Today dawned foggy. A thick pea fog, with only a hundred feet or so of visibility. Here in Pacifica, it was foggy around 8 when we did a coffee run, but had burned off by 10 or so when we decided to head into San Francisco to get a closer look at the Golden Gate Bridge.
As we got closer to the bridge, though, the fog closed in again. By the time we got to the bridge overlook, the fog was blowing hard, and you could only see the first hundred feet or so of it.
With the bridge invisible, it didn’t make much sense to hang around, so Tom suggested we visit the Point Bonita Lighthouse.
The lighthouse is on a small craggy island, connected to another craggy cliff by a pedestrian suspension bridge. To get to it, you walk along a path, past rocky outcrops, and through a hand-hewn tunnel through a tall cliff.
Walking there in the fog, I was struck by the sounds — the crash of the surf, and the foghorns in the distance. There were cormorants on the rocks surrounding the lighthouse.
Brian, taking a picture of Matt, Michael and Tom on an invisible bench
Rock and Fog
Cormorants on a rock near the Point Bonita Lighthouse
Point Bonita Lighthouse
Rocks and cliffs of the Point Bonita Lighthouse
Looking at a map
Waves receding from the cliff near Point Bonita
Pelicans flying from the shore. Michael O'Hara photo
Fog and cliffs near Point Bonita Lighthouse. Michael O'Hara photo
Birds and Fog. Michael O'Hara photo.
Trees, fog, cliffs, and waves. Michael O'Hara photo.
Inside the tunnel to the lighthouse
After the lighthouse, we wanted to visit Muir Woods, but as we started to get close, we realized reservations were needed for admission — and we didn’t have one. So we turned around, and visited the Sausalito Harbor. By this time the fog had burned off, and it was bright and sunny. The harbor is very pretty, and there are a ton of shops and restaurants along the waterfront.
Sausalito Harbor
San Francisco and the Oakland bridge from Sausalito
Sailing ship in Sausalito Harbor
After lunch, we wanted to see if the fog had burned off at the Golden Gate, but no luck. It was definitely less foggy than the morning, but visibility was pretty poor, so we decided to skip it.
The one thing Matt really wanted to do today was watch the Florida State football game, so we headed back to Pacifica. Matt got settled in for the game, and Tom ran some errands. Once he got back, Mike, Brian, Tom and I headed over to nearby Rockaway Beach for sunset. There was a big cliff next to the beach, and we climbed up to get a better view.
Michael and Brian
Rockaway Beach area from above.
Rocks in the water
Mike at Sunset
Tom at the top of the cliff
Michael shooting near sunset
Cormorants in the cliff. Michael O'Hara photo
Sunset, Rockaway Beach
Sunset, Rockaway Beach
Fog rolling back over the mountains after sunset
Despite the treacherous footing, the view was awesome. Once the sun set, I looked back to the east, where I could see the fog clouds once again start to flow over the mountains.