New Year

San Francisco/Bay Area New Years vacation in pictures. Travelog part 1.

All the brain cells aren't properly firing yet for real wordsmithing. But in the proverbial nutshell, it was incredible. An amazing end to an amazing year and and amazing beginning to yet another and many more. I'm not one for resolutions and events based on arbitrary time-markers, linear time doesn't tend to do it for me, but I'm quite happy with the path all things are taking - personally, professionally and in all spaces in-between. That is reason enough to celebrate.


_{Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.}

We took off early Friday morning and went straight to the Mill Valley Inn, which is a beautiful small inn tucked away in a redwood grove at the foot of Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County.


<sub>Mill Valley Inn.


Walkway to the creek house at Mill Valley Inn.</sub>

Not to be dissuaded by the weather (actually a big FU to the rain), we immediately wandered about town and then fuled up with what was probably the Best Quiche Ever, plenty of Cappuccino, and headed off to the Muir Woods National Monument and wen on a harrowing hike through the redwoods, in a monsoon, with tons of mud and in the dark.


<sub>It was very dark and spooky on the way there.


And dark and spooky on the inside...</sub>

There were plenty of opportunities to meet our doom, which made it all the better. (We're talking serious doom, not just minor doom.) Plus nothing beats stealing a kiss in the middle of a thousand year old tree. While soaking wet, full of mud and in the dark. For real!


_{"That is some Sleepy Hollow shit!"}

There seriously was something magical about the trees, I've never smelled air so clean and beautiful. Not being one for the New year resolution thing, I have to say after this bout of healthfulness, I'm pretty inspired to get my ass back in gear on that.

We made our way back thorough the eucalyptus groves (I've never smelled anything so good) warmed up and found the Inn's stash of wine and cheese. Then it was time for a proper dinner and we decided to meander off into Sausalito or Tiburon, but they weren't just sleepy little towns, they were 100% comatose from the weather, so we (rather accidentally) got back on the bridge and had a fabulous Italian dinner back in san Francisco instead! Then after some more amazing cappuccino, it was time to head back to the Inn and warm up by the real wood fireplace that was located right in our room. Le sigh.... ;)

Up frighteningly bright and early (thank you time-zone traveling) it was improv breakfast time, where it was actually prepared and served by the inkeeper as the normal breakfast crew was flooded out and was unable to enter Mill Valley. (I don't think we had any idea of how serious the flooding really was yet.)


_{The gentle little creek was quite angry in the morning.}

Breakfast was still lovely and we headed right off (thanks to more Zen Driving and exlploring tendencies) to see more of Mill Valley and the ocean. The flooding made for quite creative routes there, but as a result, we probably found things we never would have otherwise. The Muir Beach Overlook is probably the most intense landscape we've ever seen anywhere, and that intensity was really punctuated by nearly being blown off the overlook at what had to be at least 70mph winds. now *that* was fun!


<sub>Muir Beach overlook - trail is quite washed out.


Muir Beach overlook - Photos do NOT do this justice...


Muir Beach overlook. Photo nerds!</sub>

The remainder of the morning was spent in an exhilarating switchback drive up and down Highway 1, where we'd suddenly come up on rockslides with boulders bigger than our vehicle.


_{It cleared up for the afternoon and there was a rainbow outside our room!}

After our drive it was time to wind down in the Tea Garden Springs Zen Spa. Aromatheraphy baths and really long massage...words just can not describe. I think our room was called Heaven's Door and for once I'm quite convinced this was not just hippified hyperbole. Afternoon at the spa = best Christmas present ever...and having the best company ever while there made it even that much better. Best year ever...so far.

Part 2 soon...

[in the meantime, more photos here and here.]