The Wonders of the Bay: A Day Trip

The Bay Area is an amazing place. I don’t think there’s any other place quite like it. A few weekends ago, my good friends Evan and Sarah texted me. “Hog Island, tomorrow?” My response? “YES!”

Hog Island is an oyster farm, located in the very small town of Marshall, outside of Tomales Bay. We’d been talking about going up there, and it’s one of those places, that I still can’t believe, took me so long to get to. A short two hours outside of San Francisco, and we were there. In a whole different world. In fact, 20 min after leaving San Francisco, we were already in a whole different world. Passing small communities like Kentfield and Ross. Driving through rural fields, and windy roads. Noticing the change in temperature—from the fog over the Golden Gate Bridge, to the warmth again as we neared Petaluma, and then to the cooler air through the redwoods. Then. We saw water.

The view from our picnic bench and the view as we were driving home with the fog rolling in

Before you knew it, we had a picnic table claimed, was looking out onto the beautiful bay, surrounded by other picnic’ers like us (many of whom had actually planned a whole day trip and had come fully prepared and stocked with amazing picnics.) Us? Well, let’s just say it was our first time. We did things simply. A simple bottle of rose. And a few dozen oysters. We were set. Shucking away. Laughing. Talking. Enjoying the fresh air, sun and surroundings. By then, we had all forgotten that just a few short hours ago we were in the middle of San Francisco, surrounded by tall buildings, cars, and thousands of people.

This day trip reminded me just how easy it is to get out of the city. And how much the area has to offer. You don’t have to go far to be a world away. So. What are we doing next weekend??