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If you were one of those people expecting a personalized email after the last squirrelly email, don’t feel bad at not having gotten one – I didn’t send out any. I either got busy or lazy, take your pick.
So Saturday was Mt. Tamalpais day. We were out the door by 7:30 a.m., but this reminded me of what Leslie said over the Last Supper (Gyotaku) – that going places on the mainland is not like going places in Hawai`i where a day at the beach is preceded by a 20-minute drive. This day hike was preceded by an hour-and-a-half drive, with a stop for car fuel & another later for human fuel.
I liked the drive, which looks very different depending on the time of day & direction in which one is traveling; i enjoyed the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, which was foggy in the morn & clear by the afternoon. Nearing Mt. Tamalpais, one passes through a little town (has a 7-11 store, a Subway sandwich place, Domino’s Pizza, and of course the omnipresent Starbucks) & then up the 10 miles to Mt. Tamalpais’ summit. There were bicyclists ALL the way up & down. There was also an organized run going on, so it was an extremely busy drive on a very winding road.
As it turns out (and perhaps as expected), the way I chose to do the hike was not the most savvy, so we aborted it shortly after starting, & will likely return to try again from a different route next time. I didn’t like it that the trail I chose from the map was actually a dirt road (a wide road), not much of a hike, and that I chose to start at the top & work our way down, since I couldn’t find an appropriate parking place lower that would still allow us to reach the summit...at any rate, we aborted it.
I heard the FUNNIEST conversation at the summit, though. Am glad I witnessed it—two cyclists had just attained the summit after that arduous 10-mile haul up the mountain, & as they approached the Visitors’ Center & stop area, one cyclist in his Germanic-based accent says to the other, “Okay, where now?” And the other (local) says, “That’s it.”
Says the first, “So now what?”
His friend, “We turn around & go back.”
Says the visitor, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” (the accent made it hilarious)
“No.”
“What did we ride up here for?”
“For the view.”
The ‘view’ was socked in by fog, even though it was clear at the summit. As I was leaving, I heard the local cyclist telling the other, “If it was clear, you would have a view of the bridge, the one that’s in the photo on my living room wall...” blah blah blah – am sure ALL of it was lost on his friend, whose brain probably was still stuck on the “we turn around & go back” portion of their conversation. He was likely expecting at least a pub or deli, & perhaps somewhere in the recesses of his brain, “Crazy Americans!” was the phrase that rattled around.
There were chipmunks at the summit. 2008sept13_tamalpais+014_chipmunk.jpg)
So Saturday was Mt. Tamalpais day. We were out the door by 7:30 a.m., but this reminded me of what Leslie said over the Last Supper (Gyotaku) – that going places on the mainland is not like going places in Hawai`i where a day at the beach is preceded by a 20-minute drive. This day hike was preceded by an hour-and-a-half drive, with a stop for car fuel & another later for human fuel.
I liked the drive, which looks very different depending on the time of day & direction in which one is traveling; i enjoyed the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, which was foggy in the morn & clear by the afternoon. Nearing Mt. Tamalpais, one passes through a little town (has a 7-11 store, a Subway sandwich place, Domino’s Pizza, and of course the omnipresent Starbucks) & then up the 10 miles to Mt. Tamalpais’ summit. There were bicyclists ALL the way up & down. There was also an organized run going on, so it was an extremely busy drive on a very winding road.
As it turns out (and perhaps as expected), the way I chose to do the hike was not the most savvy, so we aborted it shortly after starting, & will likely return to try again from a different route next time. I didn’t like it that the trail I chose from the map was actually a dirt road (a wide road), not much of a hike, and that I chose to start at the top & work our way down, since I couldn’t find an appropriate parking place lower that would still allow us to reach the summit...at any rate, we aborted it.
I heard the FUNNIEST conversation at the summit, though. Am glad I witnessed it—two cyclists had just attained the summit after that arduous 10-mile haul up the mountain, & as they approached the Visitors’ Center & stop area, one cyclist in his Germanic-based accent says to the other, “Okay, where now?” And the other (local) says, “That’s it.”
Says the first, “So now what?”
His friend, “We turn around & go back.”
Says the visitor, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” (the accent made it hilarious)
“No.”
“What did we ride up here for?”
“For the view.”
The ‘view’ was socked in by fog, even though it was clear at the summit. As I was leaving, I heard the local cyclist telling the other, “If it was clear, you would have a view of the bridge, the one that’s in the photo on my living room wall...” blah blah blah – am sure ALL of it was lost on his friend, whose brain probably was still stuck on the “we turn around & go back” portion of their conversation. He was likely expecting at least a pub or deli, & perhaps somewhere in the recesses of his brain, “Crazy Americans!” was the phrase that rattled around.
There were chipmunks at the summit.
That was nice. And an old firehouse (turned into a museum) w/ a 360 view to watch for forest fires, I expect. The summit overlooked Mill Valley. We went down the other way, & followed the sign to Stinson Beach.
From my time in Los Angeles, I discovered that beaches on the continent --cold & w/ fine sand that packs solid -- are nothing at all like the beaches in Hawai`i, so I wasn’t expecting to hop into the water or anything. I also wasn’t expecting to see people in the water in just swimsuits or everyday clothes, though, & there were…they’re nuts. I went into the water to where the waves reached my calves, stood there a few minutes, & when i came out i had to look to see if my toes were still attached, since i couldn't feel them, it was that cold. A few more minutes, perhaps frostbite would have claimed my feet. NO idea how the others were dealing w/ the cold water. 2008sept13_tamalpais+018.jpg)
From my time in Los Angeles, I discovered that beaches on the continent --cold & w/ fine sand that packs solid -- are nothing at all like the beaches in Hawai`i, so I wasn’t expecting to hop into the water or anything. I also wasn’t expecting to see people in the water in just swimsuits or everyday clothes, though, & there were…they’re nuts. I went into the water to where the waves reached my calves, stood there a few minutes, & when i came out i had to look to see if my toes were still attached, since i couldn't feel them, it was that cold. A few more minutes, perhaps frostbite would have claimed my feet. NO idea how the others were dealing w/ the cold water.
And seagrasses. EW, long winding seagrasses that look cool a-wash onshore, but when they slither around your ankles it’s downright creepy! Seagulls & pelicans made for a nice view, and I’m sure there are times (sunrise/sunset) when the view is spectacular, but my fresh-from-Hawaii eyes are a bit fussy at the moment & we weren’t there for dawn or dusk. The ocean (or area?) smells different, too...more fishy than the saltspray i'm accustomed to. All in all, though, i enjoyed the experience. Another 10 minutes is all it took to walk through the quaint beachtown of Stinson, which is much like a very miniature Haleiwa town, and the locals are as friendly.
BLACKBERRIES were the big discovery of the day. I wasn't sure what blackberries looked like, & I was examining something that looked like a blueberry (but smaller) growing on a weedlike plant, had picked one, squeezed it & watched a bunch of tiny seeds & liquid oozing from it, had just picked another & was contemplating eating it when a woman who worked at a nearby stand approached & said, “Can I help you?” “Are these blackberries?” “No, blackberries are over there,” she pointed, “and I don’t think I’d eat what’s in your hand if I were you.” So I tossed it & tried the other instead.
Blackberries look much like raspberries (& before they turn black, they’re red, too!) but they lack the hairiness of raspberries, thank goodness. The hair is why i've never eaten raspberries. But blackberries....oooh, they are delicious! I picked 7 more to take with me. They were growing wild all over the place! The plant itself looks like a weed, and thorns all over the dang place. I had been expecting a bush or something for berries. “Here we go round the mulberry bush…” so I figured berries grow on bushes, except for strawberries which I believe grow on vines, right? Anyway, now I know that what those hikers on Kauai were picking really were blackberries! I didn’t know we had any in Hawai`i, so I figured they were mistaken!
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Blackberries, seagulls, pelicans, chipmunks, good company, & a great day. I hope your weekend went well also!
--kh
BLACKBERRIES were the big discovery of the day. I wasn't sure what blackberries looked like, & I was examining something that looked like a blueberry (but smaller) growing on a weedlike plant, had picked one, squeezed it & watched a bunch of tiny seeds & liquid oozing from it, had just picked another & was contemplating eating it when a woman who worked at a nearby stand approached & said, “Can I help you?” “Are these blackberries?” “No, blackberries are over there,” she pointed, “and I don’t think I’d eat what’s in your hand if I were you.” So I tossed it & tried the other instead.
Blackberries look much like raspberries (& before they turn black, they’re red, too!) but they lack the hairiness of raspberries, thank goodness. The hair is why i've never eaten raspberries. But blackberries....oooh, they are delicious! I picked 7 more to take with me. They were growing wild all over the place! The plant itself looks like a weed, and thorns all over the dang place. I had been expecting a bush or something for berries. “Here we go round the mulberry bush…” so I figured berries grow on bushes, except for strawberries which I believe grow on vines, right? Anyway, now I know that what those hikers on Kauai were picking really were blackberries! I didn’t know we had any in Hawai`i, so I figured they were mistaken!
Blackberries, seagulls, pelicans, chipmunks, good company, & a great day. I hope your weekend went well also!
--kh
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