Ocean Beach!

Ahh, Ocean Beach, San Francisco. Andy and I picnicked here a few weeks ago and it was wonderful! We are on the constant search for good beaches in the Bay Area. Not that there are beaches that are not good, but some have better perks than others. Some allow fires, some don't, some get crowded, others are abandoned, some allow dogs, others are strict with animals, some are blocked from the wind, others are warm...and it goes on. Ocean Beach is one that we have put of visiting due to the fact that it is actually in San Francisco. We figured it would be crowded and over run with people, not to mention cold and windy. Surprisingly though, it was none of those things.

Ocean Beach runs about the whole length of the western side of San Francisco. It stretches pretty far and because of that there is plenty of space to spread out. We went on sunny day and it actually got hot! We didn't wear bathing suits because the Bay Area beaches are far too cold for that. We were tucked away in the grassy bluffs out of sight for most to see us, so we stripped down to our underwear and basked in the sun. (Simply divine!) Not only was Ocean Beach warm, but we saw plenty of dogs and I think beach fires are even allowed. This seems like a beach win for the books!

A surfing good time!

A neighbor that I grew up with in Virginia lives in San Francisco and recently we reconnected. How cool! Her husband is a huge surfer so they offered to take Andy and me surfing. We met them in Bolinas Bay, north of San Francisco, at a surf shop. It was a cold, wet, foggy morning and as Andy and I left the house I grabbed my camera and thought that maybe I would sit this one out and take some pictures. When we got to Bolinas I had decided that it was not my day to surf. A foggy rainy ocean looks so much more intimidating than a sunny one. No matter, everyone else was on board with surfing, so wetsuits were zipped up and surf boards were picked out. We walked out to the beach and despite the fog and bad weather it was bustling with surfers! I picked a dry spot under some trees and next to a wildly colorful mural and happily snapped away with my camera. Andy was able to catch some waves and had the time of his life! Luckily I have the pictures to prove it. Now if only I can get my butt out there next time...

Dramatic California!

Andy and I have officially been living in California for 3 whole months now! Whoo, yeah! It was 3 months and about 6 days ago that we were packing our moving truck in the back of our Virginia house. It had just snowed lightly and some of our friends had come over to help us pack the truck. I ran out to grab some doughnuts and hot coffee to help us through the loading process. It was a chilly morning spent with good friends. Us girls huddled around our coffees nibbling on doughnuts, while the guys steadily worked on loading our life belongings into the moving truck. Now that I think about it, it seems so far away. Alas, it was only 3 months ago... Since then, we have been loving California! We miss our friends and family dearly, but the gorgeous scenery and abundant adventures have been keeping us busy. Here are some of the more dramatic photos that I have taken of our adventures over the last 3 months.

Prints of these photos are available in my Society6 store.

Big Sur post two, Highway One Beaches

A few days ago I posted about our backpacking trip to Big Sur. We took one day to backpack and camp, and one day to explore the area and Highway One. We have heard from countless people that Big Sur is the outdoorsy place to be around here. Well, other than Napa, Lake Tahoe, Muir Woods...oh wait, this whole area is scenic and beautiful!

Big Sur is about 2.5-3 hours south of the Bay Area, but totally worth the drive. A lot of the drive was boring highway, but once we hit Highway One the scenery started. We drove up and down Highway One stopping every few miles to get out and enjoy the coastal beauty. Some places the water was transparent blue, and other places we saw huge seals. There were cresting waves, miles of rocky shoreline, pristine white beaches, fog, sun, waterfalls, pine trees. Oh beauty!

It was an incredible day exploring Highway One in the Big Sur area. We did a few hikes right off the highway, and enjoyed the abandoned rugged beaches. We also stopped for lunch at a beautiful rooftop gallery restaurant that had some of the best bacon mac and cheese we've ever tasted. There are no words for that kind of delicious! We enjoyed lunch and beer in the blazing February sun with a view of Highway One and the Pacific Ocean. Does it get much better than that? I know I say that every time we get out and explore the area, but really, California has so much to offer.

 Check out the waterfall on the left side of this picture. Andy wanted to go bathe in it, but the trail didn't have beach access.