Point Reyes

This past summer was great for traveling. We made the most of it by going out for many day trips. The San Francisco bay area is  perfect in terms of the numerous options for weekend fun. Some of our favorite day trips are to Napa, Half moon bay, Santa Cruz and Big Sur. Another favorite drive is along highway 1 north with stops at Muir woods, Mount Tamalpais and Point Reyes. 

One weekend we drove all the way to Point Reyes. It is more beautiful than any of the pictures below that we could capture. The fog gives it an ethereal feel and the landscape looks different with every turn. The drive leading to the lighthouse is really green. It is just an hour out from San Francisco but it has beautiful European charm. Something about the vast expanse of open green space and ocean views makes me associate it with places like England or Ireland. 

When there is no fog, you can see a long part of the coastline. Between January and March go there for whale watching.  Point Reyes National seashore is a great place for a picnic or stop at other beaches along the way like Limantour beach or Heart's Desire beach. 

The place is also perfect for activities like kayaking, biking and hiking. You can book wilderness adventure tours or  do kayaking on Tomales Bay and Drakes Estero.

It rained once while we were there. It didn't last long but the scenery just changed completely. The sky turned a beautiful shade of crimson and the rainbow looked great blanketed in the fog. 

Beach picnics are super fun. But expect the weather to be generally cold or to change suddenly. I have visited Point Reyes 4 times and it has been very cold and windy each time. We have mostly been there during summers afternoons. 

Visibility can sometime get very poor. While it is no problem driving, it gets misty and cold. It irks me to no end as it tests my photography skills! 

...and this is how the seashore looks on an almost perfectly clear day! 

We have many restaurant favorites but this summer we made it a point to try out new ones. We found a few good ones that I am ready to go back to :) 

One of our great finds was this Mexican restaurant named Nopalito. Yelp guided us to this place and we loved every bit of it. Even the complimentary spiced garbanzo was awesome! The rustic ambience along with the open kitchen is charming and the food tasty. Service was impeccable. We made last minute reservations and they were able to accommodate us. 

Appetizers were the highlight  - you cant miss the Totopos con Chile and Corn. 

The entrees were not as amazing as the appetizers, but based on the appetizers our expectations were sky high! The Quesadilla de Bruselas was very different than the usual Mexican faire. The trout was good. Usually not a fan of Tamales, so this was the least favorite dish we ordered.

- Dee