I am glad we stayed closer to San Francisco - it was a quick drive to Muir Woods in the morning and we got there right when it opened at 9. It was already filled with people when we arrived, but we easily got a parking spot.
We stopped in the visitor center to get a trail recommendation...the Bed Johnson to the Dipsea was it. Maybe 4.5 miles or so...I think it ended up in the 1,000 ft vertical range. It started in the groves where the majority of the visitors were.
We always like seeing the Redwoods. I do like the sequoias a bit more I think...
There were a group of nuns there who were also starting on the Ben Johnson trail. We wondered how dusty and dirty they would be by the end of their hike.
When we got to the Dipsea trail junction, we saw two other girls who were continuing onto the ocean. There were three trails that met up here - and they figured out they were going the wrong way...but then they got me turned around too. After this point, we saw maybe 7 or 8 other people...it was pretty quiet. Dry...dusty...and in the sun the dirt was as hard as concrete. Upon getting back to the parking lot - it was full...tour buses were there...crazy. As we pulled out, there were cars parked down the road probably at least a mile...if not more. We arrived at the right time.
We went back just a ways to the point we had been the night before to see the Golden Gate in the daylight. Glad we did - it was a nice view...somewhat overcast...but you could definitely see the bridge.
We then drove north to meet up with Uncle Rich and Aunt Kathy. We met at Point Reyes Station, and then got to our cottage to get into one car to take to Point Reyes National Seashore.
We drove up to see the lighthouse at the point - it was definitely overcast here.
While watching the ocean at the lighthouse, someone did spot a whale in the water - we saw it come up a few times. The lighthouse was closed the day we where there.
Had we had another day or two here, I would have liked to have done some of the trails.
Our cottage was in Inverness - a very small town on Tomales Bay.
Next door, there was a ship banked on a sand bar...it was interesting to see how high the tides went in comparison to the boat. In the morning, you could get to the boat...not so much at night.
It was very peaceful in Inverness, but a quiet town with a market, and two or three restaurants (not so much open all the time). We ended up going back to Pt. Reyes Station for dinner (maybe a 10 minute drive).
It was a nice cottage that had left us plenty of local goods for breakfast. Rob and I slept on a loft you accessed via a ladder. Rich and Kathy slept in the living area on the trundle bed. The mattresses were locally made in San Francisco and very comfortable.
The small kitchenette had just about everything you needed...coffee maker, toaster...stove... The shower was outside, and the inside had a very small bath with toilet/sink. A very charming place to stay!
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It was just about two weeks after we got back that I had a setback with my eye. Once again, it is a snow-globe of debris. The local retina specialist thought that a vitreous detachment was happening. Perhaps a side effect would be a retina tear/detachment. He said it takes about a month and to stay closer to home (who would want to take care of a retinal tear on vacation...not me!). So, perhaps this trip was good timing. We usually go in September, but due to Rob's work schedule, we went at the end of August.
I always enjoy going to California - Yosemite, Kings-Sequoia, and Lassen are all really beautiful parks. However, it is just so dry there. They are in desperate need of some snow and rain. Crater Lake is also a very beautiful place - the water is just so blue on a sunny day.
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Beautiful scenery. I was there in Muir Woods many many years ago and enjoyed it immensely. Friends from San Fran took me and we had another lady along from Chicago. We all had a good time and I came back with a few souvenirs which I think I finally got rid of just a few years ago after moving them with me over the years. Actually I still have the wooden pad made for hot pots though I don't use it for that purpose any more.
The dryness you experienced there has been going on now for some time. We have started it on the coast to the north. Very different experience for us but climate change is happening everywhere.
I'm so sorry to hear you are having eye issues again. In my own eye, I wasn't even aware of any retinal tear and had no symptoms other than a bit of "floaters" I think when it happened. When I went to the eye optometrist they noticed a tear and got me into the specialist 3 days later. Within a week I'd had laser surgery. I remember very little of the day. If I recall properly it was just like a feeling of intense pressure on the eye but it was only for a second. Since then absolutely no issues of any kind. I gathered from another eye specialist that there are different kinds of retinal tears and when and whether they decide to do something depends on where it is located amongst other things. Best of luck to you. I'm glad you are home to take care of any issues when they need to be taken care of.
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