24 Oct 2007 Point Reyes National Seashore

23-24 October
A long and winding road into Marin County took us into late evening and no campsite yet. Several we drove past were closed for the season. Finally we came to an empty parking lot with no gate blocking the entrance! It looked a little sketchy since we were the only car in the entire place, there is probably a roving ranger looking for cars to ticket and campers to cite! A bit worried that we may find a ticket on the windshied in the morning since we failed to check in the the parks office to pay for a campsite, we headed down the beach anyway. Our little Point Reyes National Seashore map showed a trail, but it was not connected to the parking lot or the beach... so after a mile or so down the beach, we decided to turn in and look for that trail. It should have been pitch black but the full moon illuminated the landscape so well that we did not even use our headlamps! The trail wound around a stream and some taller trees and we knew we were coming up on something. Around the bend, we stopped dead in our tracks! Right in front of us stood a stark white elk! A ghost elk staring back at us! So contrasted to the expanse of dark sky above the ocean, it must be the full moon causing an unnatural sheen on the elk,s coat. He continued to watch our every move as we gingerly stepped past to find a campsite. A giant eucalyptys tree perched nicely a ways back from the cliff looked like a prime location to set up the tent, but as we neared the spot... two or three deer stood up defiantly. Then a few more, we stopped and noticed it was the sleeping area for a group of an entire heard of them! Well, that spot was taken! An owl on a branch above us hoo-ed and sent us back to the field where bear boxes and spigots were set up for our kind. The next day at the visitor,s center, the ranger told us that the elk was in fact white as snow - there are several species of exotic elk and deer that were imported here when Point Reyes was a private hunting ground!