Mal Coombs Park

King Range National Conservation Area (BLM)

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First stop after the last short day backpacking was Mal Coombs Park for a short look about and to grab a single geocache. The park has picnic tables and playground equipment and grass, but that's not interesting to me. The good stuff is down the steps where there's more tide pooling. Oh, and the Cape Mendocino lighthouse has been relocated to it. I first stopped at the pair of signs at the top of the steps that help identify the animals that might be found down below. They also hold the information I needed to determine the actual coordinates for the geocache. I got a bit antsy about how long it was taking me to sort out the details with the tide coming in and the pools getting less accessible. I could just go down and sort the coordinates after, but that wouldn't be efficient if the coordinates came out down by the beach. Efficiency is something to strive for more in running errands around town, not in poking around a beach side park.

The noisy sea lions on the far rocks are calling.

I headed down the steps after getting coordinates that I still wasn't sure were were exactly. The tide pools were in the process of getting flooded by the tide. There were still quite a lot and big ones. It must be a really good place for tide pooling when the tide is low enough.

This is the far north point of the actual cove that is Shelter Cove.

Across one large pool still cut off from the sea to look north.

The seals are quieter and slightly closer. The large one appears to have been hit by a boat at some point.

Zoom out, and there's lots more seals to see. The sea lions are on the taller rocks.

Kelp and barnacles. Not too much to see in the upper pools.

Found a few snails hiding away from the sun.

I headed back up the steps and found the geocache. Of course it wasn't down on the beach. It would wash away frequently if it was there or even among the bits of cliff.

The stout lighthouse from Cape Mendocino was once high up so was able to shine its light quite far.

©2020 Valerie Norton
Written 3 Apr 2020