"Marin Co Fire on-scene of wildland fire on Petaluma Pt Reyes Rd @ Novato Blvd...road closed both directions."

"CHP reports Sir Francis Drake blocked in the vicinity of the Lagunitas store due to a three vehicle accident." - via KWMR

"Hunting rifles, shotguns and an all-terrain vehicle were found stolen from a ranch in Point Reyes Station on Monday morning, just two days after a man who may have had a gun evaded police during a manhunt at Point Reyes Vineyards. The suspect, Jose Antonio Martinez Gonzalez, who is in his late 20s and may live in Petaluma, has not yet been located. The incident began on Saturday morning, with a report of a Latino man on top of a car on Mesa Road threatening someone inside the vehicle. Soon after, a group that apparently included the same man showed up at the tasting room at Point Reyes Vineyards."
FULL STORY: http://www.ptreyeslight.com/ar...

Wondering what is going on at Love Field right now? Its a giant parachute structure being built by Gabe Kordy for Danny Vitali's "Invernesia" record release party this Saturday from 4pm - 10pm. Lights, dancing, food, music and good vibes. See you there! MORE INFO: https://www.facebook.com/event...

A site you don't see often, recreational jet skis flying across Tomales Bay. (Thx LN)

"Parkman believes, and he has a growing body of evidence to prove that mammoths and other large Ice Age creatures once used these very rocks near Duncan's Landing, along the Sonoma Coast State Beach, to scratch their backs. He claims the giant mammals rubbed so much that large swaths of rock have been buffered smooth." FULL STORY: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/... (thx AN)

Hit and run on the sheriff's new car. Smooth move.

Air support dumps a load on a fire at Pelican Point fire on Tomales Bay. Very difficult access. Slow rate of burn though. Boat and a helicopter also assisting. Ground crew making there way in. (Thx SG)

Fire out at Pelican Point on Tomales Bay in Point Reyes. All units, water and air units responding. (Thx SG, AN)

From local photographer extraordinaire, Carlos Porrata. "Today turned out to be a very special day. I was blessed with the experience of observing an Anna's Hummingbird fledgling being fed. I had never seen that before in my life."

Two pickup trucks, a white one and an old rusty one just dumped this range at the tennis courts in Second Valley in Inverness. WTF. Anyone see anything?

"Wedged into a rolling West Marin landscape not far from Tomales Bay is a road lined with salvaged trunks and stacks of wood piled high. Arborica is Shively's lumber yard, mill, and showroom, which has become a prized resource for craftsmen and designers alike." FULL STORY: http://www.gardenista.com/post...

What will $3,000,000 get you in Stinson Beach? A beachfront cottage with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. FULL STORY: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07... (thx MM)

"Sheriff's & CHP teamed up today to catch a car load of 5 young adults who apparently set out on their day to create some road rage against cyclists today in West Marin.

All started when the car load of young "adults" fired paint balls at a cyclist on Shoreline Hwy near Sir Francis Drake Blvd. The cyclist was able to catch up to the car load of delinquents where threatening comments and gestures were made at one another. The car load fled from the scene at which point a deputy (oh yea me) happened to drive by where a small crowd who witnessed the incident described the car and the direction of travel of which it fled. One witness, a biker who happened to see this incident occur had the presence of mind to video the incident which by the way...included a great picture of the suspects vehicle and its license plate!

A radio broadcast was given to deputies, Rangers and Highway Patrol officers working in West Marin. Deputies spotted the vehicle and all its occupants traveling southbound on Shoreline Highway near Dogtown and eventually stopped it near Bolinas.

Deputies detained all involved, eventually locating beer, whiskey, a little weed, and other drug paraphernalia inside the car. Initially all denied knowledge of any paint ball guns or rifles but found it a little difficult to lie their way out of what really happened when deputies located orange paint balls matching the color of those used to shoot at the bicyclist and, oh yea, the videos taken of them at the time of the attack...at which time their memories began to return to them.

CHP officers assisted in the investigation as did National Park Seashore Rangers leading to great team work and the successful apprehension and arrest of those responsible.

The Sheriff's Office and our allied law enforcement agencies have ZERO tolerance for this kind of irresponsible behavior that endangers all who share our roadways.

Lt. Doug Pittman
your local Sheriff"

Traffic getting serious in Inverness. Going to be hectic around 6 or 7 when the mass exodus occurs. Plan accordingly.

"Shoreline Highway is blocked in both directions in Stinson Beach by vehicles lining up to enter the park, early opening has been requested." - plan your day accordingly, could get wild out there. (Via KWMR)

The float at Shell Beach is back on the beach. Anyone know what is going on? (Thx SK)

"Palomarin Trailhead closed at Commonweal on Saturday, July 2 at 2:30 pm." - Thx LF

Sadly, no Far West Fest this year. "Greetings, Friends. Thank you for your patience regarding a Far West Fest update. In short, we are not able to host a festival in 2016. There is a detailed explanation below, and on our website. We appreciate your your support, and welcome your engagement as we look toward the future." FULL STORY: http://us5.campaign-archive2.c...

The float, which had been blown on to the rocks in high wind, is back in place at Shell Beach. All is right in the world.

"Believe it or not, Babe Ruth actually played in a semipro baseball game in the small West Marin hamlet over 80 years ago. One afternoon in 1926, the team from Point Reyes, which featured Marin resident and future New York Yankee Hall of Fame pitcher Lefty Gomez, was taking on a team from San Francisco. Ruth was in the City visiting friends and he knew that the Point Reyes area was a favorite spot for wealthy city folk who liked to hunt and party, two of the Babe's favorite activities. Taking the ferry to Sausalito and then the train to Point Reyes, Ruth arrived in time to join the festivities, much to the excitement of the local folks who were taking in the game." FULL STORY: http://www.marinij.com/article...

"Hello all, *** need help if possible . The other day while at shell beach (shell one) my wedding band fell off while I was drying off. It's is a solid black band. I would appreciate any help or if some one comes across it to contact me via Facebook or come by The Station House Cafe as I am employed there. Thank you so much in advance ." - Joshua Calderon FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/joshu...

Today is the opening day of the Point Reyes Farmer market. Hours are 9am to 1pm. Get out there and get your produce on! Luke Regalbuto is doing the opening toast, Claudia Russell providing music and free ice cream cones from Strauss!!! MORE INFO: https://www.facebook.com/point...

SFD looks like a mess, not sure if this related to earlier accident, but lots of emergency vehicles just before Lagunitas. Traffic being diverted, avoid area. (Thx SP)

"Sir Francis Drake is blocked at the west end of Samuel P Taylor park due to a vehicle rollover" - via KWMR

"Vegetation fire south side of White's Hill about 1/2 acre slow rate of spread. Air assets arriving on scene, Bolinas-Fairfax Road to be closed." - via KWMR

A spectacular sunset over West Marin tonight. Anyone else get some pictures? Summer Solstice and a full moon! First time in 19 years.

PRNPS just tweeted that the Palomarin trailhead parking is already full. Probably going to be a very busy today around West Marin. Be prepared.

Those sirens were for a car accident in the park out by the lighthouse. Injuries but didn't sound too bad. They cancelled the Reach helicopter.

A fantastic art show opens at the Bolinas Museum today with an opening party on Sunday from 5pm - 7pm. "Founded by Eric (Buzz) Besozzi in 1963, the Bolinas surfshop is widely considered to be the first surf shop north of the Golden Gate Bridge. This exhibition celebrates the rich history of the shapers, surfers, skaters, and artists that thrived due to its presence, and provides a porthole view into the grit of the community's multifaceted relationship with the sea." LINK: http://www.bolinasmuseum.org/c...

A moody morning over Tomales Bay as a cold front passes through bringing drizzle.

Good news: The raft is back in at Shell Beach. Bad news: The raft has broken loose and is washed up on the rocks right now. Nooooooooo. SOS, SOS. (thx SM)

Kitty Alert. "help...our 3 month old kitten, Henry, uncharacterlistically disappeared mid morning today. He is a tiger striped male with white tipped paws and a white hour glass on his nose. He would have been in the vicinity of Mesa and Cypress Road on the Point Reyes Mesa. Please let us know if you have any info. Many thanks, Laura and Art Rogers and family. 415-663-8579."

Sailboat in distress on Tomales Bay north of Shell Beach. Rescue units responding.

WARNING: Dry summer-like weather today: Red Flag Warning begins 5 am today to Noon Sunday North Bay Mtns. 4 AM temps seasonable, upper 40s to mid 50s. The Mountain Play at Mt. Tam has been cancelled. Be extremely careful with fire related activities. FULL WARNING: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_...

Baby skunk time! This guy was getting frisky. (Thx AN)

"Shoreline Highway is blocked in both directions between Stinson Beach and the Bolinas Wye due to an overturned dump truck with spilled dirt" - via KWMR

Results are in from last night. Dennis Rodoni is our new supervisor! Congratulations! And Hillary edged out Bernie in Marin... ALL RESULTS: http://www.marincounty.org/dep...

"FAA Warns of GPS Outages This Month During Mysterious Tests on the West Coast" (thx Richard Dillman for post on this). FULL STORY: http://gizmodo.com/faa-warns-o...

Don't forget to get out and vote! Here are some links for reference:

Live local West Marin coverage streamed tonight here:
http://cmcm.tv/liveedu

Press Democrat voting guides:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/o...

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/m...

Have thoughts? Leave them in the comments.

Photo by Eva Soltes/Baring Witness

Jason McClean fires up Western Weekend yesterday in Point Reyes. That was a very long parade...

Western Weekend is upon us. Saturday: Barn Dance at Tobys and The Haggards at The Western. Sunday: Parade. From the Point Reyes Light, "Last month, the West Marin Lions Club announced that it would nix the crown competition and instead select a Junior Grand Marshal. The change is an effort to make the program gender-neutral and more community-service oriented in a bid to create more fairness and draw more contestants." Nice. FULL STORY: http://www.ptreyeslight.com/ar...

A local reader had this question: "Point Reyes US Post Office is holding my mail until I can prove I live there!! Drivers license isn't good enough they need a utility bill but they all have my POBox. I have had this same box for 33 years! Is anyone else having this problem or is it just me??"

Found these car keys at North Beach this evening if someone is missing them...

"Traffic Advisory-Platform bridge road closed at mile marker 1.32 for about 1 hour due to trailer flip."

Signs, signs, everywhere signs. "Candidates for District 4 supervisor hoping to broadcast their names and messages have picketed West Marin in recent months with a flurry of political signs, many of which violate county and state rules that prohibit signs in rights of way. Some candidates reason that the illegal placement of signs is an unfortunate byproduct of a campaign machine that has unleashed a follow-the-pack political mentality. "Everyone's been doing it. If everybody's doing it, I'm going to do it," said Wendi Kallins, of Forest Knolls." FULL STORY: http://www.ptreyeslight.com/ar... (photo by Beau Evans/Point Reyes Light)

Batten down the hatches, Memorial Day traffic has begun. Hopefully you've stocked up already on supplies. Shelter in place! (Thx FYP)

Looks nice to me, but is it in Inverness or Point Reyes? "Though not for sale, this "Bath House" in Inverness was recently renovated into a gorgeous tiny home. It sits among a cluster of farm buildings in Point Reyes, designed to blend in with the surrounding dairy farm." FULL STORY: http://sf.curbed.com/2016/5/27...

"They finally put up a sign banning large vehicles on Lucas Valley Rd." Very nice, hopefully that helps prevent some accidents. (thx CL)

"Point Reyes Station will welcome a newcomer to its ranks this summer, with the addition of Blue Heron BBQ. Behind the casual barbecue spot is Sheryl Cahill, owner of the Station House Café, located just around the corner. Blue Heron takes over the former location of the Pine Cone Diner, which closed last fall after 19 years in business. Now it will offer low-key, "West Coast-style" barbecue to the locals and many tourists who stream through the small West Marin town." FULL STORY: http://sf.eater.com/2016/5/20/...

A gray whale mother and calf passing by North Beach in Point Reyes this evening. Good luck you two!

The Huckleberry Garden's May Faire is today at 11am outside of the Cowgirl Creamery and the Jake Velloza Annual Memorial Alumni Baseball Game is happening up in Tomales.
Huckleberry: https://www.facebook.com/event...
Velloza: https://www.facebook.com/The-J...

Point Reyes made it into the SF Chronicle twice today. The big city is paying attention to West Marin. Bookstores and elk.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/sci...
http://www.sfgate.com/books/ar...

Wind is howling today. This tree just went down outside of Inverness, drive with caution!

"Steve Costa and Kate Levinson, founders of Point Reyes Books, are announcing their intention to sell the independent bookstore which they have owned since 2002. After 14 years spent growing and cultivating what has become an integral part of the West Marin community, they plan to turn their attentions to new efforts, among them continuing to create events and retreats through their newly established Black Mountain Circle. Kate wants to expand her work with women's emotional relationship to money and work on another book." FULL STORY: http://ptreyesbooks.com/?mc_ci...

"Cowgirl Creamery started in 1997 in Point Reyes by Sue Conley and Peggy Smith will merge with the far larger Swiss dairy company Emmi." FULL STORY: http://m.sfgate.com/food/artic.... (Thx JBE)

Seals taking a snooze out at Chimney Rock.

A resident of Olema sent this over: "The FBI was just here (in Olema) looking for this man. He's on the FBI most wanted list and expected to be in this area."

"Steve Kinsey, the chairman of the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday asked the agency's attorney to determine whether he should recuse himself from voting on a massive development along the Orange County coast after he held two unreported private meetings with project representatives." FULL STORY: http://www.latimes.com/local/c...

"After three years of rehabilitation work, historic Motor Lifeboat 36542 is going home to Point Reyes at Chimney Rock where its crews once plucked people from treacherous seas. On Wednesday it will head to Point Reyes, where the boat first appeared in 1954, a year after construction, and will be used in a working exhibit at the Life Boat Station at Chimney Rock." FULL STORY: http://www.marinij.com/general...

Tomorrow, SATURDAY MAY 7th, is Toxic Away Day in PR. A great opportunity to ditch all that gross old paint, weird car batteries and cans of oil you have stashed behind your shed in a safe manner. YOU HAVE TO MAKE AN APPT. THOUGH. (thanks MH)

Anyone know what the blue gunk floating in the Nicasio Reservoir right now is? (thx SP)

Bolinas Border Patrol has returned?

Any thoughts on this? "Got the call this morning. My home insurance is being canceled supposedly due to fire danger. I pointed out my proximity to a fire hydrant and do the firehouse and we looked at The Google Street view picture together showing the defensible area around my house and around my two neighbors houses. She called the main company to plead my case and they refused to budge. Evidently most of Inverness or all of it will be subject to this mass cancellation of insurance policies." - Vecchio Nanner (Banana)

I didn't realize that last Saturday was 'Independent Bookstore Day' but it was and here is a nice piece on our most favorite bookstore ever, Point Reyes Books. FULL STORY: http://www.thebookdesigner.com...

Tree down on SFD by Inverness should be cleared soon for morning commute.

Hopefully this is the end of that. "Marin sheriff's detectives arrested three East Bay residents in an alleged property crime spree in West Marin, Muir Beach, the Marin Headlands, Mill Valley and San Rafael. Ashley Nicole DaSilva, 25, of San Leandro, her husband Michael Vincent Gutierrez, 33, and Peng Chear, 34, of Oakland, were booked into Marin County Jail on suspicion of burglary related counts. They remained in custody Friday in lieu of $50,000 bail." FULL STORY: http://www.marinij.com/article...

BREAKING: Dogtown incident. @MarinSheriff pursuing man. White/silver Lexus 350RX hatchback. Plates: no front, Alabama back. Call 911 if see car/man. Via https://twitter.com/KWMRradio

Rescue crews trying to get to a kitesurfer in distress of off Tony's Restaurant in Tomales Bay.

Sounds like power is going off in various parts of Inverness Park and Inverness. Not surprising with this wind, plan accordingly.

"I work for blue waters kayaking and we have had a grey cat hanging around. Yesterday it showed up again with 5 little kittens in tow. Before we try to find homes for them. We wanted to see if anyone was missing a cat that was pregnant." - Phoebe Bryan

Anyone feel this? I was in Point Reyes and didn't. "The United States Geological Survey recorded the tremor at 17.4 miles southwest of Inverness at 3:50 p.m."

Dumping rain in Inverness in April. Amazing.

Bald eagles!

Nice article about the late local artist, Clayton Lewis, in the LA Times. "In the spring of 1964, Lewis discovered Laird's. Tiller in hand, he sailed out of Marshall on a friend's boat. He was 49, visiting with his girlfriend, and about to discover his future in some shacks sheltered by cypresses on the beach." FULL STORY: http://www.latimes.com/local/c...