Summer in the Sierras

Last weekend, we headed off to Lake Tahoe for a long weekend of activities. Our friend, Cassie, had got a good deal at the Marriott in South Lake Tahoe in return for her sitting through 90 minutes of timeshare talk. She shared the offer with us, so we got to stay in nicer than usual accommodation right by Stateline (the border between California and Nevada, where all the casinos are situated). The location would have really come into its own in the winter, because it’s right by the Heavenly gondola, which sweeps you up to the ski area. They were still charging you plenty to go up there, even in summer, so we didn’t bother, but entertained ourselves with the activities on offer elsewhere. And we were not short of these!

It was a bad drive up there on Friday night, because we hit lots of traffic leaving the city, then again between the North Bay and Sacramento. Jon was no doubt relieved, therefore, when Cassie offered to drive us the next day, especially since our planned activity, white-water rafting, involved double-backing on ourselves for about an hour to Placerville. The rafting was really good fun. First they fed us, in their attractively sited embarkation point amongst trees slung with hammocks by the river. Then we set off, six or seven to a raft. It was a class III rapids trip along the South Fork of the American River, through a pretty gorge. I’d been a little nervous of trying the class IV Middle Fork, which Cassie tried to persuade us to do, but on balance, I think I could have handled it, as the raft was a lot more stable than I’d expected and I really enjoyed the big rapids. We each had a paddle, and the guide told us what to do. I took a turn at the front, which was certainly the most fun/scary place in the boat! The guide realised we were out for a bit of excitement, so he deliberately took us head-first into a rock, which resulted in all but two of us falling out! (I was one of the two :-)).We also got to swim in a couple of spots in the rather cold river. It was pretty fast-moving, even in the calm bits.

That evening, we enjoyed a dip in the Marriott’s hot tub, before going out for dinner in the 19th floor restaurant of one of the casinos. After the day, we were all pretty tired, so headed off to bed before it got too late, falling asleep in front of the Olympics on the TV.

Next day we had quite a late start, because Cassie had her timeshare talk in the morning. We went off to do a hike in the Desolation Wilderness, which a couple of friends at work had recommended to me. It began at Echo Lake, which is near the high point of the road we take to Lake Tahoe (about 7,500 feet, if I remember right), just before you drop down to South Lake itself. Echo Lake is a gorgeous little spot, comprising Lower and Upper Echo Lakes, which used to have 5 feet of elevation difference between them, until someone decided to blast a channel to allow boats to pass through. To shorten the hike by just under three miles, we took a water taxi (large speedboat) across the lake and began walking at the other end. It was a fairly easy 3. 5 mile hike out, with not too much climbing, and although it was sunny and hot, it was nothing after the previous week’s heat at Pinnacles (high seventies/low eighties as opposed to 100 degrees). We passed several attractive little lakes in the high country, including Tamarack Lake and Lake Margery, where we had our lunch and spotted a couple of marmots. There were lots of alpine flowers still around, presumably because they have such a short growing season at this height. Our end-point was gorgeous Lake Aloha, a mid-sized lake with lots of tiny, rocky islands. Jon and I both enjoyed a swim to one of these islands in the cooling water and explored the rock formations barefoot, before heading back on the return journey (although, had we had provisions and camping gear, we could have kept on exploring for many more miles). Cassie’s recently injured ankle was starting to hurt, so she took the water taxi back to the parking lot at the other end of Echo Lake, but Jon and I decided to speed-hike the last 2.7 miles by the lake past a host of gorgeous cabins, only accessible by water. That evening, it was into the hot tub again and then out for a slap-up dinner at Fire & Ice.

On Monday, we decided to try jet-skiing on Lake Tahoe itself. It was pretty expensive, so we just rented one for an hour and shared it amongst us, going out two at a time. It was pretty easy to operate and a lot of fun, although I didn’t go nearly as fast as Jon, who apparently hit 60 miles per hour, bouncing over the waves. After that, we headed off to do a short hike near Emerald Bay, a very popular spot on the south-west shore. It was a short hike (just a mile out and a mile back), but there was about 500 feet of climbing. The end-point was lovely Eagle Lake, a small lake surrounded by forested mountains on all sides. There was a little island that Jon and I swam to (although it probably only amounted to about half a mile of swimming in total, I still managed to pull a muscle in my back that still aches a bit!). As we were trying to dry off in the sun (we didn’t bring towels, of course), a bear ambled across the rocks ahead of us. S/he then reappeared at the water’s edge, before disappearing again into the vegetation. It was a smallish Black bear (although brown in colour), probably an adolescent. S/he didn’t seem bothered by the people at all. It was another positive bear experience for me!

Camping at Pinnacles National Monument

We’ve just had a really pleasant camping weekend at Pinnacles National Monument, a park situated about 130 miles south of the city, on the San Andreas Fault, approx. 40 miles from the coast. Interestingly, the park is actually one half of an ancient volcano; the other half is some 200 miles south, and the two halves have been separated by plate tectonics – the Pacific and North American plates grinding past each other at a rate of a couple of centimetres per year. We knew it was going to be hot, but when we arrived, it was about 100 degrees in the shade (approx. 36.5 degrees C). We hastily erected the tent under a tree and planned our first excursion, which was necessarily short, namely a walk through Bear Gulch Cave to the tiny reservoir and back. The said cave was a talus cave, formed by huge boulders falling into a cleft and getting wedged. We saw a bat hanging down as we made our way through, then spotted several garter snakes swimming and trying desperately to cool off in the reservoir, which was also swarming with dragonflies. We made our way back via the rim trail, where we got to see some of the amazing rock formations up close.

On the way back to the campground, we saw a deer with two fawns in tow. Then, on arrival back at our campsite, we found that it had been invaded by a flock of California quail. These are sweet little birds – blue with black faces and tufts on their heads. It’s actually our state bird, but I was surprised how unsophisticated they were, scratching around like chickens, then running hither and thither as fast as their legs would carry them. We had a cold dinner, as we didn’t have a camping stove and open fires were not allowed with the current high wildfire risk, then had yet another visitor to the campground – this time a raccoon. He was a persistent little chap, looking very much the outlaw with his black mask, and had to be chased off.

Once it got dark, we marveled at the sky - far from light pollution and incredibly clear. We picked out Venus and Mars, and contemplated the Milky Way. I slept reasonably well that night – it did, at least, cool off. Jon didn’t sleep so well. He claimed that he kept waking up to the sounds of all the animals – possibly the raccoon again, and certainly the Western Scrub Jays that kept landing on the tent.

We had to get up early, as we planned to do a big hike, and it was essential we left while it was still cool enough. So, we packed up the tent and drove the short distance to the trailhead. The hike took us along a dry creek, up chaparral-covered hills for a fair distance, through the rock formations of the high peaks, down to the western side of the park, through another talus cave and along the same dry creek bed back to the car. Even though we set off early, it was still really tough-going with the heat. Overhead soared turkey vultures and even (possibly) the odd California condor. The second talus cave was pretty difficult to enter – the opening was tiny and the entry sloped down into the blackness – but we were out again before I could get really claustrophobic! We had less than two miles to go, when we suddenly heard a loud rattle to our right. We’d chanced upon a rattlesnake, lying just at the side of the path! We now had to get past it, but not before taking a few pictures!

After we’d finished our hike, we went to the pretty picnic spot by the visitor centre and had lunch while the Steller’s Jays, Western Scrub Jays, woodpeckers and tree creepers flitted around, with the squirrels trying desperately to scrounge a crumb or two. The temperature was hitting 34 degrees Celsius, so we beat a retreat and headed north to the historic village of San Juan Bautista. I’d wanted to visit it, as parts of Hitchcock’s Vertigo were filmed there. It also has lots of “historic” (read: "19th century") buildings and a 200-year-old mission church. Although it was certainly very pretty, I was disappointed not to find it more recognisable from the film. The all-important bell tower scenes must have been filmed somewhere else, as the mission has no bell tower and has never had one.

29 miles south of San Francisco, it was still 25 Celsius. However, we could see the tsunami of fog ahead of us, and once in it, the temperature dropped to 13. Over a 20 degree difference in less than a hundred miles! However, fortunately, our bit of San Francisco was still in the sunshine. Not today, though – it’s been thick, cold fog all day. Mark Twain said the coldest winter he’d ever experienced was a summer in San Francisco, and I’m beginning to know what he meant!

Photos are available here: http://public.fotki.com/EllenHardwick/pinnacles-national-/ (password: moocow)

Lazy about blogging

I know, it’s been three weeks. I am sorry. Don’t have much of an excuse, other than that I haven’t done quite so many “blog-worthy” activities of late. Work is extremely dull at the moment (hope no one from work reads this!), Jon’s been busy at the weekends with work or maths and we’ve had a lot of fog. However, there have been some fun activities too. Like going to Dolores Park in the Mission for a barbecue. Whatever the weather in the rest of the city, it’s nearly always nice down there and there was a large contingent out sunbathing, grilling and even strapping on “sumo” suits to have a hilarious go at wrestling. Every time I go to that area, I tell myself that I should visit it more often, but you get lazy and stick to your neighbourhood all too often. After the barbecue, I came back to North Beach and met up with a couple of friends from my old Italian class, Gami and Candida, plus Candida’s super cute pug, Kathmandu. We sat on the terrace of Café Greco, sipping coffee and munching on biscotti, and could have been in Rome.

Last weekend, I decided the fog was just too much for me, and made Jon take us out on the Sunday. We drove up to Sonoma Valley (wine country) and did a little hike near Santa Rosa. The scenery is not as dramatic up there as it is just across the bridge, but at least it doesn’t get any fog, and it’s a pleasant enough mélange of rolling hills, redwood forest and dry grassland. We came across several wild turkeys over the course of our hike and also spotted a bright blue snake, which we haven’t, as yet, identified! Afterwards, we went to a winery with grounds and indulged in a nice glass in the sunshine. In addition, I got my first pedicure last weekend, which was an amazing experience! People at work had raved about them, so I decided that it was time to try it for myself, and went to a nail salon just around the corner from where I live. I got to pick my colour, then sit in a massage chair while they tended to my feet. It was so relaxing and the massage was incredible. $25 well spent, in my opinion.

I’ve started up a new Italian class, which is going pretty well, except that I’m never that motivated to do the homework. We’re reading a book, which I think is a legal thriller, and it’s pretty good. I go on Wednesday nights and it lasts from 6 pm – 9 pm.

On Friday, we went to see a film at the cinema with a couple of friends, “the Visitor”. It was well done, but didn’t live up to all the hype, in my opinion. However, we had a nice evening and got some dinner afterwards.

Yesterday was a lovely day weather-wise, so we went for a walk in the west of the city, by the ocean, parking the car in the posh Seacliff area, then wandering along the coastal path down to a rocky beach strewn with the remnants of an old shipwreck. It was beautiful. We watched scores of pelicans passing overhead and also saw a hawk doing the rounds. We then clambered back up and went to a sandy beach in Seacliff that I hadn’t visited before, China Beach, where we sunbathed and read our books. I really liked the beach – it’s tiny and lower-key than nearby Baker Beach, but still has the same crashing waves and views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Finally, today we indulged in one of the great pleasures of life – going out for breakfast/brunch. We headed to our usual spot up the road – Curlys – and enjoyed the delights of a hearty American breakfast. Just what you need to warm the cockles when the fog is back.

Seattle and Alaska

A week and a half ago, we took an evening flight to Seattle, Washington. I wished I’d had my camera out as we descended past Mount Rainier, the base of which was shrouded in haze, giving the impression that its white mass was floating above the ground. Against the backdrop of the twilight sky, which lent rose and lilac tints to the snow, it was even more impressive.

We didn’t see any of the stereotypical Seattle weather (rain), but enjoyed two days of glorious sunshine with temperatures in the eighties and above. On the first day, we did the Underground Tour, sited at historic Pioneer Square. Seattle was originally built by pioneers on silty ground, which meant that the streets were constantly filled with mud and flooded easily. After the attempt of several harebrained schemes, the city was ultimately “raised up” by building on top of the original edifices and filling in the sidewalks (the roads had already been raised). We also did a cruise on the Puget Sound, visited the lively Pike Place market and had a delicious dinner at a seafood restaurant on a pier by Lake Union.

The next day, we took on Seattle’s iconic Space Tower. This looks like a spaceship on legs - it was built for the World’s Fair in the sixties, and is now a key feature of the city’s skyline. You can take an elevator to the top, which we did, in order to get great views of the city and various distant snowy mountains, including Mount Rainier. That day, we also went to the modern music museum (EMP), because Jon is a big fan of the “grunge” bands that came out of Seattle in the early nineties. Bizarrely, though, the whole thing seemed to be about Jimi Hendrix, with little attention paid to rock legends like Nirvana – could it be because much of their music had a pretty negative message and the lead singer ended up killing himself with an overdose? Who knows?

That night, we flew on to Anchorage, Alaska, where it was still light in spite of our late arrival, and spent a night in a featureless motel near the airport. We were picked up on Sunday to do our week-long group camping trip. Apart from ourselves, there were a pair of sisters from Australia (Lisa and Nicole), a girl from Washington D.C. (Alexandra), an older couple from Texas (Mike and Cheryl), and our guide, Waldo, who turned out to be a kind of superman who’d spent six years in the military and was now filling his summer guiding tours before going on to stuntman school in the “Lower 48” (how Alaskans refer to the contiguous U.S.). We made a stop at a supermarket in Anchorage to pick up last-minute supplies (it was immense – you could buy everything under the sun there, including guns!), before driving down to the Kenai Peninsula. We drove along a beautiful sound flanked by snowy mountains, stopping every now and then to take pictures, and also swung by a visitor center near a glacier on the way. Unfortunately, we couldn’t walk right up to the glacier, because there had been an avalanche, making the going pretty tough. We arrived at our campsite late afternoon – it was a lovely, peaceful spot by an isolated stretch of water called Hidden Lake. A sign outside the toilets warned that a brown (also known as grizzly) bear had been sighted at the camp a few days previously – yikes!

We did a little hiking in the area, but were plagued by some very persistent mosquitoes, several of which employed a new tactic with me, namely getting in my hair and feasting on my scalp – lovely. Jon and I also went kayaking on the gorgeous lake, which was such a wonderful experience that I rank it as one of the highlights of the trip. Another highlight was seeing a black bear at the back of the campsite. She had two cubs with her, which were up a tree, but didn’t seem too perturbed by us. We spent a few minutes staring at each other in mutual curiosity, before we thought we’d better leave her to take care of her business with the cubs. Unfortunately, an hour or so later she managed to get into another camper’s cool box and steal some crisps. This is bad news, because once they’ve learned that humans = food, bears become aggressive towards humans and property. She had to be scared off by the rangers.

After two nights camping there, we continued on to Seward, a pleasant seafront town, where we embarked on a cruise through the Kenai Fjords. It was a beautiful day (the previous two had been cloudy) and we were excited at the prospect of seeing all the wildlife. We were relatively lucky, in that we saw pods of orcas (killer whales), sealions, harbour seals, sea otters, bald eagles and the odd humpback whale. However, the whales stayed well underwater, so they were difficult to see and certainly didn’t pose for any pictures, but it was still thrilling. We also sailed to a tidewater glacier and waited a while to see the chunks of ice fall off into the ocean (a process called “carving”). The scenery was stunning. I’ve never been to Norway, but I imagine it must be similar. That evening we stayed at a motel (how wonderful it was to have a bed and shower!) and also ate out at a nice restaurant by the port.

From Seward, it was a long drive north to our next campsite, just south of Healy, near Denali National Park. After closely inspecting the map, it turns out that we were only about 25 – 30 miles or so from the abandoned Fairbanks bus out in the wilderness where Chris McCandless of “Into the Wild” fame met his end. There was also a lake at this new campsite, but we camped on a ridge looking out over mountains. At this point, we were a good way north of Seward and Anchorage, so it never got dark at all. The sun dipped down below the horizon for a couple of hours, but not enough to bring on anything more than an attractive sunset and a light dusk. The good weather continued, and because we were inland, it was surprisingly warm. Along the way, we’d been lucky enough to get good views of Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America at 20,320 feet. The peak is often obscured by cloud even on sunny days, as the mountain is so large that it creates its own weather system.

We headed into Denali National Park the next day. The Park is closed to private vehicles, so everyone is forced to go on one of the shuttle buses that venture 66 miles into the tundra. We didn’t make it to the very end, as we didn’t have enough time, given that we wanted to do some hiking, in spite of the fact that there are no trails in Denali – you just have to use the paths created by wild Dall sheep. Along the way, we saw several caribou (which are like reindeer) and a couple of grizzly bears gambolling up and down a hill, although they were at some distance from the road. On the return journey, we saw a golden eagle pretty close and a female moose a long way off. Sadly, though, there were some utter morons sitting behind me on the bus who didn’t shut up the whole way, which spoiled the experience somewhat!

That night, we took advantage of the lack of darkness by playing midnight golf. Neither of us had ever played. I wasn’t much good, but it was a lot of fun, especially as we got to chase each other around in the golf carts! Jon turned out to be not bad at all and played again with Waldo the next day. We also had 4th July fireworks – Waldo and friends had made a floating dock from which to launch them in the middle of the lake. It was a lot of fun, but fireworks aren’t quite the same when it’s broad daylight!

We got another hike in – up Mount Healy, at the gateway to Denali National Park. I was hoping to see some more wildlife, especially since there were signs everywhere warning of “bear danger”. I’d now got quite used to the potential threat of bears and was well armed with my bear bell (which lets them know you’re coming), as well as a can of bear repellent (pepper spray) that I’d borrowed from Waldo. However, we didn’t see anything other than a few cheeky ground squirrels.

I was so sad to say farewell to everyone in Anchorage and finish what had been a wonderful trip. We were able to take showers and hang around for a bit in Lisa and Nicole’s room, which was nice, as our flight was at an absurd hour the next morning (2 a.m.!). Alaska is so beautiful and its proportions are so huge, that a week really isn’t enough. The trip served only to whet rather than satisfy my appetite.

Photos are available here: http://public.fotki.com/EllenHardwick/seattle-and-alaska/ (password: moocow).

Paul and Kate's visit

I haven’t blogged for a couple of weeks, so there’s a lot to catch up on! Last weekend was a bit of a partying one – we went to an interesting cocktail gathering at a colleague’s apartment in the Mission district on Friday night, then attended the North Beach Festival in our neighbourhood on Sunday. The festival’s most amusing feature was the pet blessings ceremony at the Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi. Imagine a church full of dogs – with their people – and you have the idea. There was also someone who had brought his hamster in a little cage. The dogs seemed to behave pretty well as the priests passed down the aisle throwing holy water. After the festival, some friends came back to our apartment and we put away a couple of good bottles of wine!

I’ve also seen a couple of very different San Francisco films recently: the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill and The Bridge. I’d read the book that arose out of the former – it’s the story of a hobo who befriends the local wild parrot population, which is ultimately his salvation. It included lots of lovely scenes of North Beach and Telegraph Hill. The other was a less happy tale – it was a documentary about the fact that the Golden Gate Bridge is the most popular suicide spot in the world, with someone throwing him or herself off on average every two weeks.

Last Monday, our friends from Hoddesdon, Paul and Kate, arrived on the last leg of their round-the-world tour. Kate’s parents were also in town on part of their holiday. We enjoyed a few evenings of meals out and also took them up to Top of the Mark for cocktails one evening. The weather was incredible – baking hot almost every day, which is unusual for San Francisco. On Friday evening, we began the weekend with a lovely dip in the pool and a few beers.

Next day, we set off for Russian River, about 70 miles north across the Golden Gate. We hired canoes for the day and set off down the river from Forestville. Much of it was very gentle with barely any paddling required. However, there were a few tricky bits with easy “rapids”, then the river widened and the paddling got rather harder! However, we had plenty of breaks for picnicking and swimming in the river. There were lots of other people out and about in various contraptions – it was a real holiday atmosphere. At the end of it all, we rode back to our car in a converted yellow school bus, then headed to Guerneville, where we stayed in a motel very handy for the restaurants and cafés. We didn’t stay out too late, though, as we were all exhausted from a string of late nights and a few miles of canoeing.

On Sunday, we went to nearby Korbel Champagne Cellars to do a champagne tasting. Not a bad way to start the day. It was another gorgeous, warm morning, but by the time we reached the coast, 12 miles west of Guerneville, we’d hit the fog! We drove down the coast, but didn’t tarry long on the northern stretch because of the fog. However, by the time we reached Tomales Bay, it was beginning to clear, so we enjoyed a nice picnic at Bear Valley and a sunny wander along the earthquake trail, which runs along the San Andreas fault and gives info about the plate tectonics at work underneath! After that, we headed to the southern part of Point Reyes and strolled along the coastal path. Down at one of the beaches, we had the good fortune to see an osprey up close as it rode the wind and thought about diving for fish (but ultimately didn’t bother!). Then it was over to Coast Café in Bolinas for a great dinner, before heading down the coast along Highway 1, taking in the vista from the viewpoint above the Golden Gate (by which time it was freezing!) and finally back to San Francisco.

Kate and Paul have now gone off to Yosemite for a couple of days. Mind you, I’m not sure anything can beat their trip to Alcatraz, where they bumped into Posh and Becks, of all people!

Yosemite waterfalls weekend

Last week was really busy at work, but I had a couple of nice evenings out: firstly with friends from volunteering days on Tuesday at an Indian restaurant in the Tenderloin, which turned out to be rather good! The second meal out was with someone we know from university days, who was en route back to the UK with his wife after living in New Zealand for two years. Then on Friday, I went into school to volunteer, but found they were having a party in honour of me and another volunteer who helps them! There was a huge chocolate cake with our names written on it and a lovely bunch of roses was presented.

Having made it to the end of the week, Jon and I set off for the long drive to Yosemite for a weekend getaway. We stayed overnight at Groveland, the last real community before the park entrance, which is still an hour outside the valley. Next day we headed into the park and went up to Glacier Point. A road takes you all the way to the point, some 3,500 feet above the valley floor. In all the times we’ve visited Yosemite, we’d never been up on this road. Well, the views were stupendous, second only to those from Cloud’s Rest, I’d say (which involves a 14 mile hike from the Tioga Road). There were loads of people, of course, but you can’t take away the gorgeousness of those vistas. We did a short hike (5 miles) from a spot a few miles down from Glacier Point to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. There were still patches of snow here and there, so it felt very odd wandering around in T-shirts and vests, crunching over the white stuff. We were lucky enough to see a marmot posing in the sunshine along the way.

We spent Saturday night in Curry Village, the budget accommodation option in the valley. I’d booked us a canvas tent cabin. It had its own bear box outside, but we didn’t see any bears, alas (just a few chipmunks scurrying around). We had a relaxing pre-dinner drink, watching a deer graze its way across a patch of grass in front of us, then a mediocre meal before settling down to listen to the ranger talk on search and rescue missions. We both had some trouble sleeping that night, as the temperature dropped down very low – probably to about 5 degrees.

The next day, we decided to tackle a big hike, so climbed to the top of Yosemite Falls. The Falls shoot down in two hugely impressive cascades, with a less vertical middle section, from a height of some 2,425 feet, making it the highest waterfall in North America and the sixth highest in the world. It was a fairly strenuous hike. We still hadn’t had enough when we reached the top, though, so meandered through the high country for another mile to Yosemite Point. It was not a hike for anyone suffering from vertigo! We managed to catch a bit of sunshine (we both have a few pink patches, but nothing too serious) and returned – not without first getting a huge feed at a diner in Oakdale – to a decidedly summery San Francisco.

Photos available here: http://public.fotki.com/EllenHardwick/yosemite-waterfalls-etc/

My perfect day

Today I did all my favourite things. Woke up to a beautiful, clear sunny day and the sound of the wild parrots chattering in their morning flight. Eager to get out in the sunshine after a spate of rather dull days, I went for a run along the waterfront with its fabulous views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Bay Bridge, the financial district – you name it – and returned to a delicious breakfast of hot oatmeal and fruit. We then set out to do a hike at Point Reyes. We’d done most of the hike before (and seen a bobcat on that occasion), but this time our destination was Alamere Falls, a succession of waterfalls with the largest spilling out directly onto the beach from a sheer sandstone cliff. The weather held clear, although it was by no means warm – a stiff wind was blowing cold air straight off the Pacific for most of the time. The trail to the falls was a real scramble, but we made it, and felt risking life and limb was worth it in the end, as they were pretty impressive. It was also a delight to see so many wild flowers still in bloom along the trail. This time, there were no big cats in sight, but I did almost step on a snake!

After our hike, we went to our favourite restaurant, Coast Café in Bolinas. I love this little village – it’s so quaint, laid-back, full of interesting types and charmingly located at the mouth of a gorgeous tidal lagoon. We enjoyed cocktails (an aptly named Epicenter and a Bolinas Sunrise), then put away huge quantities of food (fish and chips for me, I’m afraid, and yes, I DO feel guilty!). All the while we had the drive back to look forward to, which is an experience in itself – a windy road hugging the coast, dipping down through eucalyptus forest and emerging from a tunnel to the view of the great bridge, glowing an even brighter orange in the golden rays of the setting sun. All in all, great therapy to cure the frustrations of a hard week at work for me and an exhausting time training customers in Texas for Jon.