Leaving Davenport behind, the road east moved inland. Hills now rose on my left and the way south to my right opened up to afford me an amazing view of Palomarian which led to Pomponio and Mavericks.

Curving south, the road reached a junction across from a boutique selling a collection of very elegant gowns for ladies. Looking at my map, I realised I had come to the first milestone in my journey and it was from here I had to decide whether to carry on east, or take the short detour south along the spur that ended in Mavericks.

Before I had time to make my mind up, I spotted a hitchhiker – my friend Osprey Therian who lived in Bodega had been passing and, upon seeing my car, decided to bum a lift back home. I was all too happy for the company – it can be a lonely business exploring, and sometime a little chat on the road is more than welcome. I drove her the short distance back to her home, the sea of Mohr away to my left and the inland waterways and marina of Bolinas, Myrtle and Palomarian to my right. Parking up on the road beneath the circular terraces of Osprey’s home in the cliff, I followed my friend down to where the waters of the inland sea lapped at the shores of her land and a small inlet led under Osprey’s home and art gallery.

The inlet was alive with wild animals! Sharks circled in the bay, a kingfisher dove for fish whilst a duck took its ducklings out for a paddle. On the lad I could hear a woodpecker drilling into a tree and see a squirrel playing around the feet of a loudly complaining turkey. I had even heard that a small family of bats have taken up residence in the nearby cave, but I decided against exploring for fear of disturbing these nocturnal residents. I felt happy here as one of the saddest things about this world, for me at least, is the lack of wildlife, so to find a place where birds swoop low and squirrels chitter at your feet made my heart sing.

Leaving Osprey to her business, I hiked up into the hills to the west of the inlet, past the beautiful concentric white curves of Osprey’s costume shop next to the road, and up to where an impressive tower rose into the sky. Beyond that, heading north west, I found what could only be described as a hidden submarine base. I made a mental note to contact the owner and see if he could tell me any more, but for now I continued my wandering in the tall hills.

The hills and cliffs around the base afforded this weary traveller with a great view of the bay. A small island bore a stark looking structure that seemed to be built into the rock itself. Beyond that, looking into Mohr, the horizon was stained with the smoke of the burning wreckage of the porky spaceship. After I had explored the small island just in front of me, I decided I’d have to take a trip out to see that ship. Time, I decided, to get the kayak from the car…

This is HeadBurro Antfarm for CNN iReport in Bodega.

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