The Golden Gate Bridge

I thoroughly enjoyed my final Monday of freedom and leave of absence. We left the hotel before 9:00 and went over to Laura’s condo to pickup our rental car where we left it on Saturday. Parking at the hotel is $50/day and because we knew we wouldn’t need the car while staying downtown John decided to leave it at Laura’s. We had a little trouble with the pass code but John was able to reach Laura at the hospital and we got into the garage after about 15 minutes. First we drove west from Laura’s to Golden Gate Park. Once at the park we toured the Japanese Tea Garden, what a treat! The tea garden is beautiful, colorful and so peaceful. Next we stopped at the memorial to the USS San Francisco (badly damaged but victorious in the fiercely fought nighttime Naval battle of Guadal Canal… history lesson provided by John). Next we stopped at the Palace of the Legion of Honor but this beautiful spot is closed on Mondays, but beautifully situated on a promontory overlooking the Golden Gate bridge. Then we stopped at another memorial to soldiers lost in coastal waters in WWII. We drove across the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge and stopped on the other side at a lookout and snapped a few more pictures. Next is we drove to Sausalito where we had a pleasant lunch near but not on the water. Then we headed north to Muir Woods a national monument protecting thousands of California coastal redwoods. We spent about two hours in the park admiring the majestic redwoods and hiking. After we left the park we made a stop a few miles away at Muir Beach and oh my goodness! You can’t even imagine the beautiful view and unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me to document it but trust me on this one… it was a sight to behold standing on a cliff and looking down at the rocky coastline. While driving toward our BB&N we spotted about 10 seals but couldn’t get close enough to have much of a look. Then we drove through the funky little town of Bolinas, apparently they don’t want anyone to know they exist because there are no road signs to direct you to Bolinas, but John was there a few years ago and wanted me to see the place. It’s a funky little town with a real laid back feel. Then we made our way to Olema where we’re spending the next two nights at The Olema Inn and Restaurant. We had a casual dinner at a restaurant in town called the Farm House.