Fort Ord Dunes State Park, Marina, California

 Waxing Crescent Moon

Fort Ord Dunes State Park is less than a mile from the Major General William H. Gourley VA-DoD Outpatient Clinic in Marina, California. The park is pretty new, part of the remediation efforts to change the old Fort Ord from a military training base to areas open to the public for education and recreation. The remarkably beautiful dunes tower over a four-mile stretch of the Monterey Bay coastline to the west and the Monterey Bay Recreation Trail to the east. 

Memorial Day is a sad holiday. I have experienced enough somber graveyard visits, so I don't do that exercise any more. Instead, yesterday I took a long walk on the beach and honored those who have died in war with a couple hours of peace. In my lifetime alone, The United States has lost service men and women to war in so many places - Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, Iraq twice, Syria, and Afghanistan, not counting the undercover War on Drugs countries and the Cold War countries and other War on Terrorism countries. I'm probably leaving places out because my brain is fatigued by the whole thing. I am lucky and I am thankful to be able to pick a scenic place to walk in silence and to appreciate all these brave sacrifices.

The General Plan for this park includes the construction of a campground near the location of some old barracks, which are at present an eyesore. This will no doubt add to the numbers of visitors to the park and lead to other developments nearby. I like the way they are doing this in stages, slowly removing all the decaying buildings and carefully cleaning up munitions and chemicals leftover from the once active training sites. This park is a symbol of hope. A cell phone tour of the area is available by clicking here and following the instructions.

Peace, Love, and Thoughtful Rejuvenation,

Jim

#2,022 in 2022

Hiking mileage to date: 820 miles