Sunny January Saturday

Yesterday we did a big hike down Route 1 just past Pacifica. It is a hike that is best done this time of year, when the poison oak that overgrows the trail most of the year has receded and the fog is unlikely to spoil the views.

Driving down there's an excellent view of Linda Mar beach, a popular surfing spot. Not surprisingly for a beautiful day with good waves, the water looked like a salmon farm: more flesh than water. Though in this particular salmon farm all the salmon are wearing wetsuits. And surfing. Yes, this simile has gotten a little weird. My point is: there were a LOT of surfers in the water.

The hike we did is an 8 mile round trip, with a flat meandering-along-the-coast section followed by a steep vertical climb of about 2,000 feet to the top of a mountain whose name I have already forgotten. The good news is that the reward for all that climbing is one of the most spectacular views: a 360 panorama that includes the ocean, the bay, Mount Tam, Mount Diablo and everything in between, like Oakland. It was a clear day and we could see it all.

We were so excited about it that we completely forgot to take a picture. Maybe next time.