Bowling at Dawn

 

When we first went to Bowling Ball Beach it was during a low tide. But then we learned that there was a zero tide two days later at 5:38 in the morning. While scrambling down the cliff in the dark wasn't really appealing, nothing could keep us in our little cabin.

When we left, it was pitch dark and there was no one else driving along Highway 1. We arrived at the parking spot a bit more than 10 minutes later and started our walk toward the beach along the same path we took two days earlier. It was a clear morning with no marine layer which is rather unusual for our coast. Above us we saw a magnificent starry sky. Our flashlights helped us going down the difficult part of the cliff, but then the walking was easy on the beach until we reached the big boulders.

When we arrived it looked like this

but looking south we already saw the day dawning.

We lit up some of the "bowling balls" with our flashlights and took a couple photos in that light just for fun.

In all my photos you will notice different quality of light. This is because some of the pictures have been taken with my DSLR and some with my phone. The phone camera is more light sensitive than the DSLR (except if I crank up the ISO at the expense of the quality of the photo), but the mood is different. You can easily tell which photos were taken with which camera - the lighter ones are the phone pictures and the more atmospheric ones are the DSLR photos.

In reality it wasn't quite as light as in this picture. The phone picture does an excellent job in picking up light, but unfortunately at the expense of mood.

While the Geek was setting up his equipment, I turned my view (and lens) to the ground and explored all the tiny tidepools.

I think these tiny green fish might be Tidepool Sculpins (Oligocottus maculosus) and I'm pretty sure that the black snails are Black Tegula (Tegula funebralis) since they are so abundant on the West Coast. The lighter ones might be Checkered Periwnkle (Littorina Scultulata), another abundant snail on our shores. You can also see sea anemones.

The light changed constantly and the sky displayed a tender pink glow.

It was time to take pictures of the bowling balls before the tide would come back in.

I wrote about the ruts in my previous "Bowling Ball" post. As you can see, they were covered with seaweed and algae and it was really difficult to walk on them since they were very slippery. Even my hiking boots couldn't always find a secure footing.

Since the boulders are covered with salty water most of the time, they were covered with seaweed and algae as well. Most of them had a bad hair day.

When I looked up, the light had changed again. Looking toward northwest:

I decided that I had taken enough pictures of the boulders and focussed now on the beautiful views around me.

To the south the light became more dramatic and I loved the reflection in the water.

The reflection of the cliffs and the trees on top were stunning, too.

Of course I had to take photos of the gulls - how could I not?

Looking down, I noticed the different texture of the sand.

Then it was time to slowly walk back. By now it was an hour after the lowest point of the zero tide and we noticed the water coming in again. While walking back I still had my eyes trained on the sand and the ocean (you never leave your eyes off the ocean while on the beach anyway - that's a lesson you learn very quickly when you live near the coast). This read algae, Callophyllis, I often see on our beaches. Fun fact: Callophyllis is commonly known as carola.

Of course there was a rock cairn as well. They almost always are.

Looking back we saw the sun touching the cliffs in the north, those that were reaching out into the ocean.

The Geek while walking up the path, and a look back toward the beach.

When I looked down, I could clearly see the ruts disappearing in the water. We hadn't seen this the last time when the tide was much higher.

When we reached the top of the cliffs, the sun touched the trees. It was such a lovely morning.

I leave you here with a few more atmospheric photos of the ocean.

It was such a wonderful start of a new day.

I will take a break from blogging for a few weeks. I hope all of you have a lovely, colorful autumn or joyous spring depending where in the world you are, and I will "see" you again in November or December. 

Bowling at the Beach?

 

Today I'm taking you to another beach in Mendocino County that we visited twice during our long weekend in Gualala. This beach has been on my list for several years, however, it is quite hidden and not easy to find. You really have to know the mile marker on Highway 1 to then find some parking off the highway. Fortunately there is a very small dusty parking strip near Schooner Gulch State Beach from where we took the narrow trail through the meadows to the bluff edge.

The trail was easy enough until you have to get down the bluff. The very last bit is the most challenging one. I admit, I just got on my butt to get down to the beach over the rocky cliff.

The beach is secluded and there was almost no one there.

Look at this - can you see the rocks in the water? That's why we're here.

Let's get a bit closer. 

These are the "bowling balls" that gave the beach its name.

So, what are they and how did they get here?

They are spherical sandstone concretions. Concretions are small pockets of extra-tough stone that formed inside sedimentary rock millions of years ago. Ocean waves crashed and carved  away at the softer sedimentary rock on the outside, leaving the concretions behind. Some of these bowling ball concretions are even peeking out from the sedimentary rock cliffs.

The bowling ball boulders can only be seen at low tide. When we got here, it was not a zero low tide when they are completely out of the water. But it was still impressive enough. As you can see, a lot of seaweed resides on these boulders.

This is a fantastic place for a geology nerd which I am unfortunately not. A lot of questions are still unanswered for me whereas for some I guessed a pretty logical answer.

Look at these ruts:

We are just a few miles South of where the infamous San Andreas Fault dives into the Pacific Ocean and there you can see a very similar pattern. I guess that all these ruts are related to the fault.

More ruts and boulders...

The beach was fascinating outside the water as well. No matter where you looked, there was something mesmerizing to discover.

I particularly liked this interesting formation.

Next to the boulders were rock formations that reminded me of Salt Point State Park.

There were so many bigger and tiny things to find on the beach - shells, pieces of abalone shells, a bat star (Patiria miniata) and a Gumboot chiton.

Seaweed was everywhere.

Since the tide was coming in, it was time to go. Halfway up the bluff, there was onle last view back to this hidden gem of a beach.

Two days later, very early in the morning, there was a zero tide. That was a very different experience. Stay tuned...