So, we made the 1 1/12ish drive up the windy and woody roads above San Fran to Muir Woods, part of the HUGE California Golden Gate National Recreation Area. And unlike a lot of our other trips to scenic places around the pay area, this trip had a TON of ups and downs.
Aside from the winding roads, the first thing that we noticed was there were bicyclers, everywhere. Seriously-- the windy, narrow roads were barely big enough for two cars to fit on, but we were constantly on the lookout for the tons of hardcore bike riders traveling up and down the same hill-littered terrain that we were in our Passat. At about noon, we arrived at the mouth of the Muir Woods trail, and when we sailed passed the entrance, we noticed that the parking lot was full. We traveled down the road to the overflow lot, which was also totally full. The sign said that parking on the road was permitted, so we continued down it, thinking we'd for sure find something along the side. To our astonishment, the road was absolutely packed. We drove for about a mile before there was finally parking on a precarious hill behind the long line of cars we had just driven by. It was a nice weekend, but still winter! We couldn't believe that there were this many people on the hike today. It seemed insane-- the hike to the entrance would probably take us longer than the actual trek through the woods.
So, we rolled with it and decided to explore other areas of the park, maybe to come back later when people had already had their hike. We saw a sign for Stinson Beach and shrugged at it. I'm still not sure why it sounded familiar; I thought maybe I had heard my friends at work talk about it, or something. So, we followed the sign direction, and after about 40 mins of weaving, watching out for bikers, and seriously questioning if we were on the right road, we arrived at the small and compact town. It's crazy to think that people live there-- it's so very secluded, and pretty much the only way in and out is a windy road through thick, hilly forest. I don't know how the 500 residents must do it. I guess it's a good way to get away from it all. I might go insane.
We drove through the town and found that aside from the beach and some shops, there wasn't much to it. We pulled up to the beach parking and sat in the car for a bit, wondering what to do from here. We had no internet to speak of, so any chance at forming a backup plan for our day was shot. We decided to check out the views on the beach, so we made our way through the lot to the water. It was probably 60 or so degrees, but the wind was blowing so hard and right off the ocean that it made the day chilly. We packed on our sweatpants and sweatshirts and took in the sights. It was nice, and there were a considerable amount of people on the beach that day, but the wind was blowing so much that sitting and enjoying it for long was not something we were interested in. It was also at this time that I unsheathed my camera from its case and tried to take a picture. The screen blinked back at me-- "No Memory Card!" WHAT? Ugh, come to find out later that I left it in my computer. So, any great shots for Facebook, or even memory's sake, would have to be taken from my less than amazing camera phone. Ashton Kutcher would NOT be pleased. And neither was I.
We left the beach and decided that since it was now about 2, we might as well find out what Stinson Beach had to offer for lunch. We found a deli called The Lunch Box right off the main drag and bought some sandwiches, which we pretty solid, and ate them on a the sunny park outside. We laughed that this trip was not exactly what we had planned for it to be, and vowed to create backup plans if we were to ever go anywhere with no internet access again. What did people DO before 3G? :)
Feeling like we had accomplished Stinson Beach, we set out for Muir Woods again, and found the entrance, much as we had left it-- packed. Eh, we had come to hike, so we pulled behind the last car in the masses-- about a mile, or 16 min walk from the actual mouth of the trail. We threw in our reserves-- water, my
When we finally got to the ranger station at the trailhead, we looked in utter disbelief at the entrance fee sign--- $7 a person. A Person! We know that California was broke and I shook my head in agony at being so naive and thoughtless that a beautiful park like this wouldn't charge that kind of rate to get into a famous hike. That didn't change the fact that we hadn't brought enough cash to get us both in. Defeated and in a bad mood despite the calming nature around us, we walked the 16 minutes back to our car. We did notice on our way back, that there were a lot of people leaving-- since it was about 4:00 now. I shook my head and laughed and agreed with Steve to drive back toward the entrance, and see if there were any spots closer now. If there wasn't something we both deemed a reasonable distance-- we'd head home.
As our luck (HA!) would have it, we DID find a spot a mere three minute walk from the entrance. We collected our provisions + an extra $20 and finally, made it to the actual trailhead. To be sure, the journey to this point proved to be more enthralling than the hike itself, but I will say that Muir Woods is something to see. The redwoods are so old and tall and beautiful, that it's like walking back in time-- before cities and roads and all the things that show human touch. During the first part of the trail, it was a bit noisy, as there were a ton of families with small children who took the opportunity of being outside to scream and yell and run. But, as we walked along we finally separated ourselves and began to take in the serene surroundings and amazing resilience of the redwoods we were walking through. It was peaceful and calming and allow me to reflect on the tumultuous year we'd had so far, but also be hopeful for the future. We stopped for a few pictures along the way-- all of them blurrier that the last thanks to my camera phone. We weaved through the trail and made a circle back to where we started at the ranger station.
Laughing to ourselves as we trekked the comparably small distance to the car, we packed up and headed for home sweet home. Sometimes it really isn't about the destination. It's about being together on the whole journey. I couldn't ask for a better adventure partner, than my husband.
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