Saturday scenery: Northern California coast

We drove north, just beyond Fort Ross, this week. The coast could hardly have been more dramatically lovely. What's that column in the distance?

The column is a Peace Totem, a creation of prolific sculptor Benny Bufano.

Is peace polydactyl? Perhaps.

Farther north within Salt Point State Park is Gerstle Cove where locals dive for abalone.

Close in, the cove is calm even while the ocean is roiled by prevailing winds.

Sea Ranch is a an exclusive, planned development along 10 miles of Sonoma County coast further north. Californians were distressed by the idea of a developer cutting off the public from such a beautiful open stretch of coast, resulting in an initiative, coalition building among coastal interests, and political agitation that resulted in the establishment of the California Coastal Commission in 1972. This body is charged with preserving coastal access for the people.

The result is several access trails and an open route along the bluff providing remarkable views of land and sea. Our brief exploration made me want to come up sometime and run the entire length of the trail. Perhaps one day ...