My little road trip up Highway 1

I was just in San Francisco last week for a work trip and decided with my newfound focus on doing things for me that I would stay the weekend in the area. I had spent some time roaming around the city the last few times I was there. This time, I opted against more exploration because my leg was still pretty sore. Something about walking down the hill really caused my leg and back to disagree with that option. Other things that had been on my list required some physical activity – Mount Tam, Muir Woods, etc. And while Sonoma beckoned, I also didn’t want to go wine tasting by myself because mixing sipping and driving are not options for me.

I got a hotel room in Marin, which sounds fancy until you realize that I was basically staying at an Extended Stay type place. But, it was clean, for the most part. I rented a car locally so I didn’t have to drive all the way to one of the airports and back.

Saturday morning, I was actually waiting for a friend to text me to see if we would meet up. But as the morning slipped away, I decided that I was being blown off and I wasn’t going to waste any more of the day waiting around. I jumped in the car and made an impromptu decision to take a road trip to spare my leg from more exertion.

OK, so I got a little turned around trying to find the way up Mount Tam. I’ll say it again, Apple Maps fail… Eventually I managed to find the route (thanks to the handwritten directions I pulled off Google Maps before leaving my hotel room). There was a lot of traffic going up Mount Tam on a beautiful Saturday morning. I spent quite a bit of time gazing at the bumper of the car in front of me and wondering why I had decided on my road trip idea.

But then, at the turnoff that went one way to the Mount Tam park or the other way to get to Stinson Beach, the road cleared and I had quite a bit of fun twisting and turning up the mountain while trying not to run over the plethora of bicyclists sharing the road. It would have been much more fun in a car that wasn’t a crappy Nissan Sentra but I made do. As difficult as it was to sightsee and drive at the same time, I managed to do both somewhat reasonably. Then, at the crest of the mountain, I was able to see the azure blue of the Pacific and knew that despite the horrible traffic getting up the mountain, it was all going to be worth it in the end.

Driving down the backside of the mountain, I took opportunities to pull over at every overlook to gawk.

Stinson Beach Overlook, worth the drive

I continued north on Highway 1, the fabled Pacific Coast Highway. For years, it’s been a dream of mine to drive the entire length. I’ve done San Diego to Orange County, and another section from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara – but never any of the road north of there until now. Some day, I’m going to rent a fabulous convertible and do the entire stretch; but for now, I was just super excited to drive a little of the underdeveloped section.

I meandered up the road, stopping at every overlook that caught my eye and pulling over to let people in more of a hurry pass me. I drove through the wonderful little towns: Stinson Beach, Point Reyes Station, Bodega Bay – there were a number of people visiting the small shops and restaurants since the weather was postcard fabulous. I wondered about the people who lived in these places: where do they work, what do they do for fun, do they appreciate the jaw-dropping scenery in which they lived or were they jaded by it and frustrated with the clots of tourists clogging the farmers’ markets? At Bodega Bay, I stopped for lunch to discover that had I been there earlier in the morning I would have seen a pod of whales cruising by (note to self: get on the road much earlier…screw waiting for someone who will blow you off anyway).

At Bodega, I considered my options. I needed to get back to the 101 in daylight because there was no telling the type of road I might need to take to get there. I definitely didn’t want to drive twisty back roads in the dark. But looking at the map, there was the Sonoma Coast State Park beckoning to me. Bodega Bay to Jenner was only 10 miles, according to my smartphone. Ah, what the hell…

Let me tell you something, those 10 miles were amazingly beautiful. I am so incredibly grateful I decided to add those last few miles to my trip. The Sonoma Coast State Park encircles Highway 1. You don’t even need to leave your car to see the scenery, but it’s so much better if you do pull over…

Sonoma Coast from Highway 1

See what I mean? I stood in this spot for a long time, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing against the boulders in the surf, smelling the salt spray, feeling the sun on my SPF-50 covered face… I was so at peace during that moment in time. And glad I had decided to get out and see that little stretch, glad I had extended my work trip by an extra day, glad I had decided to go the extra distance to Jenner, glad I was alive to experience all of it…

All too soon, I had to get back into the car and head inland towards the 101. I ended up taking 116 which parallels the Russian River (I’ll be back to drink some wine) and then took the Bohemian Highway which is not a highway but a two-lane road through what seemed to be a rain forest before being deposited on a road of rolling fields, cows, and fading golden sunlight…