California 2013 - Round 1 - Day 2

Feb 22, 2013 (Friday)

Ice Plant

Now the adventure really begins! After the free hotel breakfast, we headed to the ocean.  Our first planned stop was Lands End, which is a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). While we were driving along Sky Line Boulevard, we passed by some beaches and decided to stop. The first beach we stopped at was called Thornton Beach Vista. It was a scenic pull off really – wild flowers were just starting to bloom and there were great views of the ocean.  There were a lot of “ice plants”.   

Our journey continued north along Great Highway to Ocean Beach, which is a part of Golden Gate Park. At this beach you were actually on the beach. There are a lot of trails all along the ocean and this beach seemed to be a hot spot for surfers.

View from Lands End

At last we reached our first planned stop of the day, Lands End. We arrived before the visitor center opened, which was fine since the parking lot was open and there were trails to walk. I had printed out a map at home so I had an idea of what trail went where and what there was to see.  Lands End provides excellent views of the ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Continuing north along Lincoln Boulevard, we reached Fort Point, which is part of the GGNRA. Fort Point is literally stands right under the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge.   Fort Point construction began in 1853.  The walls are very thick – up to 16 feet in some spots.  The fort is in very good condition and was never under attack.  The fort was the only Civil War-era casemated fort on the West Coast.

The Presidio

Our next visit was to The Presidio. The Presidio again is a part of the GGNRA. The site has seen more than 200 years of military presence, with the first being arrival being the Spanish garrison in 1776. The location was handed over to the National Park Service in 1994. There are many things to do/view at the Presidio, including Crissy Field, the San Francisco National Military Cemetery, numerous lookout points, the Walt Disney Family Museum, golf course, beaches, etc. The visitor center has many videos available to view. There is parking available on the street at the visitor center – 30 minute in some places and 2 hours in others.

Golden Gate Bridge

Heading over the Golden Gate Bridge, we went to the Marin Headlands, which yet again is a part of the GGNRA.  Marin Headlands is an area with a lot of wildlife and historic military sites – including a Cold War-era Nike missile site. There is also a lighthouse at this park. The lighthouse is known as Point Bonita. The light house was the third lighthouse built on the West Coast (1855) and is still active today. We attempted to visit the lighthouse, but we ended up walking down the wrong trail, plus the lighthouse is only open Saturday, Sunday and Monday afternoons, 12:30 to 3:30. We will have to revisit the site. 

Muir Woods

At this point, we were getting pretty hungry for some food, so we headed to Muir Woods National Monument. I receive the National Park Magazine and recently there was an article raving about the food at Muir Woods. Muir Woods charges a fee to enter - $7 for those 16 years old and older. The park does except the “America the Beautiful” pass, which of course we used! Muir Woods is a gorgeous site in which you will find yourself surrounded by ancient redwood forest. Many of the trees are over 600 years old. There are a few options on walking trails, all of which are a paved surface. Back to the food – it was very tasty. There were sandwiches, soups, salads, and many desserts. 

After leaving Muir Woods, we headed to Point Reyes National Seashore. Along the way we stopped to check out Muir Beach Overlook, which was a former U.S. Army coastal observatory post. We also stopped by Stinson Beach. Stinson Beach is a cute little town with a few small shops. At last we reached Point Reyes. We checked out the Bear Valley Visitor Center. There are some displays at the visitor center that would be good for kids.  We hiked the Earthquake Trail, which was 0.7 mile walk along the San Andreas Fault. At one point, along the trail you can visually see a 16 foot shift in the ground from the earthquake. There is a lighthouse at this site. The lighthouse is located about 45 minutes from the Bear Valley Visitor Center.  Since we arrived kind of late in the day the lighthouse would have been closed by the time we arrived, again it is a site we will have to revisit. There are many hiking trails at this site. 

For the remainder of our visit, we reserved a rental home in Napa. We found the house online – VRBO Owner Listing 134288. The house was pretty nice, with the only complains being that the second bedroom was a bit cramped, the kitchen drawers were a bit dirty, and the driveway was super steep. A house rental is definitely the way to go compared to having to get two or more hotel rooms. People have gotten burned by bad rentals – my advice - research. There are tons of places to look at reviews now days, so take advantage of it!