MONDAY, July 30th.
Third day on the road. And we have not yet moved an inch closer to the East Coast. Maybe it’s the San Andreas Fault pulling us north?! Of course, this close to San Francisco, it made no sense to change direction…
Driving north on Skyline Drive we stopped at Thornton Beach and Fort Funston. The weather demanded some Uggs and a winter coat, which I had somehow neglected to pack for a summer vacation. The hang-gliders and soaring birds often seen at Fort Funston had probably migrated south. It was freezing! Although, I must say the iceplant covered coastline sure looked beautiful!
Red iceplant. Thornton Beach, CA
Quick visit to the Cliff house and the ruins of the Sutro Baths.
The ruins of the Sutro Baths
Driving up Hwy 1 towards San Francisco I couldn’t wait to see the Golden Gate Bridge. And there it was –a tiny speck of orange in a giant bank of fog! Oh well. We agreed to have lunch at the Presidio and wait for the weather to clear up. Sitting at the pier watching sea lions we had an excellent view of Alcatraz… and a few more parts of Golden Gate Bridge.
Can’t really see it? Oh well, it’s there.Trust me!
I gave up! Marin County on the other side of the bridge looked so sunny and inviting, it was time to cross over.
Leaving San Francisco…
Arriving in Marin County.
One last look at the wintery San Francisco…
San Fogcisco!
and off to a summery Sausalito!
The Sausalito houseboats are so worth a closer look. It’s all about detail and creativity.
Hand-carved gates
Every houseboat has its unique charm and personality. One of my favorites was this unusually shaped houseboat my friend had lived in as a teenager.
Twisted design.
Any object capable of holding dirt has been transformed into gardens of flowers, herbs, vegetables or fruit trees. A floating orchard on The Bay.
Sausalito houseboat gardens
Continuing north we spent some time in my friend’s hometown, Mill Valley. We drove by her childhood home and had a coffee at the old bus depot turned into a bookstore-cafe.
Dinner in Larkspur and back to Mill Valley where we spent the night with dear old friends.