The annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union is held in San Francisco every December. Steve comes out to give a paper, or in this case, to organize an entire session related to his specialty - cloud formation. After the meeting, we get together and head up to Pt Reyes National Seashore for a weekend of kayaking and hiking, usually with Mark and Eric, and Leanne. This El Nino year we had warm light rain with us off and on during the weekend. It made for great hiking, mushroom hunting, and moody lighting for photography. The hostel at Pt Reyes was nicely filled with a number of students and young scientists with whom we could enjoy good conversation.

Kayak at the ready, I'm crossing the Golden Gate in light rain on Friday afternoon

My dawn run from the hostel met an impassable bog not far above the Clem Miller center

So I headed the other way, and out along Limantour Beach, where these fisherman made for a meditative moment

Chimney Rock, across Drakes Bay, rendered in watercolor

Our 8 mile hike begins with an interesting stream crossing at Muddy Hollow

Leanne, with a Candy Cap look-alike

Mushrooms were everywhere - pretty poison, most

Lunch, in a light mist, looking out over the inlet to Drakes Bay

Sunday morning view out the hostel picture window, with a little art filter'ing

Also from the hostel, looking southwest

I fixed us a hearty breakfast before our annual kayak adventure; hot oatmeal with nuts and banana, OJ, eggs on toast with olive oil and sauteed vegetables. Steve reads the NY Times on iPad.

We outfitted Steve at Blue Waters Kayak in Inverness, and paddled up the rugged peninsula coastline towards Tomales State Park and Heart's Desire beach

Halfway is a marsh, flooded at today's new moon "king tide".

Here, there was no sound of waves against the hull, or wind... just silence. We drifted about for a while, just soaking it in

A Great Blue Heron takes flight

 

Exploring a tiny sea cave. The rock cliffs were an artist's pallette of reds and oranges

After our paddle, we headed back to San Francisco (after getting some brew at the Olema store), and I dropped off Steve at SFO. We'll do it again next year...