Wednesday 7 July 2010

4th of July 2010

After a thrilling penalty shootout between Ghana & Uruguay, I managed to depart work and begin my long weekend early (though, not early enough to keep me from losing a bet). Good thing I got a bit of a head start as I had quite a trip ahead of me. Observe.


First stop along the way (other than buying some cooked rice from Robert's Market in Woodside) took us to the coast. Bean Hollow State Beach had a few tidepools (got to see plenty of crabs and an anemone or two), a cool breeze and some frigid water.

The ultimate destination of the journey of course can be seen above: Pigeon Point Lighthouse (and Hostel).

Yeah, pretty cool. Clear blue skies, rocky cliffs, dynamic ocean, a 150+ year old lighthouse and knowing I don't have to work till the following tuesday. Bliss. A quote in the lighthouse museum said something like: "The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea."

Not wanting to sit still and miss an opportunity to see some of the nearby sights, we headed down to Año Nuevo State Reserve. Unfortunately, while we arrived too late to explore the reserve part of the park, a short hike to a lookout presented some amazing views (such as the above view towards Cove Beach).

And this view towards Año Nuevo Island (seen faintly in the above center right).

Shadows in the grass on the hike back to the car park.

A piece of wreckage from the Point Arena Steam Schooner that wrecked near Pigeon Point.

Returning to Pigeon Point from Año Nuevo in the sunset. Lovely.

Kabocha & chicken curry. Thanks to mum for bringing me the curry mix from Japan. And, thanks to Robert's Market in Woodside for supplying the (aforementioned) basmati rice (with saffron!). We met some interesting folk in the hostel and had quite a conversation with them all (spanning travel to healthy living and many subjects in between). I ended up talking quite a bit to a couple of travelers from the UK on their way to LA and I suggested a number of worthwhile places for them to stop and visit. Ah, a chance to impart my 'local' knowledge.

After a typically restful restless night in the hostel, I awoke to a chilly breeze and not a cloud (or trace of fog) in sight. Breathtaking, though that quickly changed after breakfast.

You can see some of the haze here at Pescadero State Beach (our stop off on the way back to RWC).

A cool rock formation in the foreground and some of Seal Rocks peeking out in the background. And, for the time being, not too much in the way of cloud or fog.

As one should expect of the weather here in the Bay Area, things can change fairly quickly. Behind me, you can see the Pescadero Marsh and a ton of fog. We walked the Sequoia Audubon Trail and saw heard a lot of birds.

Got to spend part of this weekend celebrating Devin's 1st Birthday too. Kid, I hope someday you realize you've got a ton of family & friends that love you. 生日快乐!

On the actual 4th of July, I got to enjoy some free sounds of the SF Opera playing a free show at Stern Grove. Having not arrived early enough, we had to sit far away. Still heard the sweet vocal stylings of all the singers pretty well despite all the foliage between us and the stage. Great venue for a show if you can just manage to get a decent seat...and by the way, always bring a jacket to SF.

Had a brilliant BBQ in Woodside afterwards as well (thanks Imran), but didn't get any pics (I didn't want to chance getting my camera wet since the pool at the house already claimed the life of one of my pedometers). Tons of food, friends and an amazing view of the smattering of fireworks (not as much as we would've liked...they cancelled a number of the shows around the Bay). Can't really ask for much more than that in a weekend really. Simply awesome. Thank YOU.

1 comment:

lianna said...

the beaches look nice up there....but how cold is the water?? hehe