"King Tide" photos?

[pliebenberg]

Anybody else head to the coast to witness the highest tides of 2012?

To keep this somewhat OT I went somewhere I've ridden my bike to before; Monterey Bay's Salinas River Beach---this pix was taken about a month ago:

My Pugsly fat-bike on "the barge"; the only exposed shipwreck between Seacliff and Monterey.

I hiked in today; here's "the barge" at high tide a little before 10:00---the ridge in the background on the left is Empire Grade above Ben Lomand:


I just couldn't get enough of how the foam would blast out of the structure on the deck:




The shore birds didn't seem to mind at all:


Lots of shore birds; cohenfive's "Angry Birds' thread inspired me to take lots of fowl pictures. (pun intended) Barge barely visible in the distant surf; Loma Prieta is the high point on the horizon:


I could approach fairly close:


Before they'd take flight:




Looking away from the coast across the Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge towards Salinas; Fremont Peak is the high point---a bulkhead from some sort of modern craft lies buried in the sand:


They really don't want anybody entering the dunes; signs every few yards---"Saline Pond' is in the distance:


Signs are set at the mean high tide limit; State land towards the ocean, Federal land towards the dunes:


The dunes have grown in recent times enough to nearly bury some signs:


Portola supposedly planted a cross on this bluff which the twin stacks of the Moss Landing power plant appear to sprout from:


It's always struck me as odd that a "wildlife refuge" would allow hunting:




Main reason I hiked in this way was to document the "no bikes"; I must inquire as to why this is:

There's a mile or so of trail open to bikes from the parking lot; the last 1/4 mile to the beach is closed---WTF? (Would be perfect on a fat bike)

Here's a link Salinas River NWR: Refuge Map

[Carl Hungus]

That's one of the only stretches of beach on the Monterey Bay that I've never been to. I'll have to get down there some time. Nice pics.

[Diesel~]

Enjoyable. Thanks for posting.

-D

[darich]

Thank you for sharing.