Annie Duncan spotted this deer motoring along in Tomales Bay by Inverness yesterday. #aquadeer #submariner

Seems like a good day for a stunning sunrise. Tomales Bay in Inverness.

Via Point Reyes National Seashore "Pierce Point Road is temporarily closed due to reaching capacity. The park is seeing heavy visitation on this New Year's Day. Please be patient and look for less crowded park areas to explore. Some locations are subject to intermittent closures due to parking availability."

Goodbye 2020. Last sunset in of the year Point Reyes. Thank you all for your support. Here's to a safe, healthy and happy 2021. Wear a mask. 🙏 ❤️

"Earthquake this morning just off the coast of the SF Peninsula at 5:41 AM. Did you feel it?"

Those huge cranes parked off of Limantour Beach in Point Reyes made their way under the Golden Gate Bridge today. Amazing. I think the plane is still out there however.

Video: https://abc7news.com/business/...

Ask a Ranger: What it's like to be a marine mammal ecologist at Point Reyes.

SFGATE: What's one thing you wished everyone understood about Point Reyes that no one seems to get?

CODDE: I just wish people understood more about how their actions affect wildlife. A big thing that makes me sad is people running after birds or letting their dogs run after them. People don't realize the effect this can have, how stressful it is for the birds. They need rest just like we do.

The consequences of wildlife disturbance are a big emphasis for me and for this park. We're trying to pass on that message. I want people to enjoy Point Reyes and viewing the wildlife here, and to do it safely and responsibly.

FULL STORY: https://www.sfgate.com/califor...

Accident on SFD in Samuel P Taylor, expect delays. (Thx KM)

This is what it looks like when a car hits a cow. This happened in the dark before sunrise by Drakes Beach in Point Reyes. The driver was fine, the cow wasn't. Please drive safe.

Magnificent storm sunrise in Point Reyes today.

It was a crazy weekend and the West Marin Freed contributors showed up. Thanks to everyone who sent in photos and commented on various channels. Besides 'don't land your plane on the beach in the park', here are two other things we learned from WMF users:

About the giant ship with cranes off Limantour Beach:
Jennifer Megan: The 3 cranes are going to be delivered to the port of Oakland. Check out my IG: shipspottingsweetie and my Facebook page (shipspottingsweetie). I'm keeping daily updates on when the ship will go under Goldie and the Bay Bridge. They are going to be delivered to the Port of Oakland.

About the low flying and very loud jet that went over West Marin around 1:30pm on Saturday:
Justin Rubovits: That was an L-39 - a czechoslovakia military jet that can be bought and flown by civilians in the US. Saw it from the top of Tam. It flew low of the coast going south and then turned east and did a low fly looping pass over tam where we were parked. Amazing!

(Crane photo by Jennifer Megan)

Maria Bennett was on Limantour Beach yesterday when the plane landed. She shot some video and photos of them trying to get it back in the air with no luck.

LINK: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ...

Heard a report of a plane that landed on Limantour Beach this morning (thx RD) so we headed out. Sure enough, there was a fairly large airplane way down by the spit by the dunes. On the way back we saw the pilot and his wife talking with the rangers. It was unclear why they landed there, possibly engine problems, but it was clear they weren't going to be able to fly away. Sounds like they'll have to get a permit and have the plane removed by a helicopter. Did anyone else get a better picture of the plane?

Lots of big swell on the way. For a reminder of how dangerous and sneaky these swells can be, here is another intense video from the mouth of the Tomales Bay showing one brave boat making it past the waves, and two other boats re-evaluating their life choices. Be safe everyone. Make good decisions.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Be safe. Stay well. Wear a mask. 🙏

"We're monitoring 2 upcoming rainmakers: 1st one starts Christmas Day, 2nd starts Sunday. Here's a look at forecast rain totals. (red outlines are 2020 burnscars)."

Link: https://twitter.com/nwsbayarea...

Do you need help paying for rent between September 2020 and January 2021? The Marin County's Emergency Rental Assistance Program is currently open and accepting applicants. (Thx EB)

PR/Petaluma Road blocked south of Hicks Road near The Cheese Factory. Will be blocked for hours. Plan accordingly. (Thx SD and EF)

No pets means, no pets. A park employee reiterating that message today in Point Reyes.

"Happy Winter Solstice! It's 2:02 AM PST on December 21 and the sun's rays are now directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. Today is the shortest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. More info at: https://weather.gov/cle/season..."

From the International Space Station: "Hello San Francisco - video captured live from the @Space_Station 90 minutes ago from 260 miles above. #NiceWeather"

LINK: https://twitter.com/ISSAboveYo...

"The first coronavirus vaccinations in Marin will take place on Thursday, but a surge of new cases still threatens to overwhelm hospital intensive care units, the county's public health officer said.

"We know that community transmission is accelerating exponentially," Dr. Matt Willis told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. "Our hospitals are at or near full capacity, and case rates in Marin are four times higher than one month ago."

The county reported Tuesday that all the fully staffed intensive care unit beds at Marin's hospitals are now in use. Twelve of the 29 beds are occupied by coronavirus patients.

Across the Bay Area, 82.2% of the ICU beds at hospitals throughout the Bay Area were occupied Tuesday, Willis said. Statewide, 94.3% of ICU beds were in use.

"Historically when there were surges in one area or another we were able to redistribute resources from across the nation to meet the needs of those hard hit areas," Willis said. "That is no longer the case. Every jurisdiction is essentially on its own because they are all experiencing surges simultaneously."

Willis kicked off his presentation with a message from Dr. Laura Eberhard, chief of the critical care department at Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center.

"As an ICU doctor I'm not scared by much," Eberhard said, "but I find the prospect of having a hospital and an ICU overflowing, and concern about not being able to take good care of our Marin residents, scary. Only our community can stop this epidemic."

LINK: https://www.marinij.com/2020/1...

MARIN COVID DATA: https://coronavirus.marinhhs.o...

LA Times Tracker: https://www.latimes.com/projec...

If you want to know what $2.5 million will buy you in Inverness, here you go.

LINK: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/1...

Amazing photos by local wildlife photographer Carlos Porrata in Point Reyes: "So today I am in the middle of the field checking out a Weasel when ,all of a sudden I looked up and two Coyotes are chasing a third Coyote out of their territory and they are coming my way at full throttle! They came by at full speed, although one of the two Coyotes doing the chasing saw me and stopped the chase and turned around. The other kept it up until the Coyote being chased crossed the road to safety. Exhilarating? It was a rush!! I had not seen a territorial dispute among Coyotes in a few years and I was never this close. These are the surprises that keep us wildlife photographers always coming back for more..... 🙂"

The dependable Geminid meteor shower is happening right now. Apparently there were lots of meteors to be seen last night. Be on the look out tonight!

LINK: https://www.imo.net/viewing-th...

"King tides" will be be happening from Dec 13 - 15. Fortunately no major storms hitting at that time, but Tomales Bay gets extremely high and bay beaches like Chicken Ranch all but disappear. It will also be interesting to see how all that new road work they've done on SFD in the park will hold up. Particularly at Schooner Bay (pictured here).

You can contribute photos to the California King Tides Project and learn more about it here: https://www.coastal.ca.gov/kin...

Twelve new cases of COVID-19 reported in Inverness over the last 14 days.

LINK: https://www.latimes.com/projec...

"Our dear friend, and community member, Jessica Raffo (Quattlander), needs your help. She was suddenly diagnosed with colon cancer December 4th, and just underwent major surgery to remove the blockage. The surgery went better than expected, but the healing process is taking longer than expected, and her additional results have not been received. She is recovering in the hospital currently. When we have more details on her her status, we will post them, but her and her family will need support in the next few months, which will be vital to her recovery.

The family asks at this time, to PLEASE DO NOT contact Jessica while she is in the hospital, she needs this time to rest.

On top of it, we are in a pandemic, which is tough on everyone, and makes it hard to visit. However, if you can help, it is needed. Use this site to curate and deliver a meal, or donate to help the family bridge the gaps in meals, groceries, childcare, or medical expenses. No gifts cards please. If you would like to donate funds outside of this platform, contact Justine or myself directly.

Jess has been a community member her entire life. Many of you know her from working at the Coast Cafe, the Sand Dollar, Hog Island, and the Western. She graduated from Dominican, and is now a 4th grade teacher in Rohnert Park, but has been on extended leave with the arrival of baby Cooper last February, and with the pandemic. She was married in 2016 to a Sonoma local Ernesto Raffo of Bosch Automative. They have two children (Enzo, 3 and Cooper, almost 1 in February). She will not be able to work during this time, or pick up her children, and Ernesto and the family can use your support."

If you are able to offer support: https://www.mealtrain.com/trai...

On December 3, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that all sectors other than retail and essential operations would be closed in regions of the state where less than 15% of intensive care unit (ICU) beds are available under a new Regional Stay-Home Order.

MORE INFO: https://coronavirus.marinhhs.o...

Rather than waiting until ICU bed availability reaches critical levels and delaying closures that are inevitable, the Public Health Officers for the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and Santa Clara, as well as the City of Berkeley, jointly announced they will implement the state's Regional Stay-Home Order right away to slow the surge and prevent our local hospitals from being overwhelmed.

Beginning at noon Tuesday, December 8, the following sectors in Marin County must close:
Indoor and outdoor playgrounds
Indoor recreational facilities
Hair salons and barbershops
Personal care services
Museums, zoos, and aquariums
Movie theaters
Wineries
Bars, breweries, and distilleries
Family entertainment centers
Cardrooms and satellite wagering
Limited services
Live audience sports
Amusement parks

The following sectors will have additional modifications (in addition to 100% masking and physical distancing):

Outdoor recreational facilities: Allow outdoor operation only, without any food, drink, or alcohol sales. Additionally, overnight stays at campgrounds will not be permitted.
Retail: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.

Shopping centers: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.

Hotels, motels, short-term rentals, other lodging: Allow to open for critical infrastructure support only.

Restaurants: Allow only for takeout, pick-up, or delivery.

Offices: Allow remote use only, except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.

Gyms & fitness studios: Indoor operations must close. This includes yoga and dance studios. This order includes any other industries that follow the state's guidance for gyms & fitness studios, such as youth sports.
Places of worship and political expression: Allow outdoor services only.

Entertainment production including professional sports: Allow operation without live audiences. Additionally, testing protocol and "bubbles" are highly encouraged.

The following sectors are allowed to remain open when a remote option is not possible. Those that remain open must have appropriate infectious disease preventative measures in place, including 100% masking and physical distancing:

Critical infrastructure
Non-urgent medical and dental care

A report from a resident in Inverness: "We were walking the road that passes over the creek at beach (north of Shell Beach) when we noticed a disturbance of the soil at the bank of the creek. A large paw print was evident and a lot of drag marks which continued up the road for at least 50 yards, with gouge marks on each side. We passed these clues on to Sarah Allen our neighbor. She and another neighbor went and confirmed the implications of this. The cat must have surprised a buck deer, and the horns made the gouges in the road as he dragged it off into the woods. Sarah put a motion camera up, and within a couple nights got a full on shot of the mountain lion back on the prowl."

You may want to pass this info on to others, who are regulars in Tomales Bay State Park, particularly around Shallow and Shell Beach and on the Johnstone Trail. Please be careful - especially early morning or early evening hikes. Very difficult to see more than 10 to 15 feet along the trail. Don't use headphones; keep alert.

Thank you MO, SA, FC, DP, SK

Bonus trivia, last time there was a resident mountain lion, its name was 'One Eye Jack'.

Via the Lawson's Landing Fishing Report: " So here's video of a good way to cross the Tomales Bay bar if you are tired of living. The fact that it worked for these guys is no way an endorsement. Luck is something that's difficult to copy. The proper way? When it is breaking, don't go. A hard landing can kill the engine. Then what do you do? Swim, if you're lucky. Have you seen the crab pots on the bar? Get one of those in the wheel while you're trying to cross. I find it unlikely that these guys didn't break bones or the boat. Thanks Wrybread for posting this."

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Report:
http://fishlawsons.blogspot.co...

In spite of the ongoing pandemic, lots of holiday activity happening. Be sure to support your local shops and vendors during this very challenging time. Be safe. Be well.

Cabaline is having a there famous holiday sale with everything 20%-50% off through December 6th.
LINK: https://www.cabaline.com/

San Geronimo Valley Center is having a Annual Holiday Art Faire on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 2-5pm.
LINK: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/v...

Whitman Shenk has his pottery at the Toby's Gallery for December.
LINK: https://www.tobysfeedbarn.com/...

Other great shops:

Sea to Sea
LINK: https://shop-sea-to-see.com/

Point Reyes Bookstore
LINK: https://www.ptreyesbooks.com/

The Little Store
LINK: https://www.instagram.com/thel...

Brickmaiden
LINK: https://www.brickmaidenbreads....

Vita Collage
https://www.vitacollage.com/

Monk Estate
https://www.instagram.com/monk...

Did I miss an event, shop or vendor? Let me know.

These lights were spotted in the sky tonight. Anyone else see them? Apparently they are a part of Starlink, which is a satellite internet constellation being constructed by SpaceX providing satellite Internet access? (thx SC)

LINK: https://twitter.com/MorganBren...

Two events coming together that can cause very dangerous conditions. Two huge swells are coming (this Thur/Fri and next Tuesday) plus there is no rain forecast for the first half of December. This means nice weather and lots of people at the beaches. Please be safe and stay away from the ocean.

"Warning signDangerous sneaker waves Water wave, increased rip currents and moderate to large breaking waves will impact W to NW facing beaches Wednesday-Thursday. These type of events claim lives each year along our coast so extreme vigilance is advised if visiting area beaches."

LINK: https://twitter.com/NWSBayArea...

"Dry-cember. The outlook through the 16th. You've got to be kidding me."

LINK: https://twitter.com/RobMayeda/...

I hate when that happens.