Some Tall Trees and a Tall Bridge

Days 24 and 25

          There’s this little Gallery on a side street in Sausalito, a tiny bay-side town just north of San Francisco.. I was there about twenty-five years ago, and I’ve thought about it ever since. This gallery specializes in Maritime décor and is only one of a few worldwide that features the art of John Stobart.

           Mr. Stobart is (was) a British artist whose paintings of maritime scenes such as the Cutty Sark racing the Thermopylae, or South Street in NYC back in the 1800’s when it was a thriving seaport. His work is considered the epitome of this genre and I just can’t get enough of viewing it. I only have a book of his works as being able to actually see a print, never mind an original, is extremely rare.

          So, I was hoping to be able to drop in on our way back from Muir Woods National Monument as Sausalito is just on the other side of the Marin Peninsula. Parking around here is probably worse than NYC if that is possible. The streets are narrower, and they cling to the sides of the hills like a thread carelessly tossed on your shirt. So, my expectations for finding a spot were low already. Plus, this was Sunday Morning in a restaurant town that considers Sunday Brunch as a religion. Double Whammy.

          Miss Google Maps did a wonderful job of leading us directly to my long-awaited reunion with Mr. Stobart and his paintings. We slowed up as we spied the shop across the street. This is where having out-of-state license plates works in your favor as locals will understand that you are clueless as to where places are located and hopefully give you some slack.

          Well, no slack was needed as the Gallery was closed.

          That’s right. The Scrimshaw Gallery, normally open seven days a week, 10 AM to 5 PM, had decided to take this opportunity to close for the day.

          Twenty-five years and three-thousand miles.

          You just can’t make this stuff up.

          Luckily, this minor setback was so insignificant on the happenings of the day that it was quickly forgotten.

          We had just emerged from a magically surreal experience at Muir Woods and nothing was going to put a damper on that! Deep in a canyon just a few miles north of San Francisco is a world all unto itself. Giant Coastal Redwood trees only thrive in the fog-induced moist atmosphere of these shady ravines. If any of you have read The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, then you are familiar with Lothlorien, the woodland realm of Galadriel.

          Now you have an idea of what Muir Woods is like.

          As mammoth and grand as Sequoia is, Muir Woods is as serene and majestic, all at the same time. If there is a Cathedral dedicated to forests, this is it. There are even signs encouraging you to be as quiet as possible, offering a feeling of reverence and respect to your visit.

          We needed to reserve a time slot for parking and luckily for us the only slot still available when I checked was right after the Park had opened for the day. This did two things, one, it insured that there would be a minimum of crowds and two, it gave us the opportunity to view this vernal woodland during what photographers call the Golden Hours. These precise times of day, shortly before and after sun rises or sets, are named so for the practically perfect lighting conditions that they provide. Add in a forest with that perfect sunlight spilling down through the canopy above and you have  a Nirvana for capturing photos that need no explanation.

          Muir Woods is rather small. Unless you go back-country and decide to utilize one of the longer trails, you can have a very nice visit and only spend about two hours or so. I guess that is good because when we left there were a lot more folks looking for those elusive parking spots that they had needed to reserve. I’ll bet they wished that they had risen a bit earlier and got here when we did!

          After we left Muir Woods we emerged out of the canyon and drove to a point way up high that overlooks San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s called the Marin Headlands and was at one time a military escarpment placed there to defend the Bridge (and San Francisco Harbor) from attacks from across the Pacific.

          The views are obviously magnificent.

          This day’s views, in some ways, may be considered less than optimal as that famous San Francisco fog hovered at just the right height as to look like it was resting on the Bridge and bending its cables.

          Another surreal experience.

          We were able to look across to the spot where we had been the day before. After our drive from Monterey (which was only two hours long) we had time to visit Fisherman’s Wharf, drive around town, look across the Bay at Alcatraz Island, go up and down those crazy hills, and stop and see Lombard Street, the famous really crooked, switchback-loaded street that gets featured in every San Francisco movie.

          After two days of travel in San Francisco, we felt like pros navigating the streets here. But we are very glad to finally be out and away from all of the congestion that seems to infiltrate California cities.

          We do believe that it is worse than back East!