huge spires of rock formed from ancient volcanic activity.  It is also a Condor release location for the Condor project.  It is home to the Townsend Long-earred bat (which breed in the large network of caves) and to over 400 species of bees. Happily the wild pigs have mostly been eradicated and a 26 miles boundary fence helps keep it that way.

The Park is about 30 minutes drive from Hollister, a town with a strong agriculture base, though I have been told it has become quite yuppified as it is considered a commutable distance to San Jose.  Hollister is highly seismically active, as the Calaveras Fault, a branch of the San Andreas Fault, actually bisect the town.  There are three faults that run through the Park:  Chalone Creek, Miners Gulch and Pinnacle. Well it will make a change from flooding.....

Here is rising water full of debris on the Eel River