Relaxing day…..

by Mandeep Gaygoat

After spending the morning relaxing at the hostel, we went to Pt Bonita lighthouse, on the way we saw a raccoon trying to grab somebody’s lunch, they were in a van with the windows open! Also probably not a good idea leaving food in the car, we had raccoon footprints all over the car. Wish I had their sense of smell I was starving!!!

The walk to the lighthouse was amazing especially as it was foggy, created a sense of mystery about the area. The waters were smashing against the rocks which was a fantastic sight and sound. One could just make out the Golden Gate Bridge.

For over 150 years, Point Bonita lighthouse has aided ships navigating the treacherous waters of the Golden Gate. It’s welcome beacon continues to greet both mariners and lighthouse visitors alike. With the discovery of gold in 1848, California and the world changed forever. Soon,San Francisco became the main port for gold seekers from around the globe. In 1849, the city’s population leaped from 900 to 20,000!

To lead the new settlers and explorers safely thorough the dangerous waters of the bay entrance, a system of light houses was developed. Alcatraz’s light showed the way for ships directly in front of the Golden Gate and Fort Point’s lighthouse marked the southern edge of San Francisco Bay. Another light house was needed north of Golden Gate to make the entrance recognisable for ships sailing up the coast from the south. That lighthouse became Point Bonita.

Bridge to the lighthouse:

Tunnel towards the lighthouse.

Afterwards we went to the marine mammal centre, 2000 Bunker Road, Sausalito, CA tel +1 415 289-7325, this is where they treat the marine life, e.g. sea lions, the lady who gave us a docent tour is called Deirdre (a volunteer) she did a fantastic job. The cost is $7 and worth every cent, also, all the money goes to the centre.

“Our mission is to expand knowledge about marine mammals—their health and that of their ocean environment—and to inspire their global conservation. Our core work is the rescue and rehabilitation of sick and injured marine mammals, supported by state-of-the-art animal care and research facilities, a corps of dedicated volunteers, and an engaged community.”

The following picture is made up of smaller pictures of plastic bags!

We then headed to Saulsalito for a very late lunch, where went to a restaurant called Avtar’s, not sure what the owner is trying to achieve, on the menu was enchiladas with an Indian twist and another dish curry and rise with a jerk twist!! Both meals were awful and definitely cannot recommend this restaurant, we also got told a few days ago, by the owner that there are two kitchens one for veg and the other for non veg. We later saw that the veg and non veg cooking was done in the same area using the same pans! We were in so much of a rush we did not even take a picture of the outside!

Drive to HI point Reyes hostel on highway 1 was amazing full of sharp bends, you definitely had to keep your wits about you. Unfortunately it was very foggy so we were left wondering what beautiful sights we were missing.