For the first three days we stayed in Petaluma, just north of San Francisco. We took in a Bruce Cockburn concert at The Mystic Theatre in Petaluma -- a funky, small, old theatre that provided an intimate atmosphere for a good "folkie" concert! We spent a day touring around the Sonoma Valley. We stopped in at a winery/olive press where we learned all about how cold-pressed virgin olive oil is made. They had "oil tastings" as well as wine tastings! Lots of fun and the building was quite something to see.
Another day was spent driving out to the coast to the Point Reyes National Seaside Park. The day was beautiful and the drive slow and scenic. (Made renting a convertible worth every penny!) We hiked to the lighthouse on Point Reyes -- a bit more than we bargained for! For this lighthouse tour, you start up on a crest and go DOWN to the lighthouse. If you look closely at this picture you will see we are somewhere near the top and the tiny speck out at the point is the lighthouse we're headed for. It's 308 steps down to the lighthouse, plus a 25-foot section that is just sloped concrete -- kind of hard on the feet. My toes became way too familiar with the front of my shoes!
The view from the point was spectacular and if we'd been there just a month earlier we would have seen the migration of the grey whales. Oh "whale" -- maybe on our next trip! The downside of hiking to the Point Reyes lighthouse is that you have to go back up all 308 steps, plus the 25 foot concrete slope. Talk about a work out ....
The last 2 days of our trip were spent in San Francisco. We bought a transit pass and wandered all over -- Fisherman's Wharf (where our hotel was), Chinatown, the piers, Union Square and many points in between. One of the highlights was the "Ferry Building" which has been transformed into a "foodie" haven. Look carefully at the sign for this store. I didn't have the courage to actually go in!!
We even took in a Giants baseball game -- 5th row, right behind 1st base! GREAT seats! (Thank you, Harry.) Here's a glimpse of the harbour where people park their boats hoping to catch a home-run ball. Only a couple of small boats were out that night because it was pretty chilly and windy. (That's me, texting with Lucas!!)
San Francisco is definitley a place to return to many times!
And this is THE WAY to go!
