"On Sunday, July 19, 2009, at approximately 7:00 am, I saw a red Toyota MR2 parked in this spot. There was nothing unusual about it as people sometimes come up early in the morning to visit the Lighthouse. But when it was still here at about 12:00 pm, something just didn't feel right. At that point we ran the plates and found that it belonged to Gary - of San Francisco. We called SFPD and dispatched officers to the house in San Francisco to see if he was there. It was an old address and the person there gave us his brother's name and phone number in Hawaii. His brother Richard gave us the new address and the landlord's name and number and also said that 'if his car is there, then he went there to kill himself.' Immediately the car was cordoned off and the Marin Search and Rescue Team was called. The car was absolutely clean so they called the landlord and asked him to bring some of Gary's belongings for the search dogs to sniff. A boat and helicopter were dispatched and they began searching from the sea and air. Several search teams began scouring the grounds calling out his name. When the landlord arrived with Gary's shoes and some clothes, the dogs studied the scent and quickly dashed off toward the Lighthouse."
At this point, the park ranger and I got into his vehicle and drove up the service route to the Lighthouse which was the same route the search dogs had traveled. When we got to the end of the road, he parked the car and showed me some pictures from the case file. There were three 8 1/2" x 11" color photos. The first photo was a picture of where Gary jumped over the fence to get to the old path leading to the old lighthouse. The second picture was of the old path with some broken wooden boards. This was where a team of search dogs followed Gary's scent until the terrain got so sketchy that they had to turn around. The third picture showed a path beyond where the dogs walked...a path just inches from the cliff ... the path where this park ranger and his supervisor crawled on their hands and knees to follow the scuff marks. They crawled until they felt that their own lives were in danger. They could still see scuff marks on the path ahead and these marks went all the way to the edge of the cliff.
We got out of the car and started walking toward the Lighthouse staying on the path the scent dogs took. We stopped at the Visitors Center - which was closed - and the park ranger said "This is the place he was last seen alive."
"It was about 2:15-2:30 in the afternoon on Friday, July 17, 2009. There were two interpretive park rangers on duty - park rangers who talk about the history and geography of the area - who were getting ready for a shift change. In my investigation, we found that Gary was here on that Friday. When I showed Gary's picture to the park ranger who was on duty at the time, she immediately recognized him and described his clothing - tan shorts, a green shirt, a tan and green hat and flip flops. This was exactly what his brother Richard said that he was probably wearing on that day. She said that Gary was looking at the picture of the Point Reyes Lighthouse - the same picture you were looking at up at headquarters - and was asking about the old path and the landing below. She said that he was quiet and contemplative and that he kept to himself. Some other people came into the Center so she went to talk to them. He was still in the shop when she left for lunch at around 2:30. She was the last person to see him alive."
I then remembered that I had looked at the clock when I was sitting in the park ranger's truck. It had said 3:00 pm - just about the same time of day that Gary was in the area on that Friday in July 2009 so I asked the park ranger about the weather conditions on that day. He said that "It was very similiar to the weather today - a foggy San Francisco summer - high 40's low 50's - foggy off the coast but clear and sunny on land."
The park ranger also added that he interviewed another park ranger who was staying up near the Lighthouse on that Friday night but had come down early Saturday morning to go into town for breakfast. She remembered seeing a red Toyota in the parking lot that morning but didn't think anything of it at the time.
"Are you ready? Are you ready to go down 300 stairs to the Lighthouse?" the park ranger asked me.
"Of course", I said. "I want to see and experience everything Gary experienced on that day and to go as far as I am allowed to go."
We proceeded to the Lighthouse and I saw the long set of stairs ahead of me. Like the Visitors Center, the Lighthouse was closed but the park ranger unlocked the gate to the stairs and we started the descent. I felt like a VIP. No one else was allowed access to those stairs that day.
I was in awe of the breathtakingly beautiful views of the coast, the ocean and the Lighthouse! And I couldn't believe how high we were. I was afraid vertigo was going to kick in...but no matter...that would not have stopped me from this quest.
Down, down, down we went....quiet and contemplative....with me being careful not to trip over myself and tumble into Mr. Park Ranger who was just a few steps ahead.
Just before we got to the Lighthouse, he stopped at the last landing and said, "This is where Gary went over the fence to get to the old path. This is where not one but two to three dogs wanted to jump over to follow his scent. This is where an undocumented search team and their dogs went over and followed the scent until it got so sketchy and unsafe that they had to turn around. This is where my supervisor and I climbed over and went down to follow the path and the scuff marks until it got too dangerous for us even when we were low to the ground and on our hands and knees."
I stepped onto the landing and looked over. I looked out and examined the rocky terrain and imagined my friend climbing down to get to a secluded spot near the water. Immediately my thoughts went to... "Hmmm....he did what we would always do in a situation like this. We'd find an entry point along the coast and hike down to get as close as we could to get to the water. We'd get situated and sit there for hours....watch the waves ... contemplate life. When it got cold, we would hike back up and then go home. That was the kind of stuff we'd do. Huh."
We continued down to the Lighthouse. I tried looking for the old path, the old landing and the cliff but the buildings and the hilly coastal terrain obstructed my view. Mr. Park Ranger also informed me that I was not allowed to throw my lei and flowers over the edge as "it could land on the rocks on the way down and some tourist would see it and want to hike down to get it." He said that he could not put anyone's life in jeopardy.
At that point, I knew that I was done with the visit. I was expecting full closure but was not going to get it that day. I got a lot of details and information but it was clear that I was not going to be able to say goodbye to Gary there...not if I couldn't throw the flowers and the haku lei into the water.
The park ranger and I climbed back up....all 300+ stairs... and bid farewell to each other. I gave Mr. Park Ranger the beautifully scented gardenias - since I couldn't toss them over the cliff - and thanked him for his time, thoroughness, and understanding.
On the walk back to my car, I stopped and stood in the parking stall where they found my friend's car. I tried to get a feel of what he might have been going through back then. I did not pick up on any kind of sad or distressed energy. I turned and headed back to my car and pushed the button to open my car doors. Zilch...no light...no click....dead...nothing...again.
"Gary, cut it out! This is not funny! It's going to get dark. I need to get home!"
I pushed the button again and the locks popped up!
I got in my car and sat for awhile. I was unsettled. There was still no closure for me. But what could I do? I started to pull away from my parking spot when I looked to my left. There on the hillside were two young tule elks grazing. I quickly turned the car in that direction and parked in the exact spot where Gary's car was found. I watched these two youngsters hang out with each other - separate....doing their own things...but together! Was this a sign from Gary? I stayed there for awhile thinking about my friend, his sadness, and our many talks about growing up in Hawaii and "small kid time".
I popped in another C & K cd and headed back to the City. I still had the special haku lei in my car. Should I drive down to Stinson Beach? Should I release it at Ocean Beach? Both just didn't seem like the right choices at the time.
Something told me that there was still more to come....that my journey was not yet over.......and the little voice inside was right.
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