James Bond and Austin Powers have inspired us all—men and women, young and old, rich and poor, etc. etc.—to live our lives with passion. The scenes that make us most covetous of their super spy lifestyles involve unattainably expensive, top-down convertibles flying along a narrow ocean side road with the wind blowing through their, and their unbelievably attractive cohort’s, hair. Bilbo and I recently had a similar experience; except we were in a Honda Civic with the sun roof open, going a little below the speed limit, and no sneaky villains were lying in wait to kill us. After dropping Newt off at the airport for her early morning flight, we had a whole day to spend meandering along scenic CA Highway 1. If you look at the map, you can see our coastal route on CA-1 from San Fran to Leggett, where we rejoined 101 to take us to our home away from home (Ferndale is a little south of Eureka).
Our day consisted of following the road up and down the mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with a few detours through towns and groves of trees.
The road led us to the Point Reyes National Seashore, where we stopped to walk on the beach.
We strayed from the path past Point Reyes, past a cluster of ranches established as historical landmarks, and on the Drakes Beach.
Drakes Beach, originally Nova Albion, is named for the English navigator and explorer Sir Francis Drake, who landed here on his expedition to the New World. As you all know, the first English colony in America was established in North Carolina and then disappeared after months of adversity. I wonder how different our history would be if Queen Elizabeth had sent her people to California first.
The rocks along the shore were very neat! They looked like a mosaic leading to the ocean.
At the visitors’ center we learned a little more about Francis Drake and took a gander at fossils and whale skeletons.
Back on Highway 1, we set our compass North and continued along. The best way to share what we saw isn’t through words, so here are pictures to give you an idea. Even they can’t capture the whole atmosphere and beauty of Northern California’s coast.
The cow crossing sign was no joke! They were just chillin’ on the hillside.
Yep, that’s a dinosaur peeking out from behind the Gualala sign.
Around dinner time we were back in Fort Bragg, home of North Coast Brewing Company, where we stopped for some nachos before bidding Highway 1 “goodnight”.
Then we were back in Ferndale and ready for another week of small town life. Next time, we’ll tell you about my most recent attempt at skiing, our drive through Reno, and whatever else we’ve been up to. See you then!
No comments:
Post a Comment