Marshall Gulch, California

 

Ever since I was a little baby, my parents have been taking me to a little beach called Marshall Gulch.  So when my dad and I were in California, within driving distance of this jewel of a beach just above Bodega Bay, we decided we simply must visit it one more time, on my thirtieth birthday.  My dad and uncle loaded the car with a wonderful picnic, and off we went to meet some of the other people with whom I had visited this beach since I was a baby.  The weather, as you can see, was perfect.

  

 

When the tide is out, we like to go out and climb the further-away rock, but when the tide is in, we don't.  The waves here usually have a strong undercurrent, so swimming is not the activity of choice.  Wading and wave chasing, however, are perfectly safe and acceptable.

  

 

Also when the tide is low, or the waves are running out, we run around this rock outcropping to the beach next door.  My dad did it during this visit.  I remember a time when my mom tried it, years ago, and misjudged it a little.  She got swept out to sea in the undertow, and we weren't sure we'd ever get her back.  The next wave was gracious enough to push her back in, though, and she came back in one piece.  The camera around her neck didn't fare so well.

  

 

There were more people at the beach that day than we've ever seen at our little hole-in-the-wall beach.  We didn't mind sharing, especially with the little girl who protected our container of watermelon from the hungry sea gulls.

  

 

I don't have a scanned copy of it to post for you, but right in front of the rock to the left, there is a photo of me the summer I was born.  My parents had rigged up a shelter with a blanket over the top for me to take a shaded nap in, and there are two other nappers right beside me--the same couple who drove to meet us at the beach on my birthday this year.  Isn't that fun?