Tuesday April 28, 2020

This morning’s walk had a different vibe to it. The balmy and foggy weather may have contributed to making this morning kinda surreal. It may also have been due to the obvious increase in activity this morning. Baxter and I got out the door about 30 minutes early which should have given us time to beat “the crowds” (ok, this is not Florida but remember it’s all relative). Not today. The beach parking lot had quite a few cars. Not just the usual suspects. Clearly people are getting out more. But on a Tuesday? Not the usual peak visitation day. Some people are traveling long distances. I’m seeing out-of-state plates again. Today Idaho and Pennsylvania were hanging out in the beach parking lot. An older RV with hidden plates joined them. A couple of cars with license plate holders from dealerships in the central CA Valley drove by.

Along the trail, Richard from Pennsylvania asked, “how do I get to the lighthouse?” A clear give away that he wasn’t a local. When I explained to Richard from Pennsylvania that the old light house was currently not open to the public, he smiled and said, “where is it?” I told him where it was and also that it was behind a locked gate. Normally open to the public the first Saturday of each month. I got the distinct impression he was going to try to gain access another way. I thought to myself, good luck buddy, as the BLM gate is reinforced with a chain link fence and heavy vegetation. Baxter and I passed him on the trail and never saw him again. His van remained in the parking lot even after we exited the beach to head home. Who knows, maybe he found his entrance.

So what is it that makes “shelter-in-place” so hard to understand? It’s not rocket science. Yes, it’s frustrating and we are all longing for life to go back to normal. Lately I’ve been surprised at how freely visitors will tell you that they are from another state. Normally that would be intriguing and appreciated but not now. It’s taken great restraint on my part not to mention the health risks involved. Fingers crossed that these new found freedom seekers don’t create a second wave.

Today I was able to observe and get a few images of my favorite sea bird, the Black oystercatcher. Their distinctive “peep peep, peep peep” sound and orange bill and eye liner alerts you to their presence. I wished I had a 35 mm camera with me! Below are two images. #iluvtowalk #walkingmakesmehappy #baxteronthego #covid19

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