The Baron and I took a little day trip up to Point Reyes on Saturday. We took California State Route One, which is known as the Pacific Coast Highway south of San Francisco and is called the Shoreline Highway up in Marin County. Unlike the Pacific Coast Highway portion of SR1, which has mostly scenic oceanfront views, the Shoreline Highway twists and turns through the beautiful wooded hills of Marin County. There are some lovely ocean views as well, once you get near Muir Beach.
We were heading for Limantour Beach to have a beach fire. Fires are allowed with a permit, which you can get for free at the visitor center.
We left San Francisco at about two thirty and were on the beach around five. With lessons learned from Carmel in mind, we brought a lot of firewood and set the fire as far back from the water as the rules permitted. It was really windy, so it was a struggle to get the fire lit at first. But after some clutch fire-starting techniques from yours truly, we had a nice blaze going.
We brought a few sandwiches (copa and sun dried tomato) and a few beers, and spent several hours just tending the fire and listening to the waves roll in. There were quite a few people on the beach when we arrived, but after the sun started to set, it got pretty quiet.
I would definitely recommend taking another way back to San Francisco if you're staying until sunset. The Shoreline Highway route is very scenic, but the hills and tight turns make for slow going even during the day and would be a real challenge in the dark. We took Sir Francis Drake Boulevard from the nearby town of Olema into San Rafel and hooked up with Highway 101.
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