A Day of Rest - Tuesday August 19

Okay, so it's after midnight so it really is Wednesday already, but I'm catching up on posting after the picture issues.

Today (Tuesday) was my first day of NO DRIVING since Saturday and it was a well needed day off. I slept in - well, not really. I woke up early, but I luxuriated in bed for several hours, thinking and dozing and listening to the waves crash. I wonder - would I ever get tired of that sound? I doubt it.

When I finally got up I watched a movie on TV while getting ready for the day. I walked over to the lighthouse and lighthouse museum. Took me all of 30 seconds to walk there - that's how close I am! One of the volunteer docents let me into the lighthouse where I walked the 147 steps up to the top. Point Arena Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in California. The last time I was here the first order Fresnel light was still in the top, but it's now been automated with a coast guard light on the outside of the windows.

Getting ready to walk up the lighthouse stairs.

 

I made it! Standing in front of the current light.

 

Wind about to blow me backwards.

 

The beautiful Fresnel light is in the museum and it was really cool to see close up. Pictures don't do it justice. I tried to catch the rainbows in the photo, but it's really hard. It's a magnificent light.

The walk up the stairs was fun. I only had to rest once. The docent at the top let me walk around on the outside, which was super windy but really cool to do. And I got some nice pictures.

My room is just to the right, cut off this photo.

There was a telescope in the tower and through the lens I saw some beautiful greyish-white spotted sea lions lounging on one of the large rocks out in the ocean. One of them was waving! Okay, probably scratching himself, but it looked like it was waving.

Talk about taking a difficult picture - cell phone camera up to a telescope.
Can you see the white shapes on the rock? Sea lions.

After I climbed down and spent some time in the museum (and money in the gift shop) I came back to my room and took a nap. What a luxury. I had called a day spa in Gualala to see if they could squeeze me in for a massage because my back was really hurting from all the driving, but I figured they wouldn't be able to do it. But, lo and behold, they called and I got a great 90-minute massage this evening. Afterwards I had dinner at a restaurant called Cove Azul and my seat faced the window that overlooked the ocean. Doesn't get much better than that!

The view out of my door window this morning when I got up.