Ever wondered what it feels like walking in the clouds as the cold, fluffy light clouds caress your body or sleeping to the waves of ocean?? Ever thought of waking up to chirping birds and see wild flowers in all colors and beautiful panoramic views with ocean on all sides just a few feet away?? Ever imagined of having a private beach with lot of sea stars and cliffs to explore all to yourself?? The life suddenly takes on an unhurried quiet pace and you forget the rest of the world! This is not a dream, but our experience camping at Rocky point-Steep Ravine Environmental Campground.
A very foggy day, I felt pity for all those visitors in the passing by tourist buses. They had no clue what they were missing, even the Golden gate bridge towers weren’t visible to their entire length let alone Alcatraz Island or Bay bridge. But we decided to continue driving to Point Reyes, this time to explore the north end. It was the day of Far West Fest(voted Best Music Festival in Marin), so there were more people than usual near Inverness, a small community in Point Reyes. The Tule Elk reserve was completely covered in fog so we missed the hundreds of pairs of eyes watching us except for two groups.
At McClures beach, we saw a seal in the waves near to the beach staring at us as if it wanted to come out. We took Tomales point trail but returned halfway losing the amazing views to the fog.
The Abbotts lagoon trail took us past a fresh water pond to a footbridge crossing the brackish lagoon with a sandy shoreline and a open ocean. We were shocked to see the lagoon totally engulfed in fog on our way back from the trail.
The fog followed us to Highway 1. We were lost in it for a while, drove here and there but then finally found our campground at an unbelievable location. Just off hwy 1 with a locked gate on west, one mile south of Stinson Beach, Rocky point-Steep Ravine Cabins and Environmental Campground was part of Mt Tamalpais state park and right on pacific! (The gate could be opened with a key combination emailed upon reserving the campsite.) Two playful dears welcomed us and we drove carefully down the narrow road, nothing being visible on either sides. The campsites were little walk from parking, so carts were available to carry stuff to the sites. We were able to hear the loud waves setting up the tent and sure the ocean was close by. As the night passed, the clouds slowly moved away and we could see rows of lights from the Stinson beach across the shining ocean.
Next morning as we came out of our tent, the scenery had changed, nothing in common with the day before. The clouds dispersed and clear skies emerged. There were wild flowers everywhere, the sea shone blue and we could feel the warmth of the sun rays.
We climbed down the cliff to the beach and played with the fierce waves hitting the rocks.
We went exploring around, there were only seven primitive campsites and nine rustic cabins each with great views.We saw Bunnies running along, a seagull trying hard to eat sea star, fearless geckos and a snail. We enjoyed breakfast overlooking ocean, packed everything and started driving back.
All along the way, we could see the rugged coast reminding us of Big Sur and the Muir overlook was just awesome.
At the Golden gate bridge, there were huge crowds taking advantage of the perfectly clear day.
We had lunch and walked on the streets near 19th Avenue sipping bubble tea, wondering what a perfect ending to our California trip.
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