Stinson Beach 11 August 2023

Short Marin Trip

About this time of year we usually visit with my friends Kathy and Tony in Bolinas: pretty drive down Highway 1, stop in Point Arena for Franny's for pastries to keep us on a sugar high for the whole trip, Gualala for lunch at Trinks sitting on the ocean side. Not enough sugar from Franny's so we got a lemon meringue tart to follow our blackened chicken sandwich and fresh squoze orange juice.

Then the twisty, scenic ride south through Sea Ranch, past Fort Ross – same as last year and the year before, so no pictures.

The ride is beset by frightened drivers who looked at their maps in Leggett or San Francisco and though the coast route couldn't be more than an hour longer than straight mostly freeway Highway 101. 

Especially along the stretch where the North American Plate is falling  precipitately into the Pacific, their knuckles are white and their hotel checkin seems unlikely. To add to the fun, CalTrans is hard at work fixing storm damage: five one-way lane controlled traffic lights adding 40 minutes to the trip.

Eventually, we reach Jenner at the mouth of the Ukrainian River (formerly known as the Russian, but if we can change the name of Fort Bragg to Noyo, why not update the river?)

Eventually the desperate tourists exit to Petaluma and leave the last bit of Highway 1 to us locals. The road runs beside Bodega Bay, where the San Andreas Fault runs out to sea. Across from us, the marine layer is trying to overflow the hills.

Then lovely Olema and the Olema valley, then down to Bolinas Lagoon and our digs at the Sandpiper in Stinson Beach.

We walked out to the beach before dinner:

More birds than people – here's a flight of California Brown Pelicans on their way home after a busy day at the office. A few young women in the gentle surf (Brrr) but mostly the people were bundled up. We were glad for our vests.

After a bit we walked to the Parkside and were joined by Tony and Kathy for a delicious dinner: Hog Island oysters, raw and chilled with tabiko and espelette mignonette and au gratin with spinach, flatbread with romesco hummus, curried cauliflower tapenade, and aged prosciutto, and an awesome special, shrimp and scallop risotto.