Northern California doesn’t feel like California at all, or at least the California we are used to. The chilly coast is filled with grey skies, rocks and harbor seals and the forest contain the biggest tress we have ever seen. And you you know what- we love it.
This scenery might just be our favorite. I keep saying that everywhere we go, but everywhere just seems to get better and better. Luckily we were able to snag a spot for three nights at the Abalone Campground in Patricks Point State Park. Not to sound like a broken record, but this also might be our favorite camp site to date. Nestled in a fern filled forest right on the coast we had the best of both worlds at our door step. Not to mention we had perfect cell service. For Richard who is trying to work while traveling, this was campsite gold. We got spot 83 which was killer but I don’t think there was a bad spot in this place. With so many trees and plants we had total privacy. We felt like we had our own little house, complete with a living room, office and guest room all carved out of the forest for us. These sites book up fast so if you are looking to do the coast over the summer, reservations have to be made far in advance. We booked this spot in March.
Patricks Point was filled with little trails that lead us around the park and to magnificent cliffs that overlook the crashing waves of the ocean. We brought a drone with us on the trip but most places will not let you fly them. At Patricks Point we didn’t see any signs so we thought we would take it out for a spin. Well, while peering out into the vast ocean and the black rocks we noticed there were harbor seals- everywhere! Im almost embarrassed about how long it took us to notice the so perfectly camouflaged creatures. Our first reaction- get footage of those seals with the drone. Now I’m sure this is probably why they do not let people fly these things but the seals noticed the drone. With every move the drone made the seals would turn their heads in unison. After feeling a little too confident Richard flew the drone just a little close and actually had a seal try to swot it! Thats when we realized we should probably let these little guys be. We didn’t get the attempted smack on record but we did get a adorable video!
Deciding to leave the seals be, the next day we took a trip to Moonstone Beach. I read that you could let your dog off the leash and had pretty much been waiting for this moment the entire trip. Our beach day was the classic expectation vs. reality scenario.
I expected this to be a great day. We were going to play and laugh and frolic down the beach. Rosie was going to roll in the sand and we were going to chase her around with smiles on our faces. How the day turned out was basically the opposite of all of that. Upon getting to the beach and releasing her, she ran straight to the ocean and started gulping down salt water. In an attempt to get her to stop I began running to entice her to chase me. That worked. She chased me until she found a large dead crab on the beach and began eating it. A few minutes of wrestling with her to let go she swallowed leaving me dreading her getting sick later. Turns out the beach was full of these dead crab land mines. Luckily we found a crab free spot on the beach and Richard decided to try his drone again. We had an incident in New Mexico with Rosie not liking the drone and barking at it, but I don’t think we really understood how deep her hate for the drone was. It turned into Dog vs. Machine. As soon as that drone went into the air Rosie lost it. I mean lost it. I mean lost it so much she ran and then dove flat face first into the ocean. In that moment I don’t think she cared that she cant swim or that she was going to drown. She wanted to destroy that drone. After plunging into the water, in my clothes I might add, I scooped her fierce angry body up and tried to get her to calm down. Then I noticed she was foaming at the mouth. Oh and it wasn’t just foam, it was blood and foam. I don’t know if she bite her tongue or was barking so much blood came up or if the crab scratched her throat, but the one thing I did know was that it was time to go home. We took the dirty, sandy, and worn out pig to the parking lot, gave her a shower, held her like a baby, and looked at each other in shock.
Family day at the beach, folks.
CAMPING:
Patricks Point | Trinidad, CA | $35/night
Wildlife spotted: harbor seals, star fish, coastal birds
Oh my Gosh. I can just imagine the horror in your face Whitney. Poor Rosie! One thing for sure, you will be prepared for children.