Rockaway Life

In November of 2019, we began a walkabout on this little bluff, then ran across the road to the trailhead at McNee Ranch, went up and up and up, caught sight of a Wisdom Tree standing sentinel over the ocean, and then headed back down as the sun set.

Grey Whale Cove’s Trail called for us to start at this same cliffside and race across Highway One to avoid oncoming semis, but once at the trailhead, our feet tread new ground, allowing us new perspective and exploration.

The hills were much greener than the last time we were here, thanks to the winter of water California was getting.

The bench was aptly placed for those winded from the initial steep incline. The north showed us the endless wilds.

And the south showed us civiliation.

We headed north.

Around the “hill” we caught more views of Highway One to the north.

But we set our sights on the wild along the trail in front of us.

The trail took a quick right, straight up the hill we had wound our way around. I can walk for days no problem, but a steep incline kills me. That first incline to the bench was nothing. For this "hill", we ascended over 320 feet within a third of a mile where the grade was 32% at its peak. There were no steps, but the slope was about the same as an extremely steep set of stairs. 

But we made it, as we always do. And as usual, the view while allowing my heart to return to its normal rhythm and for my lungs to get some air in them, was stunning.

I stood beneath that Wisdom Tree and let its oxygen renew me.

And then down we went, with views overlooking the ocean to one side and to the diversity of trees on the other--some of which seemed to be Wisdom Tree's elders who had left the bluff for the mountains.

We crossed back over Highway One and explored a little more of the bluff.

Not yet having my fill of the ocean but running out of trail, I decided we should stop at Rockaway Beach. The shops and buildings went right up to the ocean, like an Oregon-style town with no fear of tsunamis.
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We ate lunch at a little seaside diner, and then walked down the short street to the plaza and boardwalk in front of the rocky border that held the sea in.

The rising cliff marked the end of the boardwalk and as far as we could go (safely).

I’m sure we could have clamored over rocks and boulders, but the risk outweighed the reward. The view was quite good from here.

We turned around and sat for a spell, looking at the ocean in the little cove of Rockaway Beach. The ocean is vast, but we need not take it in all at once. Enjoying the coves and inlets, drinking in the views one sip at a time, we appreciate all the nuances of how the sea connects to land. It reminds us that it’s a big life out there, but it's not a challenge under threat of drowning; it's a vast beauty meant to be enjoyed one sippable moment at a time.