Sounds like there is a small vegetation fire in the park right now, fire units responding, possibly by K Ranch.

LUCAS VALLEY TRAFFIC REMINDER: One way traffic control on Lucas Valley Rd throughout the AM. Full closure expected this afternoon for recovery of HAZMAT. Use alt routes. (via CHPMarin) (Just talked to someone who went through on Lucas Valley at 8:15am and there were no traffic)

TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE #2: Lucas Valley Road will be back open at 10:00pm tonight. Cleanup will continue on Friday. There will be 1 way traffic from 7:30AM-1:30PM then CLOSED from 1:30PM-3:30PM. Plan your commute accordingly.

This is due to a big rig accident near Big Rock that spilled a whole bunch of paint and required Haz Mat clean up.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news...

TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE: Estimated time to open Lucas Valley Road is 10pm. Use alternate routes to West Marin.

A big rig collision spilled 14,000 gallons of paint requiring a massive Haz Mat clean up (see previous posts for more details).

(info and image via CHPMarin)

TRAFFIC ALERT: Lucas Valley Road is blocked east of Big Rock and both lanes are closed. There was a big rig collision and 14,000 gallons of paint spilled which is going to require extended Haz Mat clean up. No estimated time of re-open yet, plan your travel accordingly.

LUCAS VALLEY RD BLOCKED EAST OF BIG ROCK DUE TO OVERTURNED BIG RIG, UNK ETA TO REOPENING...

Some illegal "weed" being removed by Walker Creek this afternoon. (thx RJ)

URGENT UPDATE: This is an emergency message from the Inverness Water System. Stream flows and tank levels for our water system are critically low.

-Effective immediately, a Stage 2 Water Shortage Emergency is in effect for the customers of the Inverness Water System.

- Effective immediately, only hand watering is allowed for outdoor watering.

- It is prohibited to use at any time any sprinkler devices for outdoor watering.

- It is prohibited to use at any time any timer-activated automatic outdoor watering or irrigation systems.

If you have questions or need more information, please call Scott McMorrow or Jim Fox at 415-669-1414.

Anyone know what was going on tonight with the helicopters and Coast Guard? TWMF was Kehoe getting mauled by mosquitoes but heard there was a lot of activity happening over Inverness.

Long distance electric skateboarder covering some ground in the park this weekend.

According to KMWR, the vegetation fire from yesterday has rekindled and fire crews are heading back out there.

Fire plane dumps retardant on fire outside of Point Reyes this afternoon.

Here's a picture of the fire burning right now, right across from Chicken Ranch Beach by Marshall/Petaluma Road. Plane just made a huge drop on it.

BREAKING: "Units are responding to a vegetation fire near the 8000 block of the Marshall-Petaluma Road." via KWMR. Stay tuned to KWMR for more details.

Pretty much bumper to bumper traffic from Ottingers Hill in the park to Point Reyes right now. We don't advise going to town for some milk.

The pros were out early at Drakes Beach for the sand castle contest. The roads are total chaos, saw three near collisions, plan accordingly.

Not one, but two cars went off the road at this spot above North Beach today. Holiday weekend! Since everyone was ok, how about a caption contest? (Thx JW)

Some notes from tonight's reading by Summer Brennan's "The Oyster War".

"My family is in the audience tonight, so please keep that in mind." - Summer

Summer read a chapter from the book which was about the fallow deer issue and nothing about oysters which seemed to confuse people.

"How could you be so presumptuous to say this is the true story?" - Bob Stevens. No real answer to that.

Kevin Lunny is in the audience which is interesting.

So far everything is fairly mellow, I don't think anyone is interested in arguing, Kate did a good job of setting that tone early.

Sarah Rolph asked if Summer had read some reports, Gordon Bennett asked if she knew who cut the names off some of the maps. She skimmed the reports and did not know who cut off the names.

Things are getting wild down at Perrys for the big anniversary celebration. Better get down there...

From Scott Morrow, General Manager of IPUD: "Due to several years of drought and diminished rainfall last year, the stream flows in our creeks are much lower than usual for this time of year. We are entering a challenging period. Until the next significant rains come, we all need to be mindful of our water use and conserve. The IPUD water system has a 425,000 gallon storage capacity. This translates into about 5-7 days of water storage for this time of year. Given the near term weather forecast of no significant rain, we are asking that all IPUD customers cut back on water use."

IPUD is the Inverness Public Utility District.

Summer Brennan will be reading from her book 'The Oyster Wars' at the Dance Palace this Thursday. The Point Reyes Light wrote a piece (op-ed? book review? news story?) about the book this week and said it had many inaccuracies. Corey Goodman previously had written a Huffpo blog with similar allegations Summer responded to these charges this week with her own blog post. If you're going to the reading, or reading the book in general, probably worth reviewing these posts:

Summer Brennan blog:
http://summerbrennan.tumblr.co...

Point Reyes Light story (behind a paywall):
http://www.ptreyeslight.com/ar...

I heard rave reviews about the La Mesa de Las Abuelas event last night at The Dance Palace. A true community gathering.

BREAKING: "Deputies and Coroner's Investigators on-scene of a body that has washed up on-shore near Seadrift north of Stinson Beach. Investigation is in its infant stages with no details I can provide yet. More to follow...." - Sheriff Doug Pittman

"Federal officials are interested in giving the county first crack at acquiring surplus Coast Guard quarters in Point Reyes Station for low-income housing regardless of what happens with legislation requiring them to do so.

While a bill by Rep. Jared Huffman giving the county a leg up on buying the complex already has been approved by the House and is expected to get the blessing of the Senate, recent talks with federal officials indicate the county will be first in line in any event, Supervisor Steve Kinsey reported."

http://www.marinij.com/general...

Major tree fell down right by Chicken Ranch and missed Dakota in her car by about a foot. When the wind is up, watch out!

Look for it tonight! "Supermoon ahead! The full moon of August 29, 2015 will be the first of this year's three full supermoons. It's a full moon near perigee, or near its closest point to Earth for the month. Like it or not, modern skylore dictates that these sorts of moons are called supermoons."

http://earthsky.org/tonight/au...

Via KWMR: "Shoreline Highway is closed in both directions 1 mile north of Hog Island Oysters due to a two vehicle collision." Check radio for more updates.

The infamous Chronicle restaurant reviewer Michael Bauer comes back to town: "When I walked into Osteria Stellina in Point Reyes Station on a particularly warm summer evening, it was like entering a sauna. A few table fans worked futilely to circulate the leaden air, but it was clear the restaurant wasn't prepared for a heat wave. Yet that was of little consequence, because once the food started to arrive, it felt like an oasis in an otherwise mediocre dining area."

http://www.sfchronicle.com/ent...

Breaking News Via Sheriff Doug Pittman: CHO Pursuit in West Marin (Nicasio - Lagunitas) leads to arrest of Wanted subject out of Sonoma County. Suspect Jason Brown, WMA, 43 years old out of Santa Rosa made the mistake of driving way to fast on Nicasio Road just north of Nicasio School. Brown took off from CHP Officer Will Thompson at speeds in excess of 100MPH passing construction workers, numerous other drivers over double yellow lines and speeding past both Nicasio Valley and Lagunitas Elementary Schools. Already wanted and on probation out of Sonoma County for Domestic Assault and Public Intoxication, he now faces numerous additional traffic, misdemeanor and felony violations for his disregard for everyone else's safety.

Did anyone else see a six to eight foot white unmanned drone go over Point Reyes/Petaluma Road this evening? (Thx MJ)

Coolest thing you'll see today. Time lapse of the Milky Way over Drake's Estero.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

The ocean is in full feeding mode today. Warm water and squid have got everyone crazy. Pelicans, bait balls, salmon, seals, porpoises and a seemingly infinite amount of shearwaters flying around. It's an incredible site, get out there and take a look!

This Craig's List ad has been going around social media. A blunt political statement lacking any actual cleverness or humor. But a sign of the times none the less. Thoughts?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nb...

Busy morning, sounds like we've got a car flipped over on SFD outside of Olema and a rescue happening in Stinson. Anyone know more details?

This is sad but inevitable. "For four decades, Nancy Hemmingway and Elizabeth Whitney have organized the annual Transbay Swim on the Sunday after Labor Day. This year, Ms. Whitney and Ms. Hemmingway say they are retiring the early-morning swim"”which, according to their count, drew over 100 people last year"”due to safety concerns as well as the fear that its homegrown character is vanishing. They are spreading word that the swim is cancelled, and are not providing the boats that accompany swimmers. They have given away collected donations"”about $140"”to the Tomales Bay Waterdogs for scholarships. Ms. Hemmingway plans to donate the Transbay Swim yearbook to the Jack Mason Museum of West Marin History." Photo by Dave Briggs/ptreyeslight.com

Unfortunately the story is behind a paywall on Point Reyes Light web site, so if you subscribe, you can read it at this link. Or for free at the library. Or while waiting for your latte at Tobys.
http://www.ptreyeslight.com/ar...

BREAKING NEWS: The Inverness Park Store (otherwise known as Perry's Deli) will be closed on Tuesdays starting next week. Thoughts? Concerns? Where will we get donuts on Tuesday? Should we buy an extra West Marin Reuben on Mondays?

Highway to Shell: Tomales Bay Oyster Company a victim of its success. "They have troubles at land and at sea," says Marin County Supervisor Steve Kinsey, who also sits on the California Coastal Commission. At the land-bound county level, Kinsey says that the business' use permit "does not permit anywhere near the level of activity that they undertake on that site."

http://www.bohemian.com/northb...

4.2 earthquake this morning based in Piedmont. SF felt it, anyone in PR feel it?

A smoky sunrise over Point Reyes this morning. Sounds like it's going to be another hot and hazy day today.

Does anyone else hear fireworks being set off tonight on the bay? Doesn't seem like a great idea during fire season.

You may have noticed that TWMF went on a six day 'no digital' cleanse, which we highly recommend. Upon our return three things caught our eye. 1) The park is up to something out at the light house 2) A mountain lion was spotted in Lagunitas (thx RW) 3) Local biotech entrepreneur Corey Goodman ripped into local author Summer Brennan's new book 'The Oyster Wars' on HuffPo and all hell broke out in the comment section. Just like old times! Including a personal attack on Summer's love life! Have we hit rock bottom yet? I think we're getting close. Can't wait for her book reading on September 3 at The Dance Palace. Should be a real good time. Vitriol is good for sales right?

And what about the buskers singing DBOC songs in a BART station???? (thx AP)

Lighthouse Cam
http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/...

Corey Goodman review:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Summer Brennan reading:
http://ptreyesbooks.com/events...

The Manna Tease live at BART:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Tree down at the Bear Valley visitor center (thx MM).

Mark Rafferty, 62, of Bolinas, died this this week.

"Rafferty was a former site manager at Commonweal, a nonprofit educational and health center in Bolinas, from 1999 until leaving last year.

"We will remember him for his kindness, his sense of humor, his passion for music and song-writing, and his dedication to our work," said Michael Lerner, president of Commonweal. "We are holding Mark and his family in our thoughts and prayers.""

Apparently Gwyneth Paltrow really likes West Marin. Or someone wants to make it look that way. (Thx LW)

A Bolinas man was arrested on allegations he intentionally rammed a bicyclist with his car during a road-rage incident in West Marin. "The cyclists passed without stopping, and one displayed an intemperate hand gesture as Rafferty yelled. Then Rafferty allegedly got back in his car and accelerated toward Keane-Zirepolo, rear-ending his bike, crushing his back wheel and ejecting him into a dirt hillside." The cyclist declined treatment.

http://www.marinij.com/general...

And that my friends, is what is known as 'artistic license'. Can you tell me what's wrong with this painting by Stan Angel (thx MM)

http://fineartamerica.com/feat...

Has the cypress tree tunnel in the park always been popular? Or is this a new thing? The 7 Most Beautiful Places in California You Didn't Know Existed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

"Sections of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Point Reyes-Petaluma Road are lined up to be resurfaced and receive other safety upgrades now that a contract has been authorized.

Ghilotti Construction Co. of Santa Rosa will receive $2,049,895.50 from the County's Road and Bridge Rehabilitation Fund to improve 3.74 lane miles (both directions) of Drake Boulevard through the San Geronimo Valley and 1.38 lane miles of Point Reyes-Petaluma Road near Nicasio Reservoir. Awarding of the contract was authorized on July 28, and the money will not affect the County's General Fund. Engineers supervising the project expect work to start in mid-August and be completed by late November."

http://patch.com/california/no...

An interesting interview with Merrel Roca, the last Coast Miwok on Tomales Bay, who lives in Marshall. "My son and his wife live in this house 5 feet away. I've got my trailers. My grandfather came from Italy all the way to Ellis Island and then here, to Tomales Bay. There were a lot of Italians here. He was a rum-runner during Prohibition. My grandmother grew up in this A-frame across the road, it was built in 1864. I didn't even know my grandmother was half Indian, Coast Miwok. She never mentioned it until she was on her deathbed." (thx SD)

http://www.ozy.com/true-story/...

The moon rises over Glastonbury Tor, Somerset, England on July 30, 2015. Tonight it will happen again and be called a Blue Moon. The last time this happened was in 2012 and there isn't due another until 2018.

Bonus: 46 years ago this month, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon!

http://www.theguardian.com/sci...

This guy was out in the park this evening. Also a large whale spy hopping right off the beach at South Beach. No blue moon sightings though, too much fog.

Corte Madera marathon swimmer Simon Dominguez's quest to become the first person to swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands was thwarted Wednesday by a great white shark just 3-1/2 miles from his rocky goal.

After 18 hours in the cold ocean, the 49-year-old Australian reluctantly but wisely climbed into his support boat when his 16-year-old daughter, Olivia, spotted what was estimated to be a 12- to 15-foot great white circling the boat and swimming toward her father.

http://www.marinij.com/general...

All that smoke made for an amazing sunset, anyone else get some good shots?

Accident on 13 turns in Bolinas. Minor injuries, one lane closed.

I heard that the large plume of smoke coming over Black Mountain is from the two fires in Napa. Anyone else know anything about it? Is that right?

Point Reyes dairy rancher Joseph H. "Joey" Mendoza Jr. was known for his black cowboy hat, his ability to easily make friends and his loyalty to his alma mater, Tomales High. Mendoza died Thursday at his home near Petaluma after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 71. Today's services included a funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Petaluma. The family prefers donations to the Tomales High School Boosters Club or the Tomales Friends of Ag.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/n...

NYTimes food writer Mark Bittman visited Hog Island: "Ocean acidification, like everything associated with climate change, is probably going to get worse before it gets better. But in addition to gathering data that Hog Island can use to protect their crop, understanding the impact of climate change and ocean acidification "” in this case, oysters that will most likely become more expensive "” can help us make those connections less theoretical and more real."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07...

Far West Fest in full effect today.

Milk truck down on SFD just outside of Inverness. No injuries, one lane closed. (thx dw, sc, be)

Lucas Valley Road currently closed near Big Rock due to a fatal motorcycle accident. No word on estimated re-open time. If anyone else has any info, let us know (via @MarinCountyFire)

Here it comes people. This Saturday (July 25) is the annual benefit concert known as Far West Fest. Ozomatli is headlining and local acts such as Arann Harris and the Bad Farmers and El Radio Fantastique are representing. Tickets selling out fast, get on it now! Plus a rocking after party show with The Haggards at The Western.

http://farwestfest.org/

https://www.facebook.com/event...

Seen on the levee in Point Reyes today. Can anyone explain the meaning? Pro-bike? Anti-bike? #bikelame

In the two decades since the Straus Dairy in Marshall was the first in the West to become certified organic, most others in the region have followed, creating a cash cow that gets bigger every year. With 25 of Marin's 29 dairies now organic, the value of organic milk production is soaring, rocketing 61 percent last year to $33.6 million for the milk product equivalent of about 12.6 million gallons. At the same time, the value of conventional milk production in Marin plummeted 57 percent to $5.7 million in 2014.

http://www.marinij.com/busines...

Heard there are some rainbows happening this evening, anyone else seeing them. What a night. This is from up on the ridge (thx SC).

TRAFFIC ALERT: Pt Reyes/Petaluma Rd. closed between Novato Blvd. and Nicasio Valley Rd. due to collision and downed power lines. Estimated time to open is three hours.

Sharron Drake is not only putting on a local production of 'Much Ado About Nothing' but is also aiming to revitalize the long forgotten St. Columba's amphitheater in Inverness. And she could use some help. If you're interested in supporting this very cool local project, check out her Kickstarter page.

https://www.kickstarter.com/pr...

This was spotted yesterday at a local hiking spot. Vigilante trail signage. Wonder if it will have an impact. (thx LN)

Anyone else see that giant military plane just fly right down Tomales Bay? Earlier there were two other ones flying in formation up higher. President in town? What's up? (thx SG)

The annual meeting for the Inverness Assocation is tonight, Saturday, July 11, 2015, at 7:30 PM at the Inverness Yacht Club. Sounds like it will be an interesting one including some updates on the 'Launch for Hire' boathouse discussion.

http://www.invernessassociatio...

So many layers here.

Remember Stormtrooper guy who passed through Point Reyes? HE MADE IT TO SAN DIEGO! And what a story. (thx JA)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

"A Stanford University analysis shows California's rate of shark attacks has declined by 91 percent in the past six decades compared to the higher population in the state and increased aquatic recreation. There have been 15 shark attacks off Marin between 1950 and 2013 "” the period analyzed in the study "” which is 17 percent of the attacks in the state. None of them were fatal." Less sharks = less attacks. I'd rather have more sharks personally.

http://www.marinij.com/environ...

Not sure what to make of this...

Scuba diving at Chicken Ranch? Treasure? Fishing?