A few weekends back, Jason and I (and Indy of course!) drove a few hours north to explore a whole new area - Point Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay. We had been looking forward to this trip for quite some time!
Our first stop was Point Reyes - which is a protected coastline in Marin county. We drove around the whole peninsula - stopping at places that looked interesting! Some highlights were the shipwrecks along Tomales Bay, South Beach, the Cypress Tree Tunnel, and Chimney Rock.
All along the coast were sea lions and they actually had taken over the parking lot at Drake's beach, so the whole area was closed off!
That evening, we made our way over to Nick's Cove, where we would be staying for the next 3 nights! I can't rave enough about this place. We were greeted with a yummy happy hour and free welcome oysters as well!
We decided to eat at the restaurant this evening and were definitely not disappointed.
Another great benefit is the free breakfast delivered each morning! What a lovely start to the day!
That first morning, we had reservations to do a cheese tasting at Cowgirl Creamery. We were able to try all of their cheeses and decided to grab lunch here after as well. Overall, we LOVED the cheese, but didn't care for the tasting/demonstration.
We had to make a stop by the Russian River when we were that close. That afternoon we dropped by Taft Street Winery, Bowman Cellars and PAX wine in The Barlow in Sebastapol.
The Barlow is a cute outdoor shopping area with a farmer's market, lots of great shops, and yummy restaurants. And it's super dog-friendly! We'll definitely be back to explore more here.
We ended the night with a drink on the dock and some Silicon Valley and a fire in the room!
In the morning, we took a quick walk around our hotel before driving up to Bodega Bay! We hiked the Pinnacle Gulch Trail down to the beach were we spent literally hours walking around, exploring caves, and letting Indy play.
Jason and I think this might be our favorite beach we've found so far! We saw one lady and her dog, but otherwise had the entire place to ourselves.
For lunch, we drove to The Marshall Store for some AMAZING oysters and views. It's a pretty laid back spot, but very popular. I'd imagine it would be difficult to grab a spot in the summer. Most people were making a day of it and had multiple bottles of wine and games with them!
We weren't able to partake too much as we had booked a wine tasting at McEvoy Ranch! This tasting included dips, cheese, olives, etc which was such a lovely treat.
That evening, we stopped by a general store in Point Reyes Station and picked up the fixings for a little in-room picnic. Again, we just loved watching the sunset from our room!
Our last morning, we checked out of our room and drove to Millerton Point to do some more hiking. Since it's protected from the Pacific, the bay is so lovely and calm. I think it would be great to rent a kayak next visit.
After that, we made the scenic drive to Stinson Beach and then on to Muir Beach Lookout. The California coastline is SO beautiful, so we took our time and enjoyed the drive.
I know we'll be back - even if it's to satisfy our oyster cravings every now and then!
Up Next: We're heading to Portugal in a few weeks!
