Bird Island Trail

Stitched between the pictures on these pages are many stories involving family members, the wildness of nature, strangers, and meaningful moments travelling as father and son. Here is one.

We had just completed our Bird Island Trail hike. As we sat in our van preparing lunch, some young adults walked by and let us know how much they loved our hippy van. We had grown accustomed to people of all ages nodding their approval as they crossed our path.

Later, as we drove out of the Point Lobos State Reserve, we passed these young people again, shouting for us to give them a ride. We stopped to let the squealing teenagers in. As we began driving, a young woman asked,

"Are you two related?"

"Yes, we're father and son traveling through the national and state parks together."

She seemed startled, and her child-like exuberance became a quiet wonderment and wistfulness. Her eyes opened to a father and son bond that is all too rare in the times we live in. Before our adventure, we knew that traveling with each other would deepen our relationship, yet it had never occurred to us how much other people might be emotionally affected by our journey.