I had been dealing with quite a bit of stress prior to my vacation in California, to the point that I was questioning my whole direction in life. I spent several days in Point Reyes hiking and bird watching. The day before I left, I hiked out early to Arch Rock, met a bobcat along the way and meditated to the rhythm of the ocean below. The solitude of an early morning hike, put my life in perspective. My only company on that rock overlooking the Pacific Ocean was a gull, feathers ruffled in the breeze. As other humans arrived, I joyfully gave up my rock and sauntered back to the visitor center and a more centered life.
Sincerely,
Point Reyes National Seashore
This seashore, established in 1962, is the only national seashore on the West Coast. It features windswept beaches, coastal cliffs and headlands, marine terraces, coastal uplands, salt marshes, estuaries, and coniferous forests. Located on the Point Reyes Peninsula, 40 miles northwest of San Francisco, the park encompasses about 71,070 acres, stretched across more than 80 miles of undeveloped coastline. Within the park, 32,730 acres are designated wilderness or potential wilderness, constituting one of the most accessible wilderness areas in the country, and the only marine wilderness (Drakes Estero) on the West Coast south of Alaska. The park harbors an astonishingly rich array of wildlife species, some found nowhere else on Earth.
State(s): California
Established: 1972
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