Email  Print

Savoring the end of summer

Sitting in the cool shade of a cypress grove in Golden Gate Park, a young man plays his guitar for a lady friend. A red shouldered hawk screech pierces through the regular rumble of traffic. It feels like the last hurrah of summer before the true onset of autumn and I've tried to spend my day outside in the beautiful Indian summer weather, enjoying many of the fine sights and outdoor activities the Bay Area has to offer.

Bolinas was my first stop. The absence of the daily summer fog bank meant the temperature was a balmy 70 degrees when I arrived at 9 o'clock this morning, the weather was what summer weather should be but most often isn't along the Northern California coast. 

The water and beach were nearly deserted; there were no surf camps cluttering up the water on a school day, only a handful of locals surfing in the sunshine.

The waves were small, but the water glassy due to lack of wind. Most waves were thigh high, but a waist high wave would roll up over the sandbank every second or third set, breaking into a small green blue curl. A surfer slid along the face as the wave breaks across the channel, moving forward on the board trying to hang ten at the front edge of his longboard. There are some nice rides to be had, and I have my share before heading onto stop number two: Golden Gate Park.

Sometimes the best way to spend a beautiful day in the Bay Area is by simply driving along Highway 1, and the drive from Bolinas to San Francisco is not only gorgeous, but rife with unexpected wildlife. A group of gray harbor seals rested lazily on an exposed sand bar in the lagoon between Bolinas and Stinson Beach. Past Stinson, as I rounded another bend on the coastal road, I have to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting a coyote sauntering across the highway. It stopped and stared at me for a moment before disappearing into the brush.

Used to cool days shrouded in fog, eucalyptus leaves in Golden Gate Park droop in the Indian summer heat. The park was full of humans and animals alike exercising in the exceptionally warm weather. Having met up with my brother to play frisbee in the park, we played keep-away from a border collie trying to join in our game.

After a half-an-hour running around in the sun, we sit and drink a cool beer in the shade. Definitely a great way to replenish our bodily fluids. While resting the shade of a cypress grove beside a badly placed sun-dial, the grass moved beside us as a gopher poked its nose out of the ground.

Eventually my brother leaves, he is heading to band practice. Now alone in the park, my body too tired to move, I sit and write about my day.