Pt. Reyes National Seashore

I take Aggie and Carol for breakfast in Stinson, then head up to Pt. Reyes for a look around...

The road to Pt. Reyes is along an exposed promontory, with lots of great views along the way.

I stop here, at a sheltered lookout, to warm up a bit.

Although I can't see them, I can clearly hear the roars of the sea lions from the rocks below....

On the way back to Stinson, I take a turnoff and end up here, at Drake's Beach. It's a beautiful spot, first sighted
by Sir Francis Drake in 1579 during his circumnavigation of the world. He dubbed the spot New Albion, due to its
resemblance to the cliffs at Dover.

I spend a couple of hours, walking along the beach...

and I soon encounter several of these rather horrifying jellyfish, washed up by a strong surf.

Further down the beach, the tall sandstone cliffs offer some shelter from the raking wind.

At the foot of this one, I discover a dead bird slowly decomposing in a dessicated grave...

Near the base of the cliffs, the beach resembles the surface of Mars. Perhaps I'll take beastie there on my next trip.
I'm sure she'd love it!

Further down the shore, I come across this convivial congregation...

Not quite sure what they are, but they seem to recall their form of their origin. In other words, they look like eggs,
on legs!

As a self-styled connoisseur of beaches, I'd say this really is a special one, and I advise anyone with the time
to visit here. There's a rather good cafe by the parking lot at the base of a tall cliff.

I drink a hot chocolate and warm up in the sun, watching the waves break.

Reluctantly, I gear up for the 30 mile ride back to Stinson Beach. I'm planning on an early, whiskey free night.
Tomorrow, I must reach Yosemite by sunset, and it's nearly 250 miles away. I take one last look at Drake's Bay,
then hop on the bike for a spirited ride home.

Muir Woods

It's pouring rain when I make the run up the coast, and the ride is a blast. When I arrive
in Mill Valley, the sun comes out, so I fill up with gas, then check the air pressure of the tires.

After a flat white and a cigarette, I backtrack to Muir Woods.

Not five minutes into the park, I encounter this copse of stately Costal Redwoods...

Some spectacles of nature seem to defy photography.

or words...

Muir woods is certainly one of those spectacles!

I leave when the park closes, enriched beyond measure, and roll back to Stinson.

Stinson Beach, CA, day 2

I wake up early and hungover from a night of Jameson's and liar's dice down at the Sand Dollar. To snap out of it,
I take a morning walk on the beach. This is the house directly across the street from Aggie's.

Some of the locals seem to have rather loose standards of vehicle maintenance.

The sun struggles to break through the cloud cover.

At water's edge, I encounter a group of diligent plovers...

The fog clings to the hills, and it definitely looks like rain.

I spend a few more minutes with the plovers before the rain begins to fall....

Stinson Beach, CA, day 1

I arrive in good spirits, exhilarated from the ride. After a chat with Aggie, I unload the panniers...

...and take a walk down to the beach. Aggie's house, where I'm staying, is two blocks away from this access point.

I arrive just in time for sunset.

Hwy. 1 to Stinson Beach

This is my first attempt at packing all my gear, and it's a pretty sloppy arrangement.

Nevertheless, the beastie was anxious to begin the trip.

After crossing the Golden Gate bridge, and few miles of lovely, twisting curves to the top of the headlands, the road splits. The left heads to the coast, and Stinson Beach. The right, to Muir Woods, and eventually around the back of Mount Tamalpais. This is the view looking down at Muir Woods.

I followed the road down to the entrance of Muir Woods, then doubled back to the fork and headed out along Hwy. 1, towards the coast. The highway is a perfect ribbon, curving and twisting its way down to the coast.

I follow this amazing coastline all the way to Stinson Beach.

San Francisco, Thanksgiving Day, 2010

Went down to Scuderia West first thing yesterday morning to pick up my new beasty!

Isn't she a handsome girl? First, I took her down to Fisherman's wharf for some fresh sea air.

It was a brilliant, sunny day. After a coffee and a cigarette, I took a ride to the bridge.

It had to be done...