Tag Archives: Pacific Ocean

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This past week we've had high surf on the Coast. John Sperry photographed the Pacific Ocean in full boil mode in the Timber Cove area of Sonoma County. You can see the mist the ocean is throwing into the air. Just beautiful.

Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see another dramatic photo of the Pacific Ocean that Carolyn André took from The Sea Ranch last month, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/01/09/dramatic-photo-of-the-sonoma-coast-by-carolyn-andre/

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The Gualala River has the perfect color for fishing (catch and release) of Steelhead. Just look at the green color!

 Steelhead was caught earlier this week. However Saturday the river was closed to the Pacific Ocean.

 And there were thousand of Gulls and a few Brown Pelicans enjoying the sunny weather. Those in the river are washing off - you can almost hear the sounds of their flapping!

We have a storm coming in for today. It should reopen the river so the Steelhead can once again make their way into the river.

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Some sunsets are over in a few minutes and some last a good long while, unfolding before our delighted eyes. The latter was the case last night as the sunset evolved for what seemed like forever. Red and oranges transformed into blue and purples - it was simply magnificent.

The first photo was taken at 5:30 pm, just after the sun had set.

 And the next at 5:44 pm

 And look what happened at 5:53 pm - even the Pacific Ocean appears to be purple!

It's a privilege to watch a Mendonoma Coast sunset.

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Irene had her video camera in hand when the Gualala River opened up on Jan. 20th. The river had been closed for months. As you watch her video you will see a large tree shoot through the new opening. It was an amazing spectacle to see the river meet the Pacific Ocean.
http://leidnerpics.shutterfly.com/pictures/9

Bob Rutemoeller photographed the moment when the river finally spilled over the big sandbar. The photo below was taken at 10:24 am.

 And the photo below was taken at 11:09 am.

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

To see my photos of that day, here's the link on this site: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/01/20/the-gualala-river-finally-opened-late-this-morning-and-it-was-an-awesome-sight/

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We had nearly 3 and 3/4 inches of rain yesterday and that was enough to finally open the Gualala River. The river has been closed to the ocean all summer, fall and the first month of winter by a massive sandbar. This is the latest I know of for the river to open. A friend called - thank you, Bob! - and said the river was cresting the sandbar at 10:30 this morning. When Rick and I arrived at the Gualala Bluff Trail an hour or so later the river had opened. And what a sight it was!

 The picture below is our first look at the newly opened river. We entered the Gualala Bluff Trail by the Shoreline Restaurant and the Breakers Inn. Yes, it was raining hard and we got soaked!

 Halfway down the trail we got a better look at the opening, which is south of its usual opening.

We watched as large tree trunks were swept into the sea. The turbulence where the river hits the ocean was amazing to see and hear. Steelhead juveniles were making their first trip into the Pacific Ocean. They had been trapped in luxury in the Gualala River.

Until this morning this was a lagoon. Now it's an estuary. It was so thrilling to watch the river greet the sea.