Stunning Sausalito

One of the things Tony and I were hoping we could work into our trip to California was a visit to Muir woods to see the California Redwood trees. Tony is a huge fan of John Muir, sometimes called the "Father of the National Parks."

So, I started researching where it was and how to get there. I discovered that it is across the bay from San Francisco, with Sausalito being the closest populated area. After some research, I found that a lot of people recommended using the ferry to get to Sausalito, and that there is then a shuttle from there that takes you right to Muir Woods. It is also very cheap, I think tickets for the shuttle were three dollars. They did not recommend trying to Uber, since there isn't service at the park. So we decided to do this route, but with the change of ubering to Sausalito and then taking the ferry home, since that is a lot of ferry riding in one day, and they aren't that fast. Originally, our plan was to do the park first, and then explore Sausalito in the evening and have dinner there, before catching the ferry back. Well, you have to book a seat on the shuttle to Muir Woods, and the only one that had seats remaining left at noon. So, we switched things up and decided to have breakfast and explore Sausalito before heading the park.

Now, I had not heard of Sausalito until it popped up onto my radar on instagram, when one of my favorite accounts, Jackie Greaney, visited there this past year, but I figured it would just be too hard to get there this trip, so I was very excited that it worked out! If you are visiting Northern California, in my opinion, you have to go. It was the most pleasant morning wandering this beautiful coastal town that is sometimes referred to as the Amalfi Coast of California, and I 100% see why. There are beautiful houses on the hillside towering over the town and waterfront, that when we were there was filled with sailboats, and people just enjoying the beautiful day. The whole town has a sort of Mediterranean vibe that I think you will see in the photos. I wasn't feeling that well on the Uber in, and even took a little nap, but I kid you not when we parked I immediately jumped out of the car, pulled out my camera and made a beeline for the waterfront to begin taking photos, and didn't stop the whole time we were there. You can see San Francisco across the bay, and it was one the most inspiring places I have ever photographed. This is basically a rave but I can't help it I loved it that much.

So, we found an adorable cafe to have breakfast, Cafe Tutti, and then just wandered around taking photos and enjoying the morning. Every morning we were in California, started out foggy and vaguely overcast, but around 9:30, the sun comes out, the fog burns off, and the morning light is just magic. I'm really proud of a lot of these photos and can't wait to frame some.

 Okay I have to talk about this mural. Again I knew about it from instagram, and knew it was at a Bank of America, but obviously did not know where it was, and we couldn't venture too far, since we had a shuttle to catch. Well, imagine my happy surprise when we pull into the ferry parking lot, and there it is! I was so excited I think I scared the Uber driver. While I was trying to find where it was online, I started reading more about it. Apparently, it had been covered up for years by woods paneling, and it was kind of a myth. There were old photographs of it from the 1970's, but a lot of people thought it no longer existed. When some work had to be done on the building they uncovered it and restored it! I just think that is so cool. The nautical flags aren't random, they spell out "Bank of America Sausalito Cal."

After wandering around this beautiful town and by the water, we found our way to the shuttle, and then had a very bumpy ride up through some beautiful scenery to Muir Woods. I loved it and it is definitely worth the trip. The main walking part is very easy, it has a wood path for wheelchairs, strollers you name it. It would be easy to do with kids and is a fairly short walk to the Cathedral Grove, but of course there are the Redwoods all throughout. It really was amazing to see these enormous trees that have been there for hundreds of years. Then we had planned to hike to Muir beach, but discovered it was a longer hike than we had planned for and they recommended taking a car, so we decided to do a hike instead, the Canopy Trail, which kind of freaked me out because it was pretty high up on a fairly narrow trail, but I am glad we did it because it was beautiful and quiet away from the crowds below. However, it did make us dangerously close to missing our shuttle back.

Well, we made the shuttle, and then literally ran to the ferry, hoping to get to San Francisco and grab dinner at the Embarcadaro before catching our ferry back to Vallejo. Well, we missed it because it left a little bit early. However, it was a happy mistake, because we had time to pop in a few stores and then we decided to have dinner in Sausalito. We found the most amazing little pizza shop with street side tables and a view of San Francisco across the bay. It was a little chilly, but I couldn't turn down this view.

So, we did make it onto the next ferry to San Francisco. Now, the ferries might seem like a little bit of a pain. They can be time consuming, and of course you have to make sure your schedule fits getting on the ferry. There are a lot of them, just remember that the last ones leave around 8, so for a night out you'd have to uber. However, I had read that in particular the ferry from Sausalito to San Francisco was beautiful, so we decided to go for it. It is only about  a half an hour ride, which makes since, since you can see the city across the bay. If you are on the fence about taking the ferry, I hope the next couple of pictures convince you to because the view is amazing. We went right by Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, and of course pulling into the city is amazing and I had to ask a really nice man near us at the front of the boat to take our photo. Then we hurried to stand by the door, because we had literally five minutes to make our ferry connection which luckily was literally docked right next to where we pulled in.

So, that is why I recommend that if you plan to visit Muir Woods on your trip to Northern California, to spend some time in Sausalito. I easily could have spent more time there. Next time, I'd like to make it to the other side where there are amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge and even a beach almost under the bridge. This whole trip was so special to me, and I fell in love with the Bay Area even more than I thought I would!

Thanks for reading!