Welcome To Goat Rock!

Ever been to Goat Rock? Well, next time you are on California’s Sonoma Coast, head to the ocean for a bit of nature’s finest!

As the sign says, this location includes Goat Rock, Blind Beach AND The Arch View…and what exactly is “the arch view?”

It’s THIS!

“The Arch” is magnificent – and is just the beginning of an incredible journey along the Pacific Ocean coastline in Northern California – in all of its wonder!

It’s time to head to the beach – in this case, the stretch of Pacific Ocean at Jenner Beach, which sits at the exact spot that California’s Russian River flows into the sea!

One of the best parts of making this trip is driving directly alongside the Russian River for miles and miles – except when the road takes you through scenery like this:

As you can see, the scenic drive is spectacular, and the river teases you as you get closer to the ocean – until suddenly you have entered the park and drive down the road to see this:

Suddenly, the ocean reveals itself to you – in the morning there are still pockets of fog, but the beauty is overwhelming regardless!

As you can see on this picture, to the right is the part of the last of the Russian River as it heads into the ocean, which is on the left – and that sandbar between them has a very important role – it’s the seal sanctuary!

From the highway above, you can see down onto Goat Beach – filled with Seals and Seal Pups – and when you go down to the beach itself, you can see them nearby as well…

Let’s get closer and look at some video of the Seals heading ashore to their sanctuary as well…

After a short walk over sand dunes, you find the incredible views of the ocean from Jenner Beach, an idyllic town at the edge of the ocean and the Russian River…

Moments after I arrived, a whale showed up offshore and spouted for several minutes – note this picture below – see the spray coming out of the water on the left of the screen:

Everyone on share waited patiently and pointed their cameras to grab a glimpse of the whale, but I headed over to find a bunch of other friends much more active in the water:

I walked out on a ledge and got more more footage of the Seals in the water, checking out the shoreline and making their plans to approach the beach:

Here is more video of the seals in the water – and ultimately they will beach themselves in order to nest:

You can watch this all day, as long as you maintain a respectful distance and don’t bother the wildlife at all.

I arrived at the beach in mid-morning, and when I left two hours later, the sun was beginning to break through. Jenner Beach is just a few miles from Bodega Bay, another iconic location:

This location is famous as the small town under attack by – well, you can see for yourself:

Yes, I shared my “Hitch Hike” here with my wife – and then we watched the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller “The Birds” – see that story here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/06/28/hitch-hiking-2-the-birds-at-bodega-bay-californias-amazing-coastline-a-series-of-great-hikes-alfred-hitchcocks-best-movies/

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Thanks so much for reading – let me know if you’ve been to this incredible part of the world!

Categories: Art, Cult Movies, Exotic Travel, Great Films, Memoirs, Movies, nature, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, Uncategorized

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