The End of the California Road

On the Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore.

We hit another bonanza today!

There was bright blue sky above as we woke up in Bodega Bay after a day of rain and thick fog. This morning, the fog was creeping in at the top of the water on the bay but the sky above was blue and the sun was shining. It was a rather incredible scene, but we knew we were in for sunshine after the morning fog burned off.

We headed down Highway One, knowing this would be our last day on this wonderful highway along the Pacific Coast. It was a short drive to the Point Reyes National Seashore, passing by some really neat little towns—Tomales Bay, Point Reyes Station and Oleam. Tiny little burgs right on the bay with houses that stood on wood stilts out and just above the water. Talk about your ocean front place!

There was a point when we weren't sure we were on the right highway as we hugged Tomales Bay, which looked this morning like a sheet of glass. There was a big mountain range between us and the ocean when we got closer to Point Reyes and found out that that's what Point Reyes is a mountain that literally folds into the bay on the east side and the ocean on the west side.

What a beautiful place, quiet as a mouse with slippers on, perfectly calm, wonderful cypress and oak trees and fields of marshes, tall grass and scrub bushes that looked like manzanetta bushes. Inside the park, after a visit to the Visitors Center, we drove up over the mountain to the Dunes Beach where you could see for miles. At the start, we were the only ones on the beach and then others started arriving but not very many. The sun was out and the fog was hugging the high mountains and the cliffs to our north. The beach was miles and miles long and the waves were flowing onto the beach, not crashing like they were yesterday. The water was so blue you could almost see to Hawaii (well, maybe not that far). Anyway, it was something else.

We were sad to see the end of Highway One when we headed east toward San Rafael so we could cross the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco. We traveled some 150 miles on Highway One, seeing the ocean in its entirety, and we spent three days at some great places with very little traffic in our way. We won't soon forget the ocean and the rugged rocks that jut out of the ocean floor, nor the wavy, curvy road or the redwood groves or the cypress trees or the little towns we stayed in.

The Golden Gate Bridge looked like we've rarely seen it. The fog was coming under the bridge and you could see blue sky and the San Francisco skyline over the top of the fog. There were thousands of people walking across the bridge, basking in the sunshine with little wind and looking at the fog cover below them.

Then we headed down 19th Avenue, passing by San Francisco State, where the three of us went to school. We didn't have time to stop but I doubt we'd have found a parking place because school was in session. There weren't any parking places when we were there and I'm sure things haven't changed in that department. Anyway, it was good to drive by the place and it conjured up some memories of our days in The City when we were all broke and happy.

So we leave SF on one of those great days in the city and tomorrow, we head east, through the Nevada desert and then north into Twin Falls, Idaho. We'll be close to seeing the Tetons and Jackson Hole on Wednesday. For sure, though, the road will be straighter than the one we've been on for three days.

Happy Trails.