How to Make a Quick Getaway! (Mount Tamalpais Park)
Written: May 01 '00 (Updated May 02 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful landscapes and views, quick and easy access from San Francisco, very near other attractions like Muir Woods and Stinson Beach
Cons: Hiking trails are unmarked, trash cans and other infrastructure are scarce.
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| kifwebe's Full Review: Mount Tamalpais State Park |
If my current state of everyday life were a song, I could name that tune in one note, or more appropriately one word - chaos. I live in the city of San Francisco, a cosmopolitan, international, fast-paced, smog-filled world that has the tendency to overwhelm me in just about every way possible. On most days, those are the attributes that attract me to the area (other than the smog that is), but on occasion the weight of it all becomes a bit too much to bear.
When the dog-eat-dog, technology driven, dot-com millionaire filled atmosphere is compounded with day to day hassles it's enough to drag just about anyone through the coals. To use myself as an example, I'm currently new at my job and mired in the usual self-conscious transition phase into the new position (Was leaving my old job the right move? Will I ever be as respected here as I was back there? Does my boss believe in my work? Do I believe in my work?) I'll also have to find a new apartment soon, which my recent research tells me will cost me on the order of $1500 per month, unless I'm really lucky. And it could be worse than that if I happen upon a place that I really want along with 100 other people instead of the usual 20. For now I'm living in a 3 bedroom apartment with 3 others. We have one bathroom and one phone line, both of which are almost always occupied, and we have 4 schedules which only overlap when it's inconvenient. Oh, and then there's the fact that I just had my car vandalized, my girlfriend accidentally washed my first paycheck, gas is nearly $2.00 a gallon, and I uncovered a host of unpaid and overdue bills last night as I was tidying up my room for a get together. To summarize, I'm under some stress right now.
Does any of that sound familiar? Rest assured San Francisco residents and tourists to the area - there is an escape, and it's less than half an hour from the Golden Gate Bridge. Solace can be found at Mount Tamalpais State Park, and believe it or not, the review which you are currently reading was written completely within its boundaries on my laptop computer.
You see, it was a sunny day in San Francisco. One of those really warm, clear days when you walk out of your door and say to yourself - "I have got to get outside today!" My girlfriend and I decided to come here, because it is close enough to the city that it's not an all day affair (unless you choose to make it one), yet far enough away that you can easily forget about your everyday worries.
I brought my laptop thinking I might work on my next review, my "Top 10 Action/Adventure Flicks of All Time", and my girlfriend packed her art supplies in hopes of drawing landscapes. The two of us headed to the grocery store to purchase a few picnic items and off we went.
For directions to the park, simply cross the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County. Less than five miles along highway 101, you'll see the "Stinson Beach" (Highway 1) exit to your right. From there, just follow the signs to Stinson Beach/Muir Woods/Mount Tamalpais State Park, until the road splits and signs direct you to the park (15 - 20 minutes). As a side note, to pack the best picnic possible, make your way to Whole Foods in Mill Valley, which is 15 - 20 minutes from the park entrance and only 5 minutes out of your way.
What you'll find as you make your way around the 15 mph turns on the narrow, windy road to the park entrance, is that it's rather difficult to go all the way to the park without stopping at any of the dozens of pull outs to take in the views of the rolling hills, the Pacific Ocean, and the city of San Francisco. The hills along the way are covered in a variety of foliage. Some of them are almost completely covered with dense evergreen forests, while others are treeless but covered with a variety of tall, wispy grasses and thousands of wildflowers of every variety, from oranges to yellows to purples.
Currently I'm on the side of a hill about 2 miles inside of the park entrance. I just sort of parked the car, hiked (mostly uphill) a half mile off of the road, plopped myself down amongst a patch of tiny purple flowers and sat for a while, watching my girlfriend draw and soaking up the atmosphere. I felt compelled to work on this review rather than my movie review because it is truly breathtaking here. The sun feels wonderful, and the smell of the wild grasses and flowers is even better - a sort of sweet mixture of honey, wheat, and cedar is about the best way I can characterize it. Off in the distance I can see dozens of sailboats in the bay, which from this vantage seem all but motionless. Alcatraz island is just barely visible on the left side of a jutting hill, and to its right I can make out most of downtown San Francisco, which seems much farther away than my eyes tell me it is. Even further to my right is the Pacific Ocean, which is a few shades bluer than the light, cloudless sky and filled with tiny white waves, on their way inland. The horizon is blurred by a light haze which almost gives the city a sort of glow. A huge cargo ship seems to slowly inch into the bay, although I'm sure it's clipping along, completing its last few miles after the long journey from Asia. The sounds complete the picture - mostly birds and the breeze blowing through the tall grass, with the occasional whooshing sound of a car passing below in the distance or the sputtering of a small plane overhead.
There are dozens of activities that this park is well suited for. For one, it's great place to bring your bike. I've seen hundreds of cyclists painstakingly churning their way up hills, while others exceed the speed limit on the down side. It also seems to be a popular place to bring remote controlled gliders and kites, which you might mistake for huge birds from a distance. In fact, we were nearly hit by a crashing glider on the spot we chose for our picnic (I'm sure it's more likely you'll win the lottery than get hit by a glider in Mount Tamalpais Park, but this one only missed us by about 15 feet). There are also tons of hiking trails in the park. There are trailheads at many pullouts, and many hiking opportunities even if you decide to blaze your own trail as we did. And of course, there are hundreds of areas which make a perfect spot for a picnic or for relaxing in the sun and reading, writing, or painting. Just make sure that if you decide to have a picnic that you pack out everything which you have packed in, as trash cans aren't abundant and you can expect to have to carry your trash back to your car.
Also within 5 miles of the park entrance are Muir Woods, famous for its California redwood forests, and Stinson Beach, a laid back town where you can enjoy the gamut of beach activities, but which gains most of its notoriety from surfing and shark attacks (be careful out there). There are many restaurants in nearby Mill Valley which serve both dinner and lunch, but as a caveat most are on the pricey side as the area is inhabited by some of the bay area's most affluent residents.
Mount Tamalpais State Park is the kind of place that can provide the perfect escape from the city. Because it's only 19 miles from San Francisco, you can spend all day there or just a few hours before heading back. If you're an epinions addict and nature lover like me, it might even inspire you to write a review about it. It was fun writing my first "on-site" travel review, but more than that it has changed the word that describes my current state from chaos to serenity - for the moment at least.
As a side note, today I would rate the park 5 stars instead of the 4 star rating I ended up giving it. On some days the fog is too thick to enjoy the great views I'm experiencing today, and I've been here on those days as well. Without great weather, the park loses its impact, and therefore I couldn't give it a solid 5 star rating overall.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kifwebe
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Location: :noitacoL
Reviews written: 29
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