San Fran Travelogue

We followed the long and winding road back from Muir Woods. Through Sausalito and back over the Golden Gate Bridge to the sea cliff heights of Baker Beach and finally onto the short but majestic

stretch of sand and rising cliff at China Beach. Of all the beaches available, we picked China because it was written that it was quite pristine, quaint, and not necessarily the most well-known of all the major beaches.

Here we were, just off the loop from the Golden Gate, down on the roaring coast, middle of the day, and there were maybe a hand-full of people enjoying the sunshine and breeze.  Most reports make sure to warn against full swimming along any of the peninsular coasts of San Fran – the water is quite cold, the surf tough and the invisible undercurrent threatening.

The visitor, then, takes a cautious approach to the beach and stays close to the shoreline, the lone rocks standing firm in the surf, the bridge in the distance more than enough to remind you that this is something more than your average excursion on the water.

An older couple walked down to the shore line at one point, rubber capped, jumped in, and began swimming along the entirety of the visual shore line, elbows and jaws rising up above the surface, then dipping back down again.  We thought they were courageous.  They thought nothing of it.