6:06pm - Power lines touching trees caused some flames to appear in Inverness. Scary stuff, PG&E quickly turned the power off.

Keep clicking on California for more detailed views of the wind strength and directions in real time:
http://hint.fm/wind/

4:15pm - Sounds like power lines on tree on Balboa Ave. They're blocking road and waiting for PGE. Proceed with caution in area.

2:16pm - Power just went out on Escondido Way in Inverness. Anyone else lose power?

11:59am - Trees are starting to come down now. Possibly a tree down on Shorline Hwy by Bear Valley Rd. Another tree possibly down on Rt. 1 south of Nick's Cove. If you have to drive, go slow, be safe.

Ottingers Hill on SFD heading into NPRS still closed, going to be a couple of more hours, if not longer. It's a mess.

Via KWMR: "Tree down blocking both lanes of Sir Francis Drake at the bottom of Ottingers Hill reported at 5:38 am." Stay tuned to KWMR for more updates. Any other damage reports?

Secret Spot of the Day. Do you know where this is?

Just watched Sonoma County "Henry" helicopter and a long line rescue person pull a kayaker and kayak from "The Shark Pit" off the mouth of Tomales Bay near Lawson's Landing about an hour ago. Coast Guard, Marin County jet ski, Bodega Bay FD ambulance all there, too. Who goes out in a kayak with a storm blowing in? Thanks to all the responders and alert people who reported the wayward adventurer.

A couple of people have mentioned this to me earlier, and today I just got the 'fake IRS' call on my mobile phone. A recorded voice that said I was under investigation and needed to call a certain number immediately. Even though it was obviously fake, it's still unnerving. Be careful, let people know, especially those who might not get it.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroo...

Almost hit a Bobcat on Sir Francis Drake Bl in Inverness Park right by the Abalone house.
Watch out for your pets.

Michele Stone
Inverness

Morning magic here in Inverness. Calm before the storm?

"No matter where you are on Earth, look eastward as soon as darkness falls. The full moon and the dazzling planet Jupiter will couple up together just above the eastern horizon at nightfall. Think photo opportunity!"

http://earthsky.org/tonight/fu...

Looking for small cottage or home in Petaluma or Pt Reyes, Inverness from 22 April thru 3rd June-
One week minimum; I live in the BEST part of BELIZE............
Placencia, across the road from a beautiful beach & we have a swimming pool, as well as all the amenities of "home," with air con, wifi, cable tv, & our preferred transportation, beach cruiser bikes!
Originally from Pt Reyes area, my grand children live in Petaluma; I want to spend this time period with them, and return to my "home away from home" for the evenings.

Our swap does not have to be simultaneously, as I have a few accommodations in Placencia & can be flexible.
If this is something you would be interested in discussing, please contact me & tell me more.

YES! "After quiet weather with warm temperatures through Wednesday, we are keeping an eye on a substantial change in the weather slated for Thursday through Sunday. Confidence remains high that rain will return to our area later this week as a moist flow off the Pacific will bring rainfall back to our area." - NWS Bay Area

https://www.facebook.com/NWSBa...

Skipping the Super Bowl? Then check out the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir at The Dance Palace tomorrow (Sunday, Feb. 1) at 4:00pm. This is a sliding scale event, no one turned away. It will be an amazing show, check the choir out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... and more info here: https://dancepalace.org/events...

Secret Spot of The Day: Do you know where this is? Have you ever been there? (thx EO)

A section of Highway 1 by Muir Beach that was washed out during December storms is set to reopen by noon Thursday, according to Caltrans. "It's ahead of schedule," said Steve Williams, a Caltrans spokesman. "The work basically went non-stop once it started. The weather really helped out."

http://www.marinij.com/marinne...

"Another time we were thinking of opening a restaurant in Inverness, a town fifteen miles or so away from Drake's Bay north of San Francisco, where the waiters would be well-known poets of our acquaintance who'd work there for a week or two and then be replaced by other poets." - from a rememberance of the Pulitzer Prize winning poet Mark Strand. Sounds good to me. (thx DP)

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/n...

Does anyone know or has figured out who takes down the posters put up by hard working musicians and non-profits - from the post offices? They just get ripped down before the event has happened. It's annoying. It's actually more than annoying.

Sonoma Sheriff's Helicopter Unit, Henry 1, had a busy weekend: "A woman injured in a fall was rescued by helicopter Saturday from the lighthouse at the Point Reyes National Seashore." That's what all the sirens were about on Saturday. Nice to know we've got such good team watching our backs.

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

5:25pm - Single motorcycle accident on Route One south of Tomales. Sounds like they're bringing the Reach helicopter in, hope everything is ok.

Question: Why do people bag up the dog poop but then leave it on the trail? Is there a reason? Who's supposed to pick it up? This is not the first time I've seen this happen, so I'm curious.

yo, any word on the mass sirens roaring out of PR?

Goat Video Update: They are at D Ranch by Drakes Beach happily eating invasive plants and being pretty cute. #goats #lawnmower

This guy was ruling the waves this afternoon at Drakes in Point Reyes. #microsurfer

9:38am - Anyone know what's going with all the loud, gun-shot like noises on the bay this morning? Are those hunters? Using bazookas?

High surf advisory starting Friday at 6am through the weekend. Very solid west swell with waves approaching 20 feet. If you go to the beach, stay away from the water, and let others know as well.

Local photographer and former park ranger Carlos Porrata has a photo show opening at The Dance Palace this weekend, the reception is at 1:00pm on Saturday. If you've seen his work, you know how amazing it is and how much he loves this place. This is a photo he shot this week of a Bobcat hanging with some Elk in Point Reyes. See you there!

https://dancepalace.org/events...

"Officials with Point Reyes National Seashore will begin an experiment next week to reduce the invasive plant species on about 12 acres of national parkland, the officials said." Apparently they can't mow due to red-legged frogs being around and goats eat what cattle, elk and deer won't. The interwebs found this story mildly amusing and it's gone somewhat viral.

http://www.thedailymeal.com/pa...

At the Palace Market this morning. I'm starting to see a theme here. (via Kathy Gower)

At the Palace this morning!

Elephant Seal frat party at Drakes Bay in Point Reyes. Quite the raucous crew. Lots of very cute pups out there too.

Spotted in town this morning. Just another day in Point Reyes. (thx RH)

12:49pm - CHP sitting by Perry's reminding people to drive slow and safe.

"Dewey Livingston knew by the trees and surroundings that this was Inverness, and more specifically Tomales Bay State Park, and the woman looked to be conservationist Caroline Livermore. We concluded the date of the photograph was circa 1950." Turned out to be the dedication of the Willis Linn Jepson Memorial in 1952. Read the original article, good stuff.

https://annetkent.kontribune.c...

7:21am - Accident on Olema Hill, one lane closed. Take alternate route if you can. (Thx BE)

From:
Eric Ettlinger
Aquatic Ecologist, MMWD

What started off as an unusually large and early coho run in Lagunitas Creek appears to be coming to a disappointing end. We may see a few fish spawning in the next couple of weeks, but at this point a late surge is unlikely. To date we've counted 103 coho redds, which is similar to what we saw three years ago but barely half of average. What's most disappointing is that in 2013 we observed a robust emigration of coho smolts from the creek. We expected those relatively large fish to pack on some more weight in the restored Giacomini Wetlands and then survive well in the open ocean. It now appears that less than three percent of those fish have returned.

It's possible that we missed some spawning while 15 inches of rain fell and high stream flows kept us out of Lagunitas Creek in mid-December. If that's true, we should have found redds, live fish, or even carcasses when we returned to the creek, but we saw few of each. We also surveyed the tributary streams during that period and saw relatively few salmon for that time of year. There's little option but to conclude that this year's cohort survived poorly in the ocean.

On January 5 we saw our first steelhead spawner of the season and once the rain returns we should see steelhead numbers ramp up. We're still seeing a couple of Chinook salmon in the creek, and yesterday had the distinct pleasure of seeing a small mixed school of coho, Chinook, and steelhead holding in a deep pool. It wasn't much, but we'll take what we can get.

11:35am - There is a macaw that is in the eucalyptus trees near the "sand castle" (by the senior housing in Point Reyes Station). The hawks are going after it. (thx RH)

7:45am - Heavy, heavy fog this morning. Drive very carefully, plan for delays.

West Marin musicians Peter Rowan, Paul Knight and Blaine Sprouse were featured on this weekend's "Prairie Home Companion" radio show broadcast from and recorded in San Francisco.

Love it! Rock on.

Wise Academy is currently open for enrollment for the 2015-2016 school year for grades K-5. We would like to invite you to our Open House January
11th from 2:30-4:30. Parents, students, family and friends are all
welcome. Join us at the beautiful Henry Bothin Center located at 3125
Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Marin County. Our Open House will consist of a
tour through our grades with classroom presentations from our teachers
that will give prospective families inspiration of how our Waldorf
methods program works. We hope you can attend!

Schedule of Events:

2:30-2:40 Parents welcomed in Little House by Ellie Jenkins, Director
- Refreshments/tea served

2:45-3:05 Kindergarten presentation

3:05-3:20 First grade presentation

3:30-3:50 2nd-3rd grade presentation

4:00-4:20 4th-5th grade presentation

4:20-4:30 Closing at Little House
- Registrations taken
- Refreshments served

Thank you,

Wise Academy
wise-academy.org

On a lighter note, I spotted this guy frollicking in the waves today out at North Beach in Point Reyes. Whales all over the place. And that's not a small whale, that's a big wave, be careful if you head out there.

Just in case you live way out in the woods and haven't heard this yet. The Golden Gate Bridge will be closed from midnight Friday night (tonight) until Monday at 4am. They're installing this nifty new moveable safety barrier and eliminating those brave dudes who drop the yellow cones in the holes. Kind of sad if you ask me. But hopefully safer for everyone.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/...

10:46am - Haven't heard official word yet, but it sounds like the Pygmy Sperm whale that they found on a beach in Point Reyes yesterday isn't going to make it. Apparently he was a juveline, poor little guy. This picture is from KGO via SFGate.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/...

Press Democrat has a story today about the challenges of cleaning up the now defunct Drake's Bay Oyster Farm: "Ben Becker, the national seashore's marine ecologist, said he saw several hundred oyster strings on two wooden oyster growing racks during a snorkeling survey conducted from a 12-foot outboard motor boat this week, when the videos were taken."
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/n...

"A pygmy sperm whale beached itself in the Point Reyes National Seashore on Thursday afternoon, according to the Marine Mammal Center. The 5- to 6-foot whale was alive at some point after it stranded, but its body was bloodied and it was unclear if the animal would survive." Please be respectful and leave it in peace so that scientists can examine it and learn what happened. A beautiful creature, very sad.

http://www.marinij.com/marinne...

Surfer's ring, lost on Bolinas beach in 1979, returned after 35 years. Remember, there's always hope...
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/...

"Biologists who monitor the seal population recently spotted the first pup of the season born on the beach at Point Reyes. Most pups are born in January, and initially are about 3 to 4 feet long and weigh about 60 pounds. "

http://www.marinij.com/marinne...

Photo by Kent Porter at the Press Democrat:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/g...

I lost my earring downtown Point Reyes on Monday. Just spreading the word in case anyone has found it.

Point Reyes officially entered Spanish maps on January 6, 1603 when Sebastian Vizcaino sighted the headlands on the Roman Catholic feast day of the three wise men. Following Spanish tradition, the headlands were named after these religious figures: "la Punta de los Reyes" or the Point of the Kings. (thx EP).

http://www.nps.gov/pore/histor...

A digital camera in black bag was lost on or around the Kehoe trail or parking lot Sunday, January 4th. Reward offered. If you've seen it or know anything about it, please leave a comment below. Thanks. (LL)

"Point Reyes officially entered Spanish maps on January 6, 1603 when Sebastian Vizcaino sighted the headlands on the Roman Catholic feast day of the three wise men. Following Spanish tradition, the headlands were named after these religious figures: "la Punta de los Reyes" or the Point of the Kings. Spanish expeditions along the north coast continued. Later, sailors eventually found and entered Tomales Bay, where they would have seen the Miwok village at Segogolue or Toms Point. Amongst the kotças (sleeping shelters), the Spanish traded goods made of metal for finely woven Miwok baskets." (from http://www.nps.gov/"¦/historycu"¦/people_europeanexplorers.htm)

West Marin Mosquito Council meeting tonight. 7pm. Bolinas firehouse. Please attend to show the district that West Marin citizens still strongly support LOW toxic protocols for mosquito control.

http://westmarincitizen.com/an...