Gradually, however, the sun came out and we decided to get in the car and do some exploring. There are some interesting sight just down the hill in the town of Inverness such as the Lipnosky’s Dacha, a reproduction of a Russian summer house built on a pier over Tomales Bay.
We stopped at the nearby “Chicken Ranch Beach” and since nobody was around we let the dogs frolic. Elie loves shallow water, so Tomales Bay was perfect for her.
John remember that there was a place nearby where a boat had been abandoned and he wanted to go back and explore it. We found it without much difficulty, but it was in even worse shape after a few more years.
Shortly after I took this picture I slipped and went down flat. I was not hurt, but I was covered from head to toe in mud. John did me the favor of being solicitous instead of laughing at me.
We continued on to the town of Point Reyes Station. This has always been one of my favorite spots in Marin. It’s an odd place, both a working-class agricultural town and a retirement home for those people David Brooks memorably called the “Bohemian Bourgeoisie.”
There is a lot of sympathy in this area for oyster farms who are losing their leases from the National Park Service after having been allowed to continue in operation for 40 years.
I’m not so sure. Not only am I not that fond of oysters, but I think when people make agreements - as all these folks did when the National Park was establish several decades ago - they should keep them and not try to change the rules.
We continued on to the Dillon Beach Resort. This may sound grand, but it isn’t. It consists of a group of tiny cabins clustered in a small village at the south edge of Bodega Bay. If its a resort, it’s a very working class kind of resort where you’re more likely to find a bucket of bait than a champagne on ice. Its attraction for us is that its the only place on this part of the coast where you can have dogs on the beach. And, oh, did they have a great time! They didn’t mind the fog at all!
And neither did we, either. It was rather strange weather - very foggy, but still pretty warm. Not the usual sub-arctic chill I remember along the north coast.
On the way back, we noticed a butte and realized it looked familiar.
We realized that it was the inspiration for a lithograph in the living room of our rented home.
We spent a pleasant hour in the hot tub, and then we had dinner on the deck as we watched the sun set.
A perfect ending to a lovely day.
