Point Reyes National Seashore. Point Reyes Lighthouse Point. The beaches are ruggedly beautiful even on a calm day but we visited when there were 40 mile an hour winds and higher gusts and a cold ocean wind. They even closed the stairway down to the lighthouse on the point because of high winds. The Coast Guard was out in it. Waves splashed up and over the pilot house to land behind their 50 foot boat as they cruised around the lighthouse point. Neither of us even considered getting our feet wet. We put on all the clothes that we had along in the car and enjoyed the beaches from the cliffs above.
Two grey whales with their calves came close along the shore. Large groups of Stellar, Elephant, and California seals lolled on the beaches with napping disrupted only by spontaneous, seemingly unprovoked bouts of raucous barking. Hilarious to watch and listen to.