We don’t have air conditioning at our house in Fort Bragg. It was 85 degrees F in the sun mid-day yesterday. That’s a high temperature for here, but nothing compared to much of the state and the entire U.S. has been experiencing. Over an hour from here, inland, it was over 110 degrees F. Our usual summer temperatures are in the high 60’s to low 70’s.
It cools down at night by as much as 20-30 degrees. And then we have our coastal air conditioning. As the temperature heats up inland, it pulls cooler air and fog into the coast. Our summers are frequently foggy and chilly. It’s a rare 4th of July that you can see the fireworks, usually just colorful shadows on the clouds. Tonight might be an exception; we will see.
Less than a mile from our house is Mackerricher State Park.
Beach at MacKerricher California State Park – July
MacKerricher has miles of mostly unoccupied beaches. We don’t get swarms of visitors because…
- the water is cold
- we are some distance from the San Francisco Bay Area (it’s over a 3-hour drive)
- the most significant small city is still over an hour away over twisty and windy roads; car sickness is a regular occurrence
We love it. I can walk for hours and only see the usual dog walkers who say a friendly hello. Sometimes, we stop and admire each other’s four-legged friends, allowing them to sniff each other.
The paved path along the shore is also a favorite riding spot of the S.O.B.’s Seniors on Bikes. They nod as they ride past.
The nearby stables offer horse rides on the beach; they wave and ask our dog’s name as they slowly amble by. But these folks are few and far between. It is usually quite empty.
Beach at MacKerricher California State Park – June
Do you see that line of clouds on the horizon in the picture above? That’s our air conditioning. The breeze comes off the coast late afternoon and pulls in the cooler air.
The Pacific Ocean is never the same day to day. There is always something new to observe.
Beach at MacKerricher California State Park – May
August – Pelicans and Sea Gulls
MacKerricher in December – see the seals on the rocks
MacKerricher has camping during much of the year. It can get quite crowded in that area. But the beach remains empty except for some hardy souls and families with small children carting their shovels and pails.
My favorite time of year is just after the winter storms. The waves can be pretty fierce, and with a high tide, the dunes wash over the road, flooding it. In the case of the king tide last January, much of it also washed away. When that happens, the park closes the road, and it is only accessible by foot.
January storms washed away most of the road.
Dogs are required to be on leash in MacKerricher, which is essential in the spring and summer when the shorebirds have their nests and when there are many visitors. But in the winter, when the road is closed, and no one is around, I let our dogs off to run. They chase up and down the dunes; watching their happiness is a joy.
I hope you all have a wonderful Independence Day!