On the plane in Burbank, California waiting to take off. Flying to Oakland, California to visit Sooz.

The next day, driving to Point Reyes to check out the lighthouse.

Stopped at a cheese place (forgot the name) to get some snacks for the day.

The cheese place had a pond with ducks, they started coming toward us as we approached the waters edge.

They only stayed for a few minutes. Once they realized that we weren't going to feed them, they swam away.

Driving on the Francis Drake Highway. It's really green in this area, most of the inland areas are dry due to the low amount of rainfall this year.

Sooz at the start of the short hike to the lighthouse.

Looking north at the shore of Point Reyes Beach near the start of the hike.

One of the many deer we saw in the area.

The Lighthouse Visitor Center. We took a quick look inside then continued on to the lighthouse.

There was this Gray Whale skull on display outside the Visitor Center. The sign on the display stated that the whale was a 41 foot long female and was found on 2/11/85 at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

This is a part of the system that was used to gather rainwater for the lighthouse residences and to create steam for the early fog signal.

On the stairs that lead down to the lighthouse.

Getting closer.

Looking down at the ocean from the stairs.

At the lighthouse. We first went inside the building before checking out the lighthouse.

These Supertyphon air horns are the fog signals that were used from 1962 to 1975 and were operated by air compressors. They replaced the earlier steam operated ones.

The air compressors that operated the air horns.

The sign on this unit said it was a Voltage Synchronizer, no idea what it was used for.

These stairs go down to a small building in front of the lighthouse. This photo was taken from the platform on the lighthouse.

This is the small building in front of the lighthouse, it has the new fog horn that replaced the Supertyphon air horns. There isn't any railing on the right side, probably why the stairs that lead down there had a lock gate.

While we were on the lighthouse platform, we spotted five Gray Whales about a mile out heading south for the winter.

Looking up into the lens in the lighthouse.

The rollers and drive gears under the lens assembly.

Back outside, a view of the lighthouse windows.

Another view of the lighthouse showing the platform we were on earlier.

Close up of the roof that has what looks like a lightning rod on it.

Back on the stars heading back up. I didn't notice it on the way down, but every once and a while the stairs had numbers on them. Near the bottom, it was over 300, guessing it lets people know how much stairs remain to get you to the top.

Looking down from the stairs, those little white dots on the rock are hundreds of nesting Murres, there is even more down in the shadows.

Nice looking trees on the hike back to the truck.

We took a snack break in the parking lot with the goodies from the cheese place before heading out.

Driving to the elephant seal overlook.

After a short hike, we arrived at the overlook. The elephant seals were laying out on the beach and some were in the water.

One of the females swam by.

Took another short hike to check out the historic Point Reyes Lifeboat Station.

Sign on the road that leads down to the Lifeboat Station.

As we approached the Lifeboat Station, we came upon four big male seals sleeping next to the road.

Another one was in the water just below the road.

Some cows by the road as we head to South Beach.

These cows decided to raid the hay barn instead of grazing in the field.

The road down to South Beach.

View to the south.

View to the north.

Sign at South Beach.

At Drakes Beach, we could see these cliffs from the Elephant Seal Overlook.

Rock formation on the beach.

Tiny sea anemones in the small pools on the rocks.

Passed by a group of elk next to the road on the drive to Tomales Point Trailhead.