Today was another beautiful day with sunshine and warm temperatures well into the high 20s.
We hopped on a city bus and went and picked up our rental car with no trouble. After checking out of the hotel and loading up the car (we both travel light with only one small carry-on sized suitcase a purse and a backpack) we drive a couple of blocks to Lombard Street and drive down the most amazing curvy road I have ever driven. Jo-Anne warned me and it was as wonderful as she described. We didn't have a convertible and perhaps that was a good thing.
Then off we go, down the road, onto the Freeway that crosses the Golden Gate Bridge and on to the coastal highway. (This all sounds so simple but the truth is that the merging onto the GG Bridge Highway was busy with hundreds if not thousands of cars and the bridge is amazing and it was hard not to look around with the Pacific Ocean on my left and the Bay on my right and the bridge up above...)
The coastal highway was so curvy that it made Cindy a little car-sick. I was trying to take my time and was truly wishing that I had more of a sports car to drive as compared to our Nissan but it was fun nonetheless. The view was amazing as we went around and around, up and up and up and then down and down and down. WOW!
We hopped on a city bus and went and picked up our rental car with no trouble. After checking out of the hotel and loading up the car (we both travel light with only one small carry-on sized suitcase a purse and a backpack) we drive a couple of blocks to Lombard Street and drive down the most amazing curvy road I have ever driven. Jo-Anne warned me and it was as wonderful as she described. We didn't have a convertible and perhaps that was a good thing.
Then off we go, down the road, onto the Freeway that crosses the Golden Gate Bridge and on to the coastal highway. (This all sounds so simple but the truth is that the merging onto the GG Bridge Highway was busy with hundreds if not thousands of cars and the bridge is amazing and it was hard not to look around with the Pacific Ocean on my left and the Bay on my right and the bridge up above...)
The coastal highway was so curvy that it made Cindy a little car-sick. I was trying to take my time and was truly wishing that I had more of a sports car to drive as compared to our Nissan but it was fun nonetheless. The view was amazing as we went around and around, up and up and up and then down and down and down. WOW!
We continued north stopping to take pictures of Duncan's Cove along the way as well as to climb down to the waters-edge to take more pictures and to finally find some beach glass (one of my goals). It's like June here, with many wild flowers in bloom, loads of flowers on succulents that remind me of cacti and Aloe. Eventually we stop in a little bay town called Bodega Bay and find a spot for lunch. We order clam chowder and fish and chips and split both (we are learning to order one appetizer and one meal as we can't eat two meals) and they are delicious. The chowder is especially good, but the fish is a bit greasy and we leave some of the crunchy batter on the plate.
Then we turn our car away from the ocean (sigh) and inland toward Armstrong Park to see the trees. It is difficult to describe how the landscape changes as you move inland. It is still just as hilly with curvy roads that go up and down but the trees that begin to surround the road are enormous. We see Redwoods and Saquoia, and Cindy recognizes the scent of Eucalyptus (which we find out later was transplanted here by earlier settlers). As we get closer to Armstrong they simply get bigger and bigger. I am enamoured by their majestic size, their sculpted bark and their colour. The park, as it turns out, is closed, but we are able to go in anyway and walk around for free (a welcome saving).
A giant Redwood.
Finally, we find ourselves on the main freeway heading south to San Francisco where we will have our next stay in Rohnert Park. This is a small city about 1 hour from Sonoma and Napa and offers a nice place to stay for a significant savings.
Enroute we bought some fruit, cheese, crackers, and white wine. And we share this for dinner as we sit by the pool reading and getting ready for our 1st day in 'Wine Country'.
Then we turn our car away from the ocean (sigh) and inland toward Armstrong Park to see the trees. It is difficult to describe how the landscape changes as you move inland. It is still just as hilly with curvy roads that go up and down but the trees that begin to surround the road are enormous. We see Redwoods and Saquoia, and Cindy recognizes the scent of Eucalyptus (which we find out later was transplanted here by earlier settlers). As we get closer to Armstrong they simply get bigger and bigger. I am enamoured by their majestic size, their sculpted bark and their colour. The park, as it turns out, is closed, but we are able to go in anyway and walk around for free (a welcome saving).
A giant Redwood.Finally, we find ourselves on the main freeway heading south to San Francisco where we will have our next stay in Rohnert Park. This is a small city about 1 hour from Sonoma and Napa and offers a nice place to stay for a significant savings.
Enroute we bought some fruit, cheese, crackers, and white wine. And we share this for dinner as we sit by the pool reading and getting ready for our 1st day in 'Wine Country'.
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