Oddities Tour and bird

Nancy, organizer of the MCLandLopers, has been asking members of the group if any of us had a walk we would like to do.  My Fort Bragg Oddities walk came to mind.  The brochure was published as a self guided walk but hey, I could lead one.  Thing is, I'd never tried to string all the Oddities into one walk.  So, playing around with G-map Pedometer and physically checking out a few things I came up with the shortest walk that would visit all the Oddities.  Just a tad over 6 miles (map).  We could walk and gawk it in about three hours which would be perfect since this group seems to be geared for six or seven mile hikes.

Anyway, while I was walking north on Harrison Street to see if there was a "social trail" short cut from Rose Cemetery to Perkins Street I happened to notice a hawk in someone's yard!

See him?

I figured by the time I got my camera out and focused he, like all birds seem to do, would taunt me and split!

But no!  He seemed to be as interested in me as I was in him (her?).

Looking in my Sibley I guess it is a Cooper's Hawk.  Pretty bird.

Onward some more!

It is so surprising; the connections via the web!  I was in the Fort Bragg Bakery yesterday buying a loaf of bread and a guy I didn't know asked me how I was doing.  He had discovered my blog recently and recognized me from my blogged visit to the hosiptal!  GrannyJ in Prescott, Arizona asked me how many stickers I found on my body the day after.  Three!!  She knows exactly what EKGs are like!  Several fellow bloggers in  Europe made supportive comments.  My sister e-mailed me about her experiences with PVCs (Premature Ventricular Contractions).  Many other "peeps" sent concerns and support.  Thanks one and all.  I get my monitor next Monday and hopefully it will turn out to be just PVCs. I'll let you know.

Meanwhile.  Wednesday the MCLandLopers went for another hike.

This time there was ten of us!  The biggest group yet!!

There was quite a bit of down at the beginning.

Which translates into a lot of up at the ending!!

Although the trailhead is rather hard to find the actual trail had a lot of signage.

One member had a trail guide book with a lot of in-depth information.

We would stop for a "reading" now and then!

Lots of mushroom photo opportunities.

The sun started sending beams through the trees, a beautiful day coming on.

Perfect!

Onward

I see the new restrooms at Bainbridge Park will have a tile roof that matches the VA building next door.

I couldn't pass up these two photos.  I couldn't just sit around after yesterday either.

Onward.

Well, BEANS!!

This morning I walked to the pool in the rain, swam six laps, showered, dressed, said "bye" to the receptionist and headed out the door when, once again, I felt my heart doing flip/flops.  It has happened before, in fact it did it once last September when I was hiking up to Big McGee Lake and several times since but this one went on and on.  I sat down and put my head down between my knees, dizzy and hot faced.  The event finally tapered off but this one scared me.  I decided I should go to the emergency at the hospital but I didn't want to call 911 and make a big deal out of it.  My new friend Wayne walked in the door.  I asked him if he would drive me to the hospital.  "Sure."

And so....

Here I am, imagine my surprise!  Hooked up to various equipment and getting a couple of EKGs.

No heart damage was discovered.

After seven hours of laying around waiting for results from blood tests and EKGs I was free to walk home.  A great bunch of caring folks at our Mendocino Coast Hospital.

Of course I am embarrassed to mention this because I have been blogging about getting out and walking, hiking, backpacking and swimming and this feels like eating my words.  But no, damn it!  This is also part of life.  I will be fitted with a portable heart monitor next Monday and wear it for a while to hopefully capture an "event".  I hope it is water proof!!

  Onward, peeps, Onward!!

Meanwhile.

Saturday's Trail Symposium walk

We started arriving at the Georgia Pacific, Cypress Street, gate.  And we kept arriving, and arriving!!

I estimated around one hundred interested walkers showed up!!

Maria Jones set the ground rules and handed out maps and a form for suggestions and impressions.

We were split up into several manageable groups; Linda Ruffing heading my group and points the way!

First stop, the old cemetery.

.

One of the headstones.  Click to enlarge.

Onward.

Looking North East towards some of the remaining lumber mill buildings.

A mild January day and it didn't rain or even sprinkle.

One of the entrance buoys to Noyo Harbor.

A very spectacular coastline inaccessible for 150 years.....

 less than a half mile west of downtown Fort Bragg!  Soldiers Bay in the mid ground with the pilings from the old ship loading dock visible at low tide. Click any photo to enlarge.

In the upper middle half of this photo you can just make out the Guest House Museum.

From the same location a telephoto shot looking straight East up Walnut Maple Street at our new swimming pool!

Returning to the parking area via the lumber mill's private air strip.

In a couple of hours we only walked the southern part of the proposed coastal trail addition!

In the afternoon was the Trails Symposium held at the Episcopal Church meeting hall.  Again an excellent turnout of interested folks for talks and slide shows.  Well done!!

This just in!!

Click to enlarge.

Woo Hoo!

Catchup

Last December I noticed something!

Main Street (Highway One) was partially block by something going on!

I discovered two huge tanks were being installed at North Coast Brewing Company.

Here is the second tank sitting on a side street waiting for the first tank to be installed.  Gives you an good idea of the size of these tanks!

Talking to various spectators I was told these tanks had been shipped from Germany!  In this photo you can see a hole in the roof, through the window, where one of the tanks will be lowered.

It took two cranes to lift and tip.  Then a single crane to continue lifting the tank up and over the building.  Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the most exciting part so missed the actual process.

The tanks were lowered through those openings in the roof and today you can just barely see their tops sticking out of the south end of the building.  (left side of photo)