We had a freakishly tropical weather this weekend and normally when us locals see sun at the coast, we don’t venture far from the city. We actually pour outside and explore the coast. So that’s what happened, instead of us escaping town by driving across the Golden Gate, we actually walked it across on Saturday, all 1.7 miles in each direction and then some back to our car parked another mile from the bridge. It was invigorating, since the last time I did the walk was five years ago. This time around with hardly any tourists but having to adapt to the social distancing criteria – which was the most challenging on a narrow walkway. But we did it, under the scorching sun, and hot wind against our skin.
So it started out like this:
An early morning walk through Golden Gate Park to appreciate the flowers
And bridges reminding me of walks along the Seine River in Paris
We veered into the forest
and with eyes closed, breathed in the smell of redwoods
And then thought, this would be a good day to walk across the Golden Gate
So we parked a mile away from the bridge
And we took the scenic route – admiring the clear crisp views along the way
over the bridge we persevered
we peeked through the holes in the ground on the bridge to the views of the underside and unforgiving ocean
And stood on the other side along with a statue of a merchant marine
And simply soaked up the views of the city – with no fog in sight contemplating our walk back
We got to the car, stopped at a grocers to buy food and water, and we sat in the car under a trees by the De Young museum and enjoyed lunch – naturally energized, I felt the need to take more pictures:
I miss the museum, a reminder of the Louvre I long for – this one closed off to the public for now
Admired this dedication, as our city is now replanting and replacing all of these dying trees – which makes me sad to see history erased
and then there was this view of downtown, the place bustling with creativity of all start ups and ones we’ve grown addicted to – wondering what will happen if we never return to proper offices.
I woke up at three in the morning on Sunday to the most unusual lightning display across the night sky which lasted until five. Since we seldom, almost never get lightning or thunder around the bay area, I stayed up to watch the battle taking shape in the universe and wondered about all the stories parents tell their children and all the dogs tucked under a table for fear of the world crumbling down.
In the morning, although light showers were in order, we decided to head to Baker Beach and take in the storm – weird and risky for sure – but we did it anyway. Not sure what compelled us, me mostly, but I felt the need to be by the coast.
We managed to find a parking spot since early in the morning and walked the two miles stretch at Baker Beach, admiring the lightnings above and appreciating the views. It was humid, tropical, and a bit scary to experience thunders, and rain showers while standing along the coast. We witnessed a wedding, a yoga class, and couples snapping photographs near and far.
As the clouds cleared for a bit, I snapped a photo of the Seacliff neighborhood, our own version of Cinque Terre in Italy
Had a conversation with this beauty and begged it to hide from the fisherman dotting the shores or perhaps he was doing just that – escaping from a bucket near by.
We eventually put our blanket down and sat for hours on the sand, simply appreciating what nature has to offer – while trickles of rain landed against our skin. It was the best feeling anyone could hope for and one I’ll cherish for a very long time.
Hope you enjoyed this post.
I would love to hear your weekend adventures.
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I thoroughly enjoyed your lovely post! The prose is arranged so nicely with the photos. It called to mind the time I have spent there, the places, and even the scent of it came rushing back in a gentle and energizing way. Thank you so much for sharing!
I thoroughly enjoyed your lovely post! The prose is arranged so nicely with the photos. It called to mind the time I have spent there, the places, and even the scent of it came rushing back in a gentle and energizing way. Thank you so much for sharing!
So glad. I love it when a holiday post triggers wonderful memories.