Hike in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Today was our first day in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Baxter was really excited about exploring the new campground, so, after taking our coffee walk and waking Eddie and George up, we gave Baxter a little time outside.

Before we knew it, it was time to head over to meet Katie and Justin in Corte Madera, north of San Francisco near Mill Valley.  We decided to meet at REI so we could do a little sports shopping and, sure enough, as we were shopping for new rain jackets, Katie and Justin showed up.  Everyone picked up something useful:  Katie got a fleece and a Camelbak running pack; Justin got a new lambswool-lined jacket; and we got some backpack meals and iso-butane fuel cans.

We headed over to Blue Barn for some great sandwiches for lunch, and then Justin and Katie drove us to the trailhead for the Tennessee Valley Trail, in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area - surprise!  The trailhead parking was closed due to the government shutdown, but we were able to park along the road just next to the parking area, and we walked the approximately 1.85 miles or so to the beach in Tennessee Cove.

Editor's Note:  We would have included with this blog a hyperlink to the National Park Service website for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, but all you would have found there would have been an advisory that the web site has been shut down to lack of government funding.  Oh, well, I guess we have to find our recreation independently of Mother Government.

Tennessee Cove is named after the naval ship S.S. Tennessee, which went aground here on March 16, 1853.  It is said that at very low tide, parts of the shipwreck can still be spotted.

Here's a photo of the valley leading up from Tennessee Cove, with a pond called Tennessee Lagoon prominently visible:

No sooner did we get down to the beach than Kathy ran down to touch the Pacific Ocean - first time since we started RV'ing!

We thought Eddie and George would've enjoyed having their photo taken at the Pacific, but, alas, there wasn't enough room in the small rental car for all six of us - so Eddie and George had to stay home.

Here's a photo looking toward the cliffs on the north end of the beach:

...and here's a photo of Katie doing a Dancing Nancy out on the knife's edge point of the bluff above the beach, where one of the batteries used for observation and protection during World War II is located.  Great shot of the bluffs south of Tennessee Cove in the background.  Justin got a similar photo of Katie in the same spot.

Having satisfied our Pacific beach appetite, we hiked back to the car, and Justin and Katie drove us back to our truck where we left it in Corte Madera.  Unfortunately, our trip back to Vallejo was in early rush hour traffic, so we had LOTS of time to chat about the beautiful scenery we hiked through.

Tomorrow is a ferry ride into San Francisco, a tromp around the city, to be capped off with dinner with Katie and Justin.