Muir Woods and Sausalito - Cool Groves to Warm Coasts

With the Golden Gate bridge less than 5 minutes from our door (if traffic behaves), it is a rare month in which when we don't sneak up to Marin for a day out, especially if the Richmond is socked with fog.  I have a soft spot for Marin.  Granted, there are a lot of spoiled, rich, and woefully ironic environmental hippie moguls up there, but no other county on Earth, at least in my limited travels, offers a better combination of history, natural beauty, coast, excellent driving roads, and rapid access to a world-class city.  So, there was no question about it.  We had to take our guests Jeremy, Julie, and Anthony up for a visit.

Julie wanted to see Muir Woods, but doing so on a weekend requires a bit of preparation.  Or at least a bit of determination to get up early.  Sumie and I had attempted a visit before, arriving shortly before noon on a gorgeous Saturday, only to find that parking was non-existent.  This is not an exaggeration.  There are only two limited parking lots for Muir Woods National Monument and once these are full, the only option is to find parking on the side of the road and prepare yourself for a very long walk.  No joke.  When we left the park on Sunday around noon there were roadside parkers stretching out at least a mile, if not two, from the entrance.  I'm all for hiking, but a two mile trek just to get to the trail-head is a bit much. 

Like almost any activity in the Bay Area, getting to Muir Woods early is definitely the way to go.  We arrived shortly before 10:00 to find the first parking lot full, but multiple spots in the second.  With toddlers, finding a spot near the entrance is absolutely essential.  Walking the narrow roads from street parking is fine for an adult, but with a little one in tow or in a stroller, it's not something I'd like to risk.  Well, I suppose it depends on just how Mimi's behaving...

With parking secured, we bundled Anthony and Mimi into a stroller each and set out for the grove. 

Having grown up with visits to California's redwoods, I'd forgotten how imposing and majestic they can be.  Below Anthony examines just how much life a redwood can see before it falls.  Middle ages through the industrial revolution, no problem!  

As we walked through Muir Woods we came across countless tourists laying on their backs, trying their best to capture that moment of being under the towering trees.  Jeremy, who took these shots, got some good ones.  

The world is hushed within the park, the visitors, creek and occasional squirrel the only real noisemakers.  People unconsciously switching to talking in whispers.  It's a bit like the quiet that descends with a heavy snowfall.  Perhaps the moss that covers everything, making the space so verdant, has a similar effect when it comes to absorbing sound. 

Mimi and Anthony, being toddlers, were obsessed with the creek and just how far they could poke themselves through the fences lining the trails.  It really is a perfect place to take a toddler.  All the paths are fenced in, allowing them to roam relatively free, and there's minimal change in elevation (none, really).  We were even able to wield our strollers without too much trouble.  

Giant trees, especially hollow ones, make great hiding places.  Here's Julie in base of a giant...

 ...and here's Anthony after crawling into one of the fallen, and gutted, trunks.  He loved it in there.  Unfortunately he didn't care much for coming out. 

A few cries later - he really loved that hiding place - he was once again enraptured by the park.  The primary path (there are many hiking trails as well) through Muir Woods follows a creek with three distinct wooden bridges to cross along the way.  Anthony seemed to be taken with this one.

Mimi, born in Manhattan, enjoyed the greenery, but was at times more intrigued by the asphalt path.  I guess she is a city girl.  

A little later, Anthony decided it was time to give Mimi a kiss...

 ...Mimi, being the shy, reserved Japanese girl she is, had other ideas. 

Finishing up our tour of the woods we stopped in at the cafe where, surprisingly, the food was quite good.  One doesn't expect quality scones at a random park cafe, but that's what we got!

From Muir Woods we headed up to headlands to catch a glimpse of the Golden Gate from on high.  Here are Jeremy and Julie.  Anthony was snoozing in the back of the car.  

Jeremy and I poked around the old battery installations in the headlands for about 15 minutes and then, recognizing the wives are not quite the history buffs we are, decided we'd head down to Sausalito for lunch.  Sausalito is a small and very upscale town clinging to the north-western hills of San Francisco bay.  As we came down from the headlands, a trip of perhaps a mile at most, we left the clouds and hit the sun at the Sausalito city limits.  That's the San Francisco bay area for you.  

We stopped in at a fish and chips show and then, filled not quite to brim, walked the shore in search of ice cream.  It was a perfect way to end an adventure in the north bay.  As Jeremy snapped pictures I did my best impersonation of a fat tea pot. 

I'm not sure where in the Bay Area Sumie and I will end up in the years to come, but Marin is definitely a front runner.  Now, if only we had a couple rich uncles with no kids...