Day 104 – This morning we were surprised again by how many campers came into the campground overnight. Parked right next to us was a small Airstream Trailer, 2 women, & 2 dogs. They were certainly quiet since we didn’t even hear them pull in & set up. It was cloudy and 37 degrees at 8:20 a.m. We figured that it would be a good day to drive south on Highway 1 along the coast to Bolinas Bay to go to the Quail Refuge, Stinson Beach and beyond to an overlook of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge for pictures of the bridge in fog.
We’d thought that here we are, the day before Christmas Eve, and people would be at home preparing for Christmas, or doing their last-minute shopping. No one would be on the winding Highway 1 & we’d have the road virtually to ourselves. Boy, were we wrong! Maybe because times have changed & people get all ready for Christmas early these days by ordering online instead of going to stores – or – they all leave the Bay area on the weekend to travel to the beach leaving the work week and crowds behind, but everyone and their uncles were out in long lines of cars travelling on the narrow winding roads to the shore. In addition, just beyond Stinson Beach, Highway 1 was closed due to slides taking out the road (what else is new), and everyone had to take a detour up into Mount Tamalpais on a road called, “Panaramic Highway” to get from Highway 101 to the 1. And then there’s the bicyclists, bless them and their fitness activities, I have no idea how you can ride these mountainous roads without DYING, but…..between the bikes and the cars and the detour, we were out of luck getting a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. AND we had our first real taste of freeway, multi-lane, stop-and-go traffic when we did reach the suburbs of the Bay area. Something we will need to adapt to in southern CA for sure. We went scurrying back to the campground giving up our idea of spending the day at Bolinas Bay, just wanting to seek refuge in the peace and quiet. Have we been spoiled or what?
Mt. Tamalpais State Park, Mill Valley, CA
Bolinas, Stinson Beach and Mt. Tamalpais from Panoramic Highway, Mt. Tamalpais, CA
Bolinas, Stinson Beach and Mt. Tamalpais from Panoramic Highway, Mt. Tamalpais, CA
We made lunch, settled in to read our books, and I took a nap. The cats were happy. So were we. Knowing restaurants would be closed the next couple of days at least, we decided to try a little local food and went to a place at a tiny town just inside Point Reyes National Seashore. A small, local dive called the Tap Room, it was adjacent to the local organic foods store in Inverness Park. They served local wines and beer and some very good pub-style food. We started with the Garlic Fries with 2 Sauces (tons of fresh garlic), then Rob had the Vegetable Noodle Bowl and I had the Fish Tacos. Everything was very fresh and very good. Small town atmosphere, everyone knew everyone else. Back to the RV. It was a good day once we got out of the crowds.