2011 Sea Ranch Day 2

Waking up Saturday morning, I was very confused. From the master bedroom, window, it looked like the sun was rising over the ocean.

After a couple of cups of coffee, I went out for a long morning run. I headed up the coast running on the bluffs overlooking the ocean. From the house where we are staying to the Gualala River beach was just a bit over 3.5 miles. I stopped and stretched in the surf and then headed back for a total of just over 7 miles. In almost 40 years of running, this was probably the most spectacular run I have ever had. The views and the weather were absolutely amazing.

The house has some unbelievable views of the coast and the ocean. After a breakfast on the deck, we walked over and checked out the new rec center and pool. Along the way, much to Sharon's delight, we came across a herd of sheep.

Back at the house, we put together a pack and hiked down the coast in the opposite direction from my earlier run. Sea Ranch has an extenive set of trails running for more than 10 miles along the coast with numerous spots to access the beach. The tide was very low. Jack enjoyed exploring tidepools, digging in the sand and coming across a large of group of seals lounging in the rocks. We covered about 3.75 miles round trip. Between my run, the earlier walk to the rec center and our hike, I covered between 11 and 12 miles; my legs were actually a little sore.

We spent the last afternoon lounging round the house reading and playing Uno. We watched the sunset from the hot tub on the deck over looking the ocean. Getting cleaned up for dinner, we headed to St. Orres. Sharon had dinner there with Janie and Mary in 2008. With a Russian influenced architecture, the building is interesting, but the food was only so so. Sharon and Jack had boar, while I had vension. Sharon and I shared a bottle of David Bruce 2007 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

We finished the night watching The Social Network on bluray DVD and having birthday cake. Sharon got me a bluray player for Christmas and we brought it, some cables and some dvds with us on the trip. By the time we finished the movie and got everyone down for bed, it was after midnight.