Golden Gate

After a great trip last year, it was time for me to get out onto the ocean once more. This year I had two boat trips booked, both from Bodega Bay in California, so I flew up to San Jose, rented a car and stayed the night with my friends Bruce and Brenda.

I had a motel room booked in Petaluma, not far from Bodega Bay, and after spending a fun morning exploring a huge flea market with B&B, I still had plenty of time, so I enjoyed a leisurely drive through San Francisco. I stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge to be a tourist and walk from one side to the other (and back again, of course, to get the car – otherwise I’d still be there). The bridge itself is fascinating, the views of San Francisco Bay are obviously outstanding and the ever-changing, rolling fog lends a surreal air to the experience. I can recommend it.

After booking in at the motel, there was just enough time to head down to the coast and spend an hour enjoying the wildlife and scenery around Bodega Bay.

Appropriately, although a little spookily, it’s best known for being the location used for Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’.

And plenty of birds there were too: gulls, godwits, pelicans, loons, egrets, kingfishers, Osprey and more.

I really like this part of California. As with some of the coastline south of Monterey, it reminds me somewhat of parts of the north Norfolk coast in England.

This California Vole was a first for me, if that’s what it is – and if it isn’t, then it’s still new for me as my vole list for California currently stands at one – this one. And these Mule Deer were cute and reasonably cooperative in the late afternoon light. A most enjoyable day was finished off with fish and chips at the Sandpiper restaurant and an early night in anticipation of the first boat trip in the morning.