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Chicken Ranch Beach, Tomales Bay, West Marin, California

Posted August 21, 2009 , trackback
I’m the first to admit: sometimes I just want easy. Easy dinner, easy shopping, easy chores, easy peasy lemon squeazy. Easy beaches. A beach with no hike, no dunes through which to trudge, no waves, no wind. And when I want it easy I go to Chicken Ranch Beach.
//www.flickr.com/photos/jkup/2377927760/

About as big as the waves get. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jkup/2377927760/

Just the name is easy. Chicken Ranch Beach, a small nugget of child-friendly beach located on Tomales Bay. Although finding it is not so: there is no sign. The entrance is covered by brush. Just look for the cars, though, parked along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard just past the town of Inverness. This is where the going gets easy when the easy get going.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artolog/69539770/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artolog/69539770/

The beach at Chicken Ranch is a mix of sand and ground up shells, mostly oyster shells. I recommend wearing some sort of waterproof shoe if you want to go in the water as there are areas with sharper shells. (I tell my daughter that the oyster shells are the fingernails of mermaids. She believes me, and I sort of believe myself.) The water here is warmer than anywhere else in the West Marin, shallow, calm. There are usually throngs of kids and adults swimming here. Chicken Ranch Beach is also a popular spot to put in kayaks, canoes and other small water crafts.

Be forewarned, however, although Chicken Ranch Beach is easy on the eyes, easy to get to, easy for dog-owners, easy to stay with little to no wind and warm water, there are not a lot of amenities here. One porta-potty stands in the sun for those brave souls who really have to go; fires are not permitted and no camping.

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