Travels – Page 46 – Paint Your Landscape

Small Town/Big Flavor ~ Point Reyes Station, CA

July 7, 2012July 7, 2012LuAnn

It was love at first sight when we discovered this small town with such big flavors, Point Reyes Station. We have wondered how we missed this little jewel when we visited Point Reyes many years ago but are now making up for lost time, having been here three times since we arrived in San Francisco. I doubt there are many other towns with ~850 residents (signs show 350 but they have grown) that offer so much.

I could write several posts on Toby’s Feed Barn alone. Oozing ambiance, it is difficult to pull yourself away from this general store and working feed barn. Family owned and operated since 1942, this is just a sampling of what it has to offer: local organic produce, working feed barn, pet food for your smaller 4-legged friends, gifts and gourmet foods, organic coffee bar, yoga studio, community garden, small gallery displaying local artisans’ work, host for concerts, author talks, weddings and fundraisers, and a world-famous farmers’ market – all local, all organic. I’m sure I have missed something but you get the idea. This place is pretty sweet!

The story goes that in 1942 Toby Giacomini traded in the family car for a pickup truck and embarked on an amazing adventure. Announcing that he was “going into trucking” set the wheels in motion for a family business that spans three generations and is still going strong 70 years later. Tony’s tiny family business began with the delivery of milk and cream from West Marin to the East San Francisco Bay. Thirty years later his drivers were picking up milk from 50 dairies and he was supplying feed and grain to many of those farmers.

His sons all came into the business with him but it was son Chris who wanted to open a general store (Toby’s), “to create a space where the community could come together and share information and celebrate with each other”. Toby’s was an instant success, so much so that monthly the Marin farmers gathered here to discuss ways to grow organic. It wasn’t long before the Marin Organic came to be and two years later Toby’s was hosting the first Point Reyes organic farmers’ market. In 2001 Chris’s son Nick and wife (3rd generation) came on board and opened the yoga studio Yoga Toes. The family also collaborates with Point Reyes Books to host some well-known authors.

As their website says, “where else can you go listen to a Pulitzer Prize winning author and go home with fresh strawberries, summer bedding plants, the perfect gift for a friend and a bale of hay?” Where else indeed?!

Toby passed away in July 2007 at the age of 88 and man, what a legacy he has left! Although I believe most would agree that Toby’s Feed Barn is the anchor of this charming little town, there are many other stores and boutique shops that call for further investigation.

Station House Cafe is a great choice for a wonderful lunch.

Bovine Bakery is the place to go for organic coffee, great-looking pastries and yummy vegetable focaccia.

For organic linens and jammies, head to Coyuchi.

The Cowgirl Creamery Cantina, where everything looks fabulous (and they make their own cheese), has everything you could want for a superb picnic lunch. We treated ourselves to a lunch of smoked salmon crostini with fromage blanc. I am still dreaming about it!

The farmers’ market, although not one of the largest we had been to, was certainly one of the finest. Just shop here and it wouldn’t be difficult to eat a balanced color palette of vegetables to get all the nutrients and antioxidants you would ever need for a healthy diet.

Time to leave this little gem of a town as we had planned to travel a bit up Coast Highway 1. Terry had scouted out a place for some barbecued oysters and if you blink, you are likely to miss the Marshall Store on the northeast shore of Tomales Bay. Their garlic and barbecue oysters are lip-smackin’ good!

The coastline along Highway 1 is like no other, with jaw-dropping views from just about every little turn in the road, and there are many.

mussel point — Mussel Point at Bodega Bay

gleason beach — Near Gleason Beach further north

Maybe small, but big on flavor, the town of Point Reyes Station will not soon be forgotten by us.

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Biking San Francisco

July 5, 2012LuAnn

Hope all of you enjoyed the 4th, taking time to be thankful for our freedoms, even in this uncertain economy. We decided to enjoy it on bikes, marking our spot for viewing the fireworks over the San Francisco Bay later in the evening, as we were told that reserving a spot early is a must. Where we positioned our truck, biking San Francisco meant riding across the Golden Gate Bridge and it was a blustery, very cool day. This ought to be interesting!

fort point with golden gate bridge — Fort Point with Golden Gate Bridge towering over

Riding across the bridge was a little nerve-wracking, with the wind and hordes of bike riders doing the same. Mission accomplished so we headed to Fort Point National Historic Site, a Civil War era brick fort sitting directly below the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, with some stunning up-close views of the bridge.

fort point tower with arch of GG Bridge overhead — Spiral staircase accessed from base of tower leads to top tier of fort.

Completed in 1861, this fort was designed to protect San Francisco from hostile warships but surprisingly, no military action was ever seen here. “Throughout the Civil War, artillerymen at Fort Point stood guard for an enemy that never came.” It was soon realized that its construction, that of brick, was not going to stand the test of time so future forts were built of concrete reinforced with steel. This was the only fort of its kind built on the West Coast.

From here we rode our bikes through the Presidio, which served as an Army post since September 17, 1776, when New Spain made it their center of military operations. It got passed around a bit from its beginnings, to Mexico, then on to the U.S. in 1848, and finally transferred to the National Park Service in 1994. It is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is best known for its wooded areas, scenic vistas and loads of biking paths (many of them uphill!).

We passed by the San Francisco National Cemetery, which overlooks the San Francisco Bay from a sunny hillside. Roughly 30,000 Americans were laid to rest here, including Civil War Generals and Buffalo Soldiers. Terry scaled a steep slope to capture a few photos while I took a breather.

Perhaps one of the more captivating sights of the day for me was the Holy Virgin Cathedral Russian Orthodox Spiritual Center of the West Coast. As we meandered our way over to our lunch spot we saw golden turrets rising above surrounding buildings and, our interest piqued, we pointed our bikes in their direction. This magnificent cathedral, I have read, has a very vibrant congregation for the Russian population and was consecrated in 1977.

We were craving pho so Pho Garden became our neighborhood lunch spot. Arriving later than the normal lunch hour, the restaurant was still full, which we thought was a good sign. We were not disappointed, as this was some of the best pho we had ever had!

yummy pho — Yummy very filling pho lunch

Tummies full (very full), we hopped on our bikes and headed towards Golden Gate Park, the third most visited park in the U.S., behind Central Park (NYC) and Lincoln Park (Chicago). It appeared that half of San Francisco was out in force in these 1017 acres, ready to celebrate this holiday with picnics. Given the crowds, and because we had been here before, we elected to ride through instead of stopping. The crowds were too much for both of us. As we passed by the Golden Gate Bandshell/Spreckels Temple of Music, the Golden Gate Park Band was celebrating its 130th season of honoring this holiday, with patriotic music floating through the air. It was a lovely way to celebrate this day.

golden gate park band — Golden Gate Park Band

If you have never been to Golden Gate Park, some of the attractions you might want to consider are the Japanese Tea Gardens, Conservatory of Flowers, Botanical Gardens, De Young Museum, California Academy of Sciences and the Dutch Windmills and Tulips Gardens (best seen in February or March).

Our biking loop of the city took us past Ocean Beach and the Cliff House restaurant, where we quickly snapped a few photos before we were blown off the bluff (winds were picking up)!

ocean beach view — Ocean Beach view from Cliff House Overlook

Finally, the last leg of our journey (and possibly my last legs), was an uphill slog, some of it riding and some of it pushing our bikes. The Golden Gate Bridge is now in view and I am starting to wonder what this part of the adventure will be like, given the winds have picked up considerably. Luckily, very few bikers are on the bridge at this late hour of the afternoon and with eyes watering (from the wind, not from crying) we made it across and back to our truck in one piece. Our 7-hour bike ride ended with the promise of a nice picnic dinner of poached wild salmon with a lemon-dill sauce and spinach quinoa salad with goat cheese (made by me) and fireworks over the San Francisco Bay.

san francisco bridge approaching night — Night approaches – let the fireworks begin!

I don’t have the camera to capture fireworks from a distance but suffice to say they were special, exploding over San Francisco Bay. The lights on the Golden Gate Bridge were pretty stunning as well. After a long day biking San Francisco we wandered on back to our rig, ending another wonderful day. We hope for milder temperatures for those enduring sweltering heat and the absence of wildfires. You are all in our thoughts.

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The Tallest of Them All ~ Muir Woods National Monument

July 3, 2012July 5, 2012LuAnn

Advice from a Tree: Stand tall and proud/Sink your roots deep into the earth/Be content with your natural beauty/Go out on a limb/Drink plenty of water/Remember your roots/Enjoy the view! ~ (c) Ilan Shamir http://www.yourtruenature.com*

The tallest of them all is the Coast Redwood, reaching as high as 380 feet up into the heavens. We had already seen her bulkier relative, the Giant Sequoia, so we were looking forward to our visit to Muir Woods National Monument.

During peak season it is a must to arrive by 9 am to get a parking space. We did just that and within an hour the tour buses and cars streamed in. Our reward for arriving early was no crowds and a lovely, peaceful walk among these giants. This forest has a mystical, fairy-tale feel, somewhat eerie at times, with tendrils of fog snaking among the trees. Other times it was so peaceful and quiet (in the Cathedral Grove) that we felt as if we were on hallowed ground – really lovely.

These ancient Coast Redwoods covered many northern California valleys before the 1800’s, then logging took its toll. In 1905 U.S. Congressman William Kent and wife Elizabeth Thacher Kent purchased land here to protect one of the last stands of these giants. They donated 295 acres to the federal government to ensure lifetime protection. In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Muir Woods a National Monument and at Mr. Kent’s request it was named for renown conservationist John Muir.

Muir Woods can’t boast the tallest redwood on record but does have some reaching upwards of 250 feet, which is amazing given its start comes from a seed no bigger than what you would find in a tomato. Most redwoods in this stand are 500-800 years old, with the oldest in the forest topping out at 1200 years. Marine layer fog provides needed moisture for these redwoods, even in the dry season.

Another giant who calls this forest home is the banana slug, the second largest species of slug in the world, growing as long as 9.8 inches. They move at a speedy 6.5 inches per minute. Just follow the trail of slime and you are certain to spy one of these unusual mollusks.

Once we had finished wandering the trails and seen the hordes arriving, we decided to hop onto the Dipsea Trail, right off the parking lot. This is a 9.5 miler round-trip if you go all the way to Stinson Beach but we cut it short at 6.5 miles, stopping at the bluffs overlooking San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge and Point Reyes. It is considered a moderate hike through a beautiful redwood and fir forest.

A trail marker near the top of the bluff peeked our curiosity.

It marks a point on the trail for the annual Dipsea Race, the oldest trail race in America, first run in 1905. Open to the first 500 entrants, it is run the second Sunday in June and is described as a “grueling and treacherous” 7.4 mile trek from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach. Sounds suicidal to me!

If you are in these parts and want to see the tallest of them all, Muir Woods National Monument is the perfect place to spend a few hours. Who knows, you might even get lucky like we did and catch a glimpse of the slippery banana slug.

*NOTE: To view the poem Advice from a Tree, by Ilan Shamir, in its entirety, see this website or to listen to Mr. Shamir recite his poem to the beat of his cottonwood drum, go here.

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Point Reyes National Seashore ~ Marin County, CA

June 30, 2012LuAnn

rugged point reyes coastline — Rugged Point Reyes coastline

Point Reyes National Seashore is a peninsula of much – treacherous headlands, stunning coastline, impenetrable fog, howling winds, lush forests, wind-blown hillsides, historic dairy farms, mammals and birds galore, and a lighthouse, which to be seen up-close will certainly give your legs and lungs a workout. It is the windiest place on the Pacific coast and the second foggiest place in North America.

We had been to Point Reyes before but not during the summer. Our first visit, we recalled, was on a very blustery, foggy day and we seemed to be the only two around, with both visitor center and lighthouse locked up tight. Thankfully the gods were smiling on us for our second visit, rewarding us with sunshine and mild breezes.

The peninsula’s land mass covers ~71,000 acres, with many hiking trails, three visitor centers and some funky little towns begging to be explored. While we did spend some time in Point Reyes Station (more about that later), our focus was to get to the lighthouse while the sun was still shining.

little cabin on tomales bay — Little cabin on Tomales Bay

This year marks the 50th anniversary that Point Reyes National Seashore has been in the National Park Service system. Established relatively recently on September 13, 1962 by President John F. Kennedy, her history extends back thousands of years, with the first inhabitants being the Coast Miwok Indians roughly 5000 years ago. Being hunter-gatherers, theirs was a good life here, with both land and sea offering up her bounties to this peaceful people for thousands of years.

point reyes map — Point Reyes map, compliments of Google maps

A long and rich maritime history is the story of Point Reyes. Spanish explorers navigated these waters with their treasures from the Orient, while gold miners, lumbermen, and dairy farmers relied on the transport of their goods through these straits. Historic dairy farms, still operating today, dot the roadside leading out to the lighthouse.

Point Reyes Lighthouse had her debut on December 1, 1870, as a result of many shipwrecks in these coastal waters, the first in California history being that of the San Augustin, a Spanish galleon. Her fate of a watery grave took place in 1595, off of Drakes Bay, but was only the first in a long line of such tragedies. This lighthouse guided mariners for 105 years, until 1975, but unfortunately ships continued to have fateful endings despite all efforts. All total, 50 ships have been lost at sea here, due to the treacherous cliffs, howling winds, and dense fog. Even today, nearly every year a small vessel meets a tragic end on this rugged shoreline. Jutting 10 miles out to sea, Point Reyes Headlands pose a serious threat to ships entering and leaving the San Francisco Bay.

Although the lighthouse itself is no longer working, a fog signal is still sounded and an automated light replaced the original “first order” Fresnel lens that still sits in the lighthouse. The National Park Service is now responsible for the maintenance of the lighthouse and if you are lucky, as we were, an NPS employee may be there to give you some history on this magnificent light.

Much to our delight an immature gray whale spouted off the shoreline, highly unusual for this time of year. They have normally made their migration south by this time. Other great animal sightings, we are told, are the elephant seals to be seen just north of the point and the Tule elk, endemic only to California, at Tomales Bay.

hangin' out at point reyes — Can you see me?

Time to migrate north, as in hoof it up the 300+ steps back to the roadway, as the fog is now settling in for the night at Point Reyes National Seashore.

salt pruning — Salt pruning at its finest!

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From Wilderness to Megacity ~ San Francisco, CA

June 28, 2012LuAnn

Spending your days maneuvering through a megacity like San Francisco after traipsing through national park wilderness can be a shock to your system, but we think we are up for it. Lots of hiking and eating healthy may take on a whole new look, more like hauling ourselves up the steep streets of the city, riding bikes along the harbor, or strolling through vineyards and drinking an Irish coffee or two at the Buena Vista. Besides that, we are in foodie paradise, so diets be damned!

Today was the day to get the lay of the land and revisit some spots we hadn’t seen in almost 12 years. A quick stroll along Fisherman’s Wharf and a bowl of clam chowder rounded out the lunch hour. Did I mention the temperature hovered around 68° today?

A walk through Ghirardelli Square, looking out over the harbor to Alcatraz, then on to our chosen destination, the Buena Vista Bar & Grill. This is where my hubby and I tossed back a few Irish coffees many moons ago. We were a bit more conservative today, I might add. Besides the anticipation of watching the Irish coffees being made in mass to drinking said potent concoction, we were very surprised to see bartender Larry still standing behind the bar, as if he had never left, and I guess he hadn’t!

bartender larry — Bartender Larry hangin’ in at the Buena Vista

Having been here since 1974, he could most certainly make these drinks in his sleep. As we watched him line up the glasses and toss sugar cubes into them (more like throw), I commented that he seemed a tad bit angry. Maybe I would be too if I had spent the last 38 years pouring drinks for tips. As we drank he loosened up a bit. Hey, wasn’t this our role?! We were the ones drinking the Irish coffees. Nonetheless, Terry actually got him to smile and engage in conversation, with us promising to come back again for another round. What were we thinking?!

Tomorrow promises to be a great day as we plan to stroll through some vineyards, taste a little wine, and check out the Sonoma Farmers’ Market.