My Legs Hurt

Just thought I'd share our weekend activities with you, my faithful reader(s).

Saturday the better half and I took to the road and headed up to Point Reyes National Seashore for hiking and photo safari. Driving up 280, which is one of the most beautiful strips of freeway in America, at least for a highway that runs through an urban area. If you want beautiful highway through less populated areas, let me recommend a trip along the Eastern Sierras up 395. But I digress. Riding up 280 we passed the Golden Gate National Cemetary, though we didn't stop this time, I was sure to wave at the Colonel.

19th avenue takes you through San Francisco and to the Golden Gate Bridge, where we stopped to take some tourist shots at the presidio turnoff. Had my Yashica 124-G medium format camera, as well as the Canon, but my new superwide (20mm) angle lens hasn't come yet. So mostly shooting with a 28-90 at wider settings. Once back on the bridge, which even 35 years after first crossing the Golden Gate I am still giddy as a child and quite impressed, we crossed over to Marin and headed up 101 through Sausalito. Taking the Sir Francis Drake exit we continued through a number of lovely towns and villages to Point Reyes.

At the park we hiked the Earthquake trail, which takes you along the San Andreas fault and right around the exact epicenter of the 1906 earthquake. From there it was lunch at the general store in Inverness and then on to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, which is about 20 miles from the main park area, driving through historic ranch land. At the lighthouse we hiked from the parking area down to the visitor's center and then down the 300+ steep steps to the lighthouse. Note to self; when you walk down 300 steep steps, keep in mind you will have to walk back up 300 steep steps.

After we recovered from our heart attacks, we drove back to Drake's beach. No one knows for sure exactly where Drake touched land in what he called "Nova Albion", but it was somewhere around here and Drake's beach seems to fit the description. It is in a beautiful bay with views to Point Reyes to the North and Chimney Rock to the South. There is a very nice visitor's center and a cafe with some of the best french fries I have ever eaten.

Coming home I missed the turnoff for Sir Francis Drake road and ended up following Highway one, which precariously, but spectacularly, hugs the coast down to Marin, but inevitably hooks back up with 101 and takes you back the other way over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Haven't processed my film yet, was shooting traditonal black and white (Kodak Plus-X and Ilford Delta 100, for those of you who care about that sort of thing), but when I've gotten around to developing, printing and scanning I'll hopefully make an additon to Futurballa Photography of some shots of this trip.