Wintertime beauty at Pt. Reyes

Another great hiking spot!!!  Pt. Reyes.  We did a loop hike ... Laguna trail, Fire Lane trail, Coast trail.   5 miles.  Perfect!

Last weekend, we trekked out to Pt. Reyes with the kiddos and had a fabulous hike!  It took a couple of hours to get there but the closer we got the prettier it was.  Here's a shot out the window of the car.  Pretty, no?

I can highly recommend this hike to all with kids!  It's not too far from Sacramento, it's gorgeous, and there's lots of terrain variety.  This hike is not strenuous at all so you'll still have plenty of energy to enjoy the beach.

The trail for the first couple of miles looked like we were actually hiking a fault line.  So cool!  The hike starts out through chaparral that smells really really good, sort of herby.  The ranger later thought that we were smelling a type of sage known as "Cowboy Cologne."  Eventually, the hike parallels Santa Maria Beach.  The day we hiked, we practically had it all to ourselves.  We love these days!  Here's a couple of beach pictures.

It's nice being married to MacGyver.  He built us a great picnic spot and a teeter totter for the kids.  It wasn't warm enough to go in the water (Sydney tried a couple of toes) but it was still a really beautiful beach to explore.  Holly found a perfect sand dollar that was no bigger than a nickel!

Once we pulled ourselves away from the beach, we noticed tiny beige shapes moving in the hills way above us.  Tule elk!!!!!!  They were so far away but we took a picture anyway and here it is.  See them?

The next couple of miles wander gently uphill past a pretty grove of alders.  I imagine their shade would be very welcome on a hot summer day!

We didn't see many critters today but we did happen upon a dozen or so deer wandering near the Bear Valley Visitor Center.  So cute!  Being city folk with city kids, we always get such a kick out of such sightings.

Happy hiking!