Paragliding at Goat Rock Beach

Click photos to enlarge.

Inspired by Lisa Mann's post in SonomaontheCheap.com, my daughter and I headed up the coast to see the seal pups at Goat Rock Beach, just north of Bodega Bay.

We never made it because we were distracted by another fascinating sight. Along the road out to the beach parking lot, we came upon a paraglider perched on a cliff above the ocean. Captivated by his enormous, colorful "wing," we pulled over and waited for him to launch. Our patience was rewarded and we watched in awe as he lifted off and began soaring silently above the rocky cliffs.







He rode the gentle winds back and forth above our heads for about ten minutes and my daughter shot this video clip:



At one point when he saw our camera, he swooped down for a close-up. We were certain he was going to land on the roof of our car when he asked "Close enough for ya?" Then he grinned, pulled on his suspension lines, and floated back out over the ravine.







I've since learned that Goat Rock is a very popular site for paragliders. It must have excellent wind conditions as well as spectacular views. Of course my daughter, always up for a new adventure, immediately wanted to know how she could learn to paraglide. The only place I found that gives lessons is down on the peninsula. Does anyone know of any paraglide trainers here in Sonoma County? Not that I'm signing her up or anything...

Please note, when leaving a comment, if you get an error message, just click to submit again and it should go through. Weird quirk with Blogger templates. Thank you!

25th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day Saturday, September 19, 2009

California Coastal Cleanup Day is part of a huge international volunteer event focused on the marine environment. In 2008, more than 70,000 volunteers worked together to collect more than 1,600,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from our beaches, lakes, and waterways.

Since the program started in 1985, over 800,000 Californians have removed more than 13 million pounds of debris from our state's shorelines and coast. When combined with the International Coastal Cleanup taking place on the same day, California Coastal Cleanup Day becomes part of one of the largest volunteer events of the year.

This year's local cleanup for the Sonoma Coast is Sept. 19 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and the staging area is at the Salmon Creek Ranger Station. They suggest that you pre-register for all beach sites or call (707) 829-6689 for more information. But if you forget to call, it's still okay to just show up on Saturday morning, ready to help.

Debris from the Garbage Patch washed ashore in Hawaii.

The need for cleanup is more urgent than ever. By now many of you have been hearing about the horrific the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Technically known as the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, it's an area devoid of ocean currents where floating objects tend to collect.

But "patch" is a misnomer. More than 7 million tons of plastic now clog an area roughly twice the size of Texas. There's six times as much plastic in the gyre as there is plankton, which form the base of the ocean's food chain. And plastic never biodegrades; it only breaks into ever-smaller particles called "nurdles," which often resemble plankton and are mistakenly eaten by bigger sea creatures. Not only do nurdles cause malnutrition, they also tend to concentrate persistent organic pollutants like PCBs and DDT . . . with toxic effects on unsuspecting marine diners. Here's a video from the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.



Plastic gets into the ocean when people throw it from ships or leave it in the path of an incoming tide, but 80% of marine debris comes from urban run-off, when rivers carry it there, or when sewage systems and storm drains overflow. Despite the Ocean Dumping Reform Act, the U.S. still releases more than 850 billion gallons of untreated sewage and storm runoff every year, according to a 2004 E.P.A. report.

Plastic only photo-degrades, or slowly breaks into smaller and smaller pieces, but still remains a polymer. And plastic has been proven to absorb toxins up to one million times background levels in ambient seawater, making the floating plastic a defacto poison pill. Because of their buoyancy and persistance, most of the debris that either entangles sea creatures or found in their stomachs, is made of plastic.

Groundbreaking research has been conducted aboard the ORV Alguita under the direction of Captain Chales Moore, shown in this longer video.



Isn't this depressing? I'll be there to pitch in next Saturday and I hope you can join me. It's the least we can do.

Resources:
California Coastal Commission
Algalita Marine Research Foundation
Plastic Debris

A Beautiful Day in Bodega Bay

It’s another spectacular day in Bodega Bay! The sun is shining, the sky is blue and the water is sparkling. There’s a slight breeze and families are flying kites down on the beach.


Flowers are starting to bloom so I took a few shots on my walk today. Yesterday was the first day of spring. We’re not in full-blown wildflower season yet, but it’s coming. (If you click on the photos, they will enlarge.)



While shooting this field of wildflowers, a bobcat jumped out and darted away. Rather than running in a straight line, he darted back and forth, looked back at me, and zigzaged a few more times until he disappeared in the meadow. I often see bobcats this time of day so I was on the look-out but nevertheless I think we startled each other. The local bobcats usually ignore people and can be aloof, but this guy didn’t feel like sticking around for a photo op today.

Looking toward Tomales Point, Tomales Bay, and Dillon Beach.


Check out this tiny red hummingbird!

A neighbor and I were marveling about the amazing weather and how it’s one of Bodega Bay’s best-kept secrets. She and her husband attended the Barrel Tasting events here in Sonoma County recently and someone commented to her, “Oh too bad it’s so foggy in Bodega Bay.” We both laughed because we used to think so too, before we moved here. The truth is, it isn’t foggy nearly as often as people seem to think, and when it is, it comes and goes. The weather here is dynamic, changing frequently throughout the day. Sun, fog, wind, rain, it’s all part of the wonderful, vibrant life at the coast.