Moments in Dirt and Ink

Clam Beach County Park Little River State Beach ( map link ) I decided the place I wanted to go for this window of sunshine between the rain was Little River State Beach, which I previously visited on an even sunnier June day full of flowers . There aren't quite so many flowers as March starts. It's not very big, so I decided I should take in some of the county's Clam Beach to the south and Moonstone Beach to the north. The tide would be out late in the afternoon, so I left the areas with cliffs for late. I started in the county's North Lot, which was quite busy at one end and flooded at the other. Lots of dogs out, but all but one with obedient people leashing them. North of the lot is Little River State Beach which only allows dogs leashed on the waveslope. They take their position as critical snowy plover habitat seriously and loose dogs are huge threat to the ground nesting birds. Plenty of parking under the bluffs at the beach. There's trail aroun...

Little River State Beach (Map link.) After having a look at the Trinidad Coastal Land Trust property on the north side of Little River , I stopped off at Little River State Beach on the south side of the river. It is free to visit. There are two little dirt lots, one each for the North Beach Trail and the South Beach Trail. I stopped at the South Beach Trail intending to get up to the river and wander a bit. The beach trails go to the beach, as advertised, but there is also the Backdunes Trail and the Nearshore Dunes Trail for north/sough travel. South Beach Trail as it crosses the dunes to the beach. I must admit, I don't really see dunes as I look across this sandy area, just great mounds of yellow lupine. The smell of it is strong and sweet and certainly helps absorb all attention with the flowers. In southern and central California, it is native and vulnerable. Here, it is an invader. It has been removed from the other areas, but there doesn't appear to have bee...