Tule Elk

Historic Ranch, Wildflowers, Elk— and Quail: Pierce Ranch, Pt. Reyes NS… Pacific Coast Series7

/ Curt Mekemson / 30 Comments
Peggy and I visited the historic Pierce Ranch during our recent two week stay at Point Reyes National Seashore. We didn’t go to see the quail, but there they were, everywhere. This one, wearing his ‘red cap with white trim, white beard, bushy eye brows, and big belly,’ reminded me of someone. A certain Mr. Claus perhaps? But what about the jaunty feather in his cap? Actually, it is six overlapping feathers.

Anyone visiting Pt. Reyes National Seashore should visit the historic Pierce Ranch. It provides an excellent introduction to the dairy industry that started in the mid-1800s and still exists within the National Seashore boundaries today. Local ranchers worked together with the Sierra Club in the 1960s and 70s to preserve their ranches and avoid the onslaught of real estate speculators and developers who envisioned turning the beautiful area into massive profits for themselves and great homes for the few that could afford them— instead of one of the world’s premier national parks for everyone.

There is more to the ranch than history, however. For one, there is a tule elk reserve in the area. Having been eliminated from the region during the 1800s, they were reintroduced in 1978 and now constitute a sizable herd. A trip out to the ranch doesn’t guarantee you will see these magnificent creatures but the odds are you will. A short— or longer— hike out the Tomales Point Trail will increase your chances even more. Gorgeous scenery, wild flowers galore, birds and other wildlife are three more excellent reasons for a visit.

We actually went out twice on our visit: The first time was with our friends Tom Lovering and Lita Campbell, the second by ourselves. We didn’t need any excuse to go a second time, but the fact we had forgotten to bring our cameras except for an iPhone the first time was certainly a factor. We’ve become spoiled. Our photos are from both trips, however. Even Tom jumped in with his iPhone.

Quail eat a variety of plants and insects but seeds are always high on their list. This California quail is searching for them along the Tomales Point Trail.
He stopped to check out a small stick.
The wind added an interesting look to the quail as it came down the trail toward us.
A feather dancer, perhaps.
This is the time of the year when quail pair up. The hen, who had been searching for food in the grass, joined her mate. This shot provides a good view of the contrast between the male and female. Both are attractive. Soon they will have a clutch of eggs that can number up to the high 20s. It will be well hidden in the grass. When the babies hatch, it becomes the male’s job to serve as a guard. I’ve often watched one perched in a location that provides a view of the surrounding area. A quick call sends mom and babies into hiding when a threat appears. The chicks get “Freeze!” I once came on a group in the Marble Mountains of Northern California that had ‘froze’ on the trail in a tight little circle. While I was grabbing my camera, Mom realized her mistake and called “Run!” Boy, did they. In every direction.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (so to speak), a covey of quail had gathered. Except during mating season, this is the preferred lifestyle for quail. When frightened their first reaction is to run. They are fast! The next step is to zoom out. The sound that their wings makes is very distinctive, as is their calls. Once you have heard either, it is easy to remember.
We discovered, when we hiked out the Tomales Point Trail, that we had hit the height of flower season. Three of the most common are shown here: Yellow and pink mustard, hairy gum plant (Grindelia hirsutula), and cow parsnip.
It’s hard to travel anywhere in the US without encountering mustard. It comes in a variety of colors from white to yellow to blue to purple. While I don’t find the individual flowers particularly attractive compared to many others, a field of mustard can brighten up one’s day. Not so a dairy farmer’s, however. The plant is mildly poisonous to cattle. It can also give a bad taste to milk, cream, butter and, I assume, cheese. On the other hand, its tiny seeds produce mustard.
Hairy gum plant hardly seemed the appropriate name for these cheerful yellow daisies.
The real surprise to me, however, were the cow parsnips. The cow parsnip is a fairly common plant, a giant member of the carrot family. I’ve always admired them for their size, but I’ve never thought of them as particularly beautiful, until this trip.
Nor have I ever noticed how they come wrapped up as young plants.
Part of this cow parsnip is in bloom, while other parts are in the budding stage.
Budding and blooming are combined here.
In full bloom. While quite pretty and presumably edible (if you know what you are doing), I would neither pick this flower for a bouquet nor eat it. Sap from the stems is known to be phototoxic. If you get some on your skin, sunshine can turn it into a severe rash.
While I was focusing on flowers, Peggy was capturing some of the impressive scenery. This is looking out toward Tomales Point. The Pacific Ocean is on this side of the peninsula. Tomales Bay is on the other. The Bodega Bay Headlands can be seen in the distance.
Sea stacks that tower above McClure Beach. I really like the contrast here between the ocean and the grass with the massive rocks providing separation between the two.
Here, Peggy caught the iconic cypress trees at the start of the Tomales Point Trail at Pierce Ranch.
Tree tops.
I took this photo because I was enamored with the rooftops. The large building once served as the dairy barn. The other buildings served a variety of purposes ranging from bunkhouses to where the butter was made. More cypress provide a backdrop for the barn.
Tom and Lita were with us on our first trip out to the Pierce Ranch. The skies were threatening rain.
Tom was rather taken with this single cypress tree that was peaking over the dairy barn and set off by stormy skies. I thought his capture of the barn was quite good as well.
I amused myself inside by taking a photo out of one of the windows. Modern art?
This might seem like a strange thing to throw into the middle of a blog on Point Reyes but Tom wouldn’t stop talking about it. I’ve know Tom in a great number of capacities during the 50 years we have been hanging out together, but somehow, I never imagined him as someone who would create a powerful, battery operated blender that you can take anywhere. Thus the name: All Terrain Blender. He designed it with outdoor activities and tailgaters in mind, but it turns out it will make an excellent addition to our RV or any area with confined space from apartments to small houses. (The top and the bottom can be flipped and fitted together for storage!) The product is now in its final stages of development. Market studies suggest that it will be very successful. It’s hard to say how successful, but one thing I know about Tom is that he will use a substantial part of any profits he makes to support good causes. That’s what he has been doing all of his life.
Way off in the distance, you can see a tiny figure. That’s me, searching for elk. When we visited the ranch with Tom and Lita, the elk were hanging out beside the road and our only camera was our iPhone. When we came back with our good cameras, they were off in the far distance. Go figure. Peggy decided to stay in the truck while I went on my search.
I actually found one. Its response was, “What in the heck are you doing here?” And then immediately ran off.
This horse wasn’t likely to run off anywhere. We found him at a ranch on our way back to camp after visiting Pierce Point Ranch. Tom snapped its photo. Have you ever see such a swayback? That’s it for today. Our next post will wrap up our Point Reyes visit with a trip out to the lighthouse, a walk on the Earthquake Trail, and a hike to Tomales Bay.

The Historic Pierce Ranch and a Herd of Tule Elk… Pt. Reyes National Seashore

/ Curt Mekemson / 22 Comments

Lichens found on a fence on Pierce Ranch at Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

Lichens, adorning a fence on the historic Pierce Ranch at Pt. Reyes National Seashore, remind visitors that it has been 46 years since the last cow mooed.

Marin County land speculators, real estate firms, and local governments had a dream in the 1950’s. They were going to turn Pt. Reyes into one vast housing tract. Mouth-watering profits were to be made. Local tax dollars would increase proportionately. Everyone would gain.

Well, not quite.

Local ranchers saw a life style they had loved for over a century disappearing. The Sierra Club saw one of the world’s richest natural environments falling under the blades of bulldozers. The National Park Service saw it’s dream of opening the beautiful coast and forests of the area to the public being replaced by a forest of no trespassing signs.

An alliance was formed. Environmentalists and ranchers joined together with visionary local and national leaders to devise a plan that would protect the environment, allow ranchers to continue ranching, and give the National Park Service the opportunity to create one of America’s premier parks, a gift to America and the world that would last for generations. In 1962, John Kennedy signed the legislation that would create the Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

The Pierce Ranch, located out on Tomales Point, ceased operation in 1973. Three years later it became part of the park as a historic representative of the dairy ranches at Pt. Reyes that had been milking cows and shipping butter to the Bay Area since 1866.

In 1978 a herd of Tule Elk was reintroduced to the area as part of the Tomales Point Tule Elk Reserve. Native to California, Tule Elk had once roamed throughout the state in substantial numbers. By 1900 they were close to extinction. Saved by a Bakersfield rancher, over 20 protected herds are now located in California.

Photo of a lichen covered fence at Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

Another photo of the lichen covered fence. It’s like a strange forest.

Photo of cypress tree wind break on Pierce Ranch inPt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

Possibly the mother of all cypress tree windbreaks stands above Pierce Ranch.

Photo of barn at Pierce Ranch, Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

A number of buildings make up the ranch, including this old barn.

Photo of one-room school house at Pierce Ranch, Pt. Reyes National Seashore including Leslie Lake and Peggy Mekemson. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

Isolated out on Tomales Point, Pierce Ranch formed a small community that included a store and this school-house. Since our friend Leslie Lake spent many years as a third grade teacher and Peggy worked as an elementary school principal, I’ve included them in the photo.

Looking inside school at Pierce Ranch on Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

Once filled with laughing children learning their abc’s, the school is now vacant and the windows are covered with cobwebs– ghostly reminders of the past.

Old cattle pen at Pierce Ranch at Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

Once upon a time cattle would have been penned up within these fences, ready to be loaded on to trucks using the blocked ramp at the top of the photo.

Aging fence at Pierce Ranch, Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

A close up of the fence.

Bunk house at Pierce Ranch on Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

This small bunk house would have accommodated ranch hands. Up to 20 were employed at the height of milking season.

Photo of dairy house at Pierce Ranch, Pt. Reyes National Seashore by Curtis Mekemson.

This dairy house was where butter was prepared to be shipped off to San Francisco in large kegs. Butter from Pt. Reyes was considered to be very high quality and was sold in gourmet shops and used in the best restaurants.

Old farming equipment at Pierce Ranch on Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

What’s a farm without equipment? This piece had morphed into a planter.

Close up of old farm equipment at Pierce Ranch on Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

A close up.

Old soil tiller at Pierce Ranch, Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

This tiller also caught my attention.

Rusted gear and chain on soil tiller at Pierce Ranch, Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

Rusted gear teeth and chain on tiller.

Tule Elk grazing on a hill at the Tule Elk Preserve at Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

Having toured Pierce Ranch we climbed the hill next to the ranch in search of Tule Elk. We found them a long ways off. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

Photo of bull Tule Elk at Pt. Reyes National Seashore Tule Elk Reserve. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.

Here’s how one looked a little closer.

NEXT BLOG: North and South Beach where the Pacific Ocean crashes ashore. Here’s a final shot of the Tule Elk. One of the big guys had obviously taken an interest in me. I was hoping it wasn’t personal. –Curt

A pair of Tule Elk at Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.