California Dreamin' comes to an end

A nostalgia trip back to the 70's took us north of the San Francisco bridge to a little beachside hippie hangout called Bolinas. You won't find any signposts to it - you just have to know where it is. The place is full of alternative lifestylers and out-and-out weirdos, and has a character all of its own. We stayed in a cool pub called Smiley's and ate great food across the road at a cafe that used to be called Scowley's, but is now Coastal Cafe. Wandering along the street amongst the locals is quite an experience.

We headed up to Point Reyes National Park for some bird-watching and camping - although they wouldn't let us into the State Park. We could see spare campsites in there, and they were letting other people in. We reckon they just didn't like our accents.

Camping in the States is great, as long as there are no fire restrictions, and you have a billy and matches. Campsites have a fire-ring with grill, and a table. We cooked all our meals over a fire. But what we would have done if it had rained, I don't know, as there are no kitchen facilities or other shelter provided. Many camps don't have showers either, so you just have to go dirty....

We hit the big city lights after our countryside rambles. A hop-on-hop-off bus tour of San Francisco gave us a good look at the city and we loved the old buildings. The Sea Lions at Fisherman's Wharf were a highlight. They are really hilarious, fighting each other to be king of the raft, barking crazily, sliding over one another and generally showing off to the crowds. They arrived on the piers after the 1989 earthquake, and all efforts to remove them using high-pressure hoses failed. Eventually the city fathers accepted them, and the boaties had to move their boats. Hooray for the Sea Lions.

California dreamin' came to a close much too soon, and it was time to pack up and head for the airport.