RenoVous

Iris Law Maggie Gyllenhaal Helen Mirren Caroline de Maigret Sita Abellan Danai Gurira Zoey Deutch Lisa Bonet Halsey Jorja Smith Vogue

Sampling from my vacation photos, I wanted to focus on kelp.  I was surprised by the float, as it was much harder than I expected.  I thought it would be more squishy. The floats, or pneumatocysts, keep the blades closer to the surface for photosynthesis purposes, and are usually filled with a combination of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Kelp is a type of algae, which depends on the moving water to supply nutrients.  While it has all the markers of being a plant, it's actually a protist - a eukaryotic organism that isn't plant, animal, or fungus. Kelp forests are unique ecosystems - along the California coast, giant kelp makes up the canopy layer.  Here you can find crabs, snails, and juvenile fish.  These species feed on the fronds but are also a source of food for predatory fish and seabirds. Kelp forests also play a role in creating the perfect environment for phytoplankton, which serves as the base of the aquatic food web....

We're back on Highway 1, with a stop at Schooner Gulch Beach.  This is where I was hoping to see Bowling Ball Beach ( See Here ) but apparently you can only get to it during low tide.  :-( Still beautiful. Back on the road. And our camp for the night - Russian Gulch. Not the best shot, but still - Banana Slug!

First day at Bodega Bay. Back on Highway 1, touring the area. Entering Armstrong Redwoods State Park Forest Theater (Built in the 1930's) Backstage. We took a side road back in to Bodega Bay. Where the bay and harbor come together - the campground is there across the way, you can see some RV's....

I have quite a few photos to share so I'm going to break it into parts.  Our trip started with a weekend in/around San Francisco. Official toast to 11 years!!   And then we headed up Highway 1. Muir Beach.