One Hundred Degrees of Separation!

Carol and I stepped out the door of our home in the early morning darkness of January 16 into -26 degree temperatures. Our friend, John, was waiting to drive us to the airport for the start of our eleven-day escape from the Deep Freeze know as Minnesota. It is a good friend who gets out of a warm bed on such a morning to help his friends.

Twelve hours later, we found ourselves on the quiet streets of Point Reyes Station, California, where the temperatures hovered in the mid-70's (ABOVE zero, if you need clarification) - one hundred degrees warmer than the start of our day! We strolled among residents in shorts and short sleeved shirts, who chatted amiably with neighbors and friends. We passed a coffee shop with patrons lazing at outdoor tables with their espressos or their lattés. We were delighted to pass the market with tables of local produce on the sidewalk - avocados, tomatoes, greens, fruits.

Then we found our friend, Elisabeth, in her office; and we strolled some more. We bought locally produced cheeses that easily rivalled the cheeses of la Dordogne. Then Elisabeth closed up her office for the weekend and led us to the hillside home she and her husband, Gene, have lived in for the past six years.

Tomales Bay, as seen from Elisabeth & Gene's balcony

Tomales Bay at dawn.

Carol and Elisabeth, I should point out, have been friends since high school, and they have kept close contact through the years.

Lifelong Friends

Our friends fixed us a dinner and let us relax after our long day. For the rest of the weekend, we hiked our little hearts out, Elisabeth and Gene leading us on some of their favorite jaunts. They live on the edge of the Point Reyes National Seashore, a place rich with landscape and history.

Point Reyes Lighthouse

On the road after one of our hikes, we came across this cow with her calf,
born just moments before. We were thrilled to watch the calf take her first steps.

Drake's Bay, where Sir Francis Drake came ashore in the 16th century

We saw dozens of elephant seals.

We hiked along Ten Mile Beach.

Another view of Ten Mile Beach

We met Gene and Elisabeth's good friends, Rebecca and Carlos, at dinner at a restaurant in Point Reyes Station that served some of the best pizza I have ever tasted. The crust was exquisite! Within ten minutes we felt as if Rebecca and Carlos were old friends. We were delighted to learn that they would joint us the next evening for dinner at Elisabeth and Gene's home.

Gene, a master in the kitchen, took good care of us.

On Monday morning, our departure day, Carol and I took an early walk along Tomales Bay and then returned to fix pancakes for our hosts before we set off for our next adventure in Mendocino and the wine country of Anderson Valley. We were excited about the next phase of our trip, but I found myself promising to return for a much longer stay in Point Reyes.

I must add a final word about eating in the area surrounding Point Reyes. A new term that has surfaced in recent time is "locavore," meaning people who strive to eat locally produced foods. The term might well have been coined in Marin County. Throughout our stay with Elisabeth and Gene, we were treated to the freshest of foods from the surrounding countryside, much of it produced organically - produce, meats, seafood, dairy products (including delicious cheeses).

And finally, for those of you who followed our adventures this fall in the Netherlands and La Dordogne, we never, not once, got lost on our hikes. Thank you, Gene and Elisabeth.

Coming next - Mendocino, the northern California coast and the vineyards of Anderson Valley.