Point Reyes, a windy locale.

I rented a car for the weekend with Christina coming into town. On Saturday, we decided we would either go to Napa or Point Reyes. We elected to goto Point Reyes, the reasoning being that to truly experience Napa, you need to drink wine and this left us with the rationale that only one person would be enjoying it while the other drove around.

We set off from Emeryville, and drove though the city, driving on the Golden Gate bridge which is always fun and then proceeding on the 1. Driving on the 1 is quite entertaining. Not only is the road small being 2 lanes, there are also cyclists that will ride up and down this stretch. These cyclists have to be part thrill-seekers, not only is the terrain ever-changing with its sharp turns and hills, you have little room for error. If you take a turn wrong, you could end up facing oncoming traffic. Not a prospect I envy.

After driving on the 1 for a bit, we ended up at Point Reyes Station, population 350 or so the sign said. It really is a small town here and Christina and I took a break here to look around. We spotted a Cowgirl Creamery store and went inside. Christina loves goat cheese and they had it in abundance. Inside it was busy and outside it appeared all the cyclists were taking their lunch on the grass. After browsing around we left with our pockets lighter and arms heavier, Christina bought a couple goat cheeses and I bought a Cowgirl Cheese Sample bag with 3 different kinds.

We ate lunch at the Station House Cafe. The service wasn't stellar, our waitress stopped at the table next to us 4 times before coming to ours and finally filling our glasses with water and taking our order. The food was OK, there aren't many options in Point Reyes so I commend them for not getting away with being mediocre.

Finally we set off on the 1 again and drove to the lighthouse at Point Reyes, the main attraction. Once we got there we were a bit disappointed seeing a sign that said the steps were closed due to high wind. Once we got out of the car the wind hit us. Really it did. If you want to experience wind "hitting" you, go to Point Reyes. So we walked in a huddle towards the old weather station. From there we could see the lighthouse, the beaches along the coast and of course the Pacific. This point is a popular spot for whale spotting. I swear I saw one and pointed it out but Christina couldn't see it. They have a visitor center there, which is basically this shack built into the rocky bluff, it provides not only protection from the wind but some great history about the point too. They have a timeline of the history and the park ranger there will answer any questions you have. Overall it was very enjoyable and I'm glad we went. My only advice is that its very windy so I would bring at least a jacket, and maybe a wind breaker if you have one.