Tag Archives: Mill Bend

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Mike Petrich was at Mill Bend recently. Mill Bend is the recently acquired land at the mouth of the Gualala river- thank you, Redwood Coast Land Conservancy! Mike found an Anna's Hummingbird perched on a branch after feeding on a red Bottlebrush plant.

After photographing the little hummer, Mike found a nest of America Robins close to the Gualala River. It looks like it's a very full house!

Mom or Dad must have been close as all those beaks are wide open..."feed me, feed me!" Looking closer at Mike's photo, I see one of the parents right behind the chicks!

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

This morning I drove to Point Arena to meet a friend for breakfast. It was drippy fog in PA. When I returned to Anchor Bay, the sun was out and it was 20 degrees warmer. ah, the micro climates of the Mendonoma Coast!

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Bill Brown was at Cooks Beach early one morning during a low tide.  How beautiful to see the offshore rocks reflected in the ocean.

Bill also saw many healthy Sea Stars, Ochre Stars, at Cooks Beach.

Cooks Beach is a lovely pocket beach, perfect for forgetting about a certain virus, or anything else that might be bothering you!

RCLC is our local land conservancy. Along with Cooks Beach, they have brought us the Gualala Bluff Trail and Hearn Gulch. To great excitement, they are also bringing us Mill Bend, which includes the mouth and part of the stem of the Gualala River. RCLC continues to fund raise for this once-in-a lifetime acquisition. You can find out much more at this link: https://www.rclc.org/ 

Thanks to Bill for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

We had a very foggy morning, and it continues to be socked in right along the coastline. The sun is shining a little away from the bluffs, however. It's a mild summer day.

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Gaily Jackson was up early and she headed for Gualala Point Regional Park. She photographed the Serge, the ceremonial posts carved and dedicated by the wood carvers of the Sakha Republic.

The Serge looks beautiful morning light. You can learn more about these posts at this link: https://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Visit/Gualala-Point-Regional-Park/Serge-Posts/

Gaily also photographed the Gualala River, showing the iconic Mill Bend.

And the dawn.

We are very lucky to have this beautiful park here in Gualala, and a wonderful photographer to show its beauty. Thanks to Gaily for allowing me to share her photos with you here. To see much more of her nature photography, here is her website: http://gailyimages.com/

We had some surprise rain this morning, but this afternoon is splashed in sunshine.

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The Gualala River closed last Sunday. The wave action built up the sandbar across the river mouth. This happens every year, and when it does the river backs up like a bathtub with a plug in it. Allen Vinson photographed the river mouth last Sunday afternoon.

After a couple of days, this is what the Gualala River lagoon looked like - full to the brim! Charlie Ivor took these photos. The first photo shows Mill Bend. And the second photo shows the Gualala Bridge. Oh, it's wonderful to see the river so full and beautiful!

This is the perfect time to kayak or canoe on the Gualala River. To schedule your day of fun, here is the website to Adventure Rents of Gualala: http://www.adventurerents.com/

Thanks to Allen and Charlie for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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Bill Oxford used his drone to photograph the estuary of the Gualala River. This is what he found - several wooden structures in the riverbed.

Bill wondered if these structures were part of the old mill at the site we call Mill Bend. Here is a photo of the old mill.

Harry Lindstrom knew what they were. He wrote, "These are remnants of old log cribs. If you are kayaking, you might mistake these old remnants for trees, or you may not even pay attention to them if the water is deep enough. Most of them are stuck in the mud, pointing out at an angle. The lumber mill at Mill Bend was not pushed into the river; it burned in 1906." Harry sent along these photos showing the remnants:

Wayne Harris, owner of Adventures Rents, the kayaking company on the Gualala River, also knew what they were. He wrote, "Bill's photo shows some of the cribs that were built to contain the floating logs. There are four or five areas in the estuary where one can still see them. They were logs pinned together with stakes to create a dock-like structure to hold back the floating timber."

So there you go - a little bit of history still evident in the Gualala River.

Thanks to Bill and Harry for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To learn more about kayaking on the Gualala River, here is the link to Adventure Rents: http://www.adventurerents.com/