Before the lighthouse at Pigeon Point, and before the goats and their Anatolian shepherds at Harley Farm, or the artichokes or the immigrants, or migrant farm workers of Pescadero, there were the Ramaytush Ohlone “people of the west.” They burnt grass, and they grew fruit and nuts and caught fish.
And before the Ramaytush Ohlone were the fish—after which the town was named Pescadero by Spanish-speaking settlers. The marsh around the town was a nesting place for waterfowl. It was home to steelhead trout and coho salmon, and so many amphibians and reptiles.
Today, on one of the hottest days of the year, Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero is my destination. A heat dome covers California, but coast-side, the breeze from the Pacific keeps the temperature hovering around 60. I'll spend the afternoon with the herd at
