May 20th, 2023
The Pacific Coast Highway is probably our favorite road in the whole world. The stretch of road that runs from Monterey CA to Morro Bay and Pismo Brach, is truly one of our happy places and home to some of the most scenically beautiful vistas and landscapes you can ever imagine. We have driven this stretch of road multiple times along with most of the other parts of the famous highway, nothing other road we have driven ever comes close, apart from maybe the Hana Highway or the Ringroad in Iceland. However, there is a large section of this highway we have seemingly ignored. And that is the stretch to the North of San Franciso.
It was time to rectify this and today we would be heading north to explore the rural and undeveloped areas of the North California Coastline.
May Gray and Mrs. Doubtfire
The forecast all week had seemed to miss the Dense overcast foggy conditions that were abundant along the coastline this time of year. While we know all about the Fog that rolls on due to the Marine layer, we assumed the forecasts would show this, but each day the forecast was for early sun, and the reality was gloomy Gray misery. It seemed to burn off around 11-12 like clockwork, but it was a real drag. And our coastal adventure day was no different. Except this time it was forecast, and forecast to be very heavy.
As we arose early to get going, the Gray was in full swing. The Marine layer was particularly thick today and had been accompanied by light drizzle and rain. This meant we were in no hurry to press on along the coast as we wanted to get the full benefit of the scenery once the fog had burnt off. So we gradually got ready, packed up the car, and checked out around 9:30 after a light breakfast of snacks from TTeader Joe’s, the Banana Choc muffin a real delight.
Rather than dashing for the bridge and the Marin Highlands as planned we took it slow and used the time to check out a few sights. First up was a drive down Lombard Street, something we had not done before (we have walked it many times), and a general exploration of the Super steep streets and hills of the city.
We then headed to a real Icon, the house uses in the 90’s classic Mrs Doubtfire. One of Robin William’s real masterpieces, we love seeing the house and bringing back all the memories of his utter brilliance. We were quiet and respectful of the neighborhood, took a few snaps, and headed off.
Marin Highlands
With several hundred miles to cover we could no longer dawdle and needed to finally get on our way properly. The first stop being the Marin Highlands and their stunning Bridge overlooks. Unfortunately, the reality of Travel is not everything comes up trumps, and just sometimes things are a complete letdown. Our visit to the highlands and Battery Spencer this day was just that. And if you haven’t guessed, it was the weather. This may be a recurrent theme in this entry!
The May Gray can create amazing photo-ops for Bridge photography with some really iconic shots showing the top f the towers rising from the low-lying fog with the city in the background, We knew the fog was heavy and we hoped for such fantastic conditions, or if not at least a break in the layer for some nice blue-sky conditions. Neither appeared. The layer was thick, dark, and gloomy. The towers were partially obscured and with the best will in post-edit, these were not going to be keeper shots.
The wind was also howling so there was very little enjoyment to be found overlooking the partially obscured bridge, hemmed in by the gloom, with little to no prospects of and improvement and little time to hang around to find out.
After a short while we headed off defeated. We had planned a good part of the morning exploring the area, one of our favorites in the bay area, but in the end, the weather just made this endeavor pretty fruitless.
Muir Beach – Olema
We carried on up Highway 1, stopping briefly and Muir Beach overlooks where a break in the fog allowed some views, and then further on up the coast, past gull rock which is rather disgustingly caked in Gull Droppings!
We headed past Stinson Beach and past Bolinas Lagoon, which can be very pretty but with the tide out it was pretty much a muddy mess, although we did spot some Harbour seals. From here the road heads a little inland and we finally got some rest bite from the Fog. Passing through a gorgeous rural valley with rolling farmlands on either side of the now really small highway.
As we pulled into the pretty little town of Olema we decided to take a short break. We pulled up at a small cafe, the Due West Tavern/ Tavern X Market, just for a coffee and snack. We got an excellent Snickerdoodle Cokie and enjoyed some time in the warm sun. However, we could clearly see the marine layer lying thick to the west…where we were heading.
Point Reys National Seashore
The next stop was Point Reyes National Seashore a location we had been eagerly wanting to visit. However, once again reality came home to roost as the entire seashore was blanketed in a really deep, thick, fog.
As we navigated Sir Francis Drake Boulevard the Fog and cloud really came down, and as we arrived at the stunning Point Reyes Lighthouse the visibility was near zero and the 2-3 mile hike was not worth the time or effort as there would simply be no views available at the end.
Instead, we headed to the other end of the peninsular and the Elephant Seal Rookery and Chineny Rock. As these were at slightly lower elevations there were some nice views down the coast. There were hundreds of large and raucous elephant seals resting n the beach and as we headed out to Chimney Rock there were several flocks of seabirds hunting on the glassy seas and Kelp Forests.
We are honestly not sure why Chinet Rock has its name but there was an ominous sound resonating from the stacks, a peculiar quirk of the setting. As we headed back down the trail we spotted some deer grazing on the hills and Birds of Prey circling above.
Back at the car, we could no longer keep dragging our feet as we still had a long way to go and this fog was just not lifting.
Tomales Bay – Oysters
As we pushed on along the banks of Tomales Bay, we were on the hunt for Oysters. Our first stop was Tomales Bay Oysters, but we were not really kitted out to sample the Oysters there. They only sell in 12s and do not provide Shucking tools so you need to bring your own, and we were on a long trip, and carrying knives was not a priority, so instead we ushed on to Hog Island Oysters who are a little more Tourist friendly and offer their Oysters Shucked and on-ice ready to eat.
They are a lot more expensive, but far more accessible. And god they were delicious. There really s nothing better than fresh Sea Food, when sat right next to the shore where it was harvested and grown, seriously stunning.
We had spent so long hanging around waiting for the fog to lift that our lunch trip to Tomales Bay was now a late afternoon stop and the restaurants were shutting up shop for the day, we were actually the last guests they agreed to seat. This meant time was really getting on, it was 4 pm by the time we left and we still had 70+ miles and 2 hours of driving to go.
Salmon Creek – Russian River – Sonoma Coast
Leaving Tomales Bay, the road heads inland a little and crosses several creeks and rivers, including Salmon Ceek and the Russian River. At one river crossing, we noticed a family of deer, mother, and foals taking a drink from the river. We sped past but slammed on the anchors to head back and grab a snap of the Foals.
The next section of the Highway was the most beautiful. The Coast here begins to resemble the stunning Big Sur Coast that blesses the PCH south of San Francisco. The road heads up into the mountains and forests and offers amazing views of the rugged headlands and coastal cliffs.
There were a lot of road improvements going on in this section of the road and quite a few delays as roads were reduced to a single lane with lights. This gave us time to take in the setting but on the whole, we were just plowing on trying to make up time, even though the sun had now come out in force. We could still see the Fog Bank threatening to roll back in at any moment.
The Russin River crossing was a particularly beautiful setting and a real contrast to the rugged mountain coastline. Here I nearly stepped on a Snake of some king trying to get a photo of the vista. I didn’t get a good look so no idea if it were harmless or venomous, but could have been nasty.
Salt Point State Park
The final section of the road for today passed through the Salt Point State Park. This is another really pretty coastal landscape where the forests meet the ocean in a stunning fashion. We were very late now and did not really have time for much else but a few quick photo stops.
There are several short hikes here, but we did not really have time and instead needed to get to the overnight location.
Gualala
Finally, we arrived in Gualala at around 7 pm. We had not had a proper meal all day and most dining options in this pretty remote little outpost were closing at 8 pm so we got into town just in time.
We checked into our Motel, a bit of a gamble this one. We had chosen Gualala basically on its part-way location up the coast rather than for any real reason and had picked the Surf Motel as it was cheap. This can work out well or horribly depending on a bit of chance, but the Surf Motel was actually really nice for a roadside Motel.
The units were rustic but felt more cabin-like than a motel with wooden accents and plenty of space.
We headed out for a short walk along the coastal path, and then to the local Supermarket and finally the Upper Crust Pizzeria for a nice take-out. They offered a wonderful Blue Cheese Chicken Pizza that was wonderful. We relaxed on the Outdoor patio enjoying a beer while waiting for the Pizza to bake as the sun started to set on another fantastic day.
The evening was spent simply relaxing and getting ready for the next day.
Walking Total – 13,353 Steps – 6.7 Miles
As today had been penned in as a car day, we didn’t expect too much in the way of steps, however, we clocked up a good 6+ miles, mostly at Point Reyes, but lots of other small hikes to viewpoints all seemed to add up. It never felt like hard work but always good to do a few miles on days when we are mostly driving.
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