We had another good storm last night so Rick and I went to the Gualala Bluff Trail to see if the Gualala River was close to opening. As of noon today it was still closed by the huge sandbar.
Ocean waves are flowing over the sandbar in several places.
It will be interesting to see if the river opens up this weekend. There was a LOT of rainfall in the watershed and tributaries of the Gualala River. Perhaps it will open tomorrow. Our next chance of rain isn't until five or six days away.
Nancy Trissel was on a hike when she came across this endangered frog, the California Red-legged Frog, Rana draytonii.
This frog is only found in California and a small part of Baja California. They are in serious decline due to habitat loss but they can be seen here on the Mendonoma Coast. They lay their eggs in the upper reaches of the Gualala River.
Here is another photo of this frog, taken by Darrell Paige.
This frog is one of the many reasons we have to vigilant to make sure our watershed is protected from development.
Thanks to Nancy and Darrell for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
It is rare to see a Western Pond Turtle. They are very shy and usually found near or in a river. Peter Baye came across one crossing a road on a very warm day.
Peter was concerned that the turtle would get harmed by a passing car. He picked it up, planning to take it to the riverbank...and the turtle peed, probably in fright.
Peter returned the turtle to one of the forks of the Gualala River. This is what it looks like in its usual habit, photo also taken by Peter.
Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Jason Aguirre recently kayaked the Gualala River. The tide was coming over the sandbar that has the river closed to the ocean. Jason said it made for an exciting time.
The wind has evaporated some of the water in the river but it is still fun to kayak it. Today we are having clear, warm weather - perfect for a jaunt on the river.
Thanks to Jason for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
We've had lot of wind and no fog here on the Mendonoma Coast. Last Thursday we had some high clouds that gave us a beautiful sunset. Paul Brewer photographed the sunset from the banks of the Gualala River.
The Gualala River looks pink and mauve with the clouds reflected off of it. Just beautiful.
Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/