Tag Archives: sinkhole

•

Nik Epanchin photographed the growing sink hole that is north of the gazebo at the Point Arena Lighthouse. This is how it looked Dec. 16th. That white fence used to extend over land that is no longer there.

Dennis Latona recently photographed it from atop the Lighthouse.

And here is what is looked like in January of 2019, taken by Nik. Quite the difference.

It's a good reminder to stay back from the bluff edge, especially this time of year when the bluffs are saturated.

Thanks to Nik and Dennis for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Sunny and cool - with some edible mushrooms starting to appear! More on that later.

•

With the big, wet winter we've been having, erosion of coastal bluffs is bound to happen. A sinkhole appeared on the north side of the PA Lighthouse.

Here's what Mark Hancock, Executive Director of the Point Arena Lighthouse, had to report:

“After our big week of rains, the sinkhole on the Gazebo Peninsula at the Point Arena Light Station has enlarged significantly. Now measuring 16 feet by 16 feet, the western edge lost about two feet, which left two of the fence posts hanging in midair.

“Justin York and I removed that section of fence so as not to have it fall into the sinkhole. As we were working on it, some chunks of topsoil on the eastern edge fell off into the hole. The bottom of the sinkhole is also open to the ocean, so we may start having a blowhole soon!”

Common sense says to keep a safe distance back from this active area. It's always smart to stay back from cliff edges.

Thanks to Mark for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To learn more about our favorite Lighthouse, including lodging, here is their link: http://pointarenalighthouse.com/

Here is one of my favorite photos of the Point Arena Lighthouse taken two years ago by Satori Ivy. I've shared this previously but I'm happy to share it again. Thanks to Satori for allowing me to do so.

We are having another rainy day - downpours interspersed with a little sun, with temperatures in the mid 40's...brrrr!

•

There is a beautiful waterfall on the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands. However several years ago the waterfall "broke." The water no longer cascaded off the high bluff but it found a way down inside the rock. I'm happy to report that the waterfall is once again flowing over the bluff. In fact it is spilling off the bluff in two waterfalls. Margaret Lindgren recently photographed them.

To see this waterfall, which has been refreshed by the wonderful rains we are having this week, go down Lighthouse Road. Before you reach the pay station of the Point Arena Lighthouse, you will see a parking area to the left with a porta potty. Enter there and hike south along the bluffs. The scenery is magnificent there, with a sinkhole.

As you can see by the photo, with our golden retriever, Huckleberry, the sinkhole is huge!

Continue heading south - it might take fifteen minutes or so - and you will come to a seasonal creek. You need to hike down, cross the creek, and then climb back up. Go a little further south and look back. Here's a photo I took some time ago, before the waterfall disappeared for several years. You might be able to see the Lighthouse in the distance.

And below is a look at the waterfall when it fractured and the water went inside the rock face.

I am so glad the waterfall is flowing where we can see it. And because these lands are protected as the first land based part of the California Coastal National Monument, they are preserved for all of us to enjoy.

Thanks to Margaret for allowing me to share her photo with you here. Margaret leads hiking tours here on the Mendonoma Coast. Her website is: www.unbeatenpath.weebly.com