Tomales Bay
Springtime in the Bay Area is upon us and promises to be a confusing mix of sun, fog, rain, and wind. However, as the mind turns to spring and summer, there is a great escape that takes little planning and can be undertaken when one of those calm sunny days appear. Combining kayaking, seafood and a drive along the coast offers something for a day trip that is great with friends, a significant other, or someone that might have potential to become a significant other.
For the active part of your day: Start out by getting in the car and heading over the Golden Gate Bridge, and from there you can choose to continue up Highway 101 and cut across to the coast or do the whole trip via Highway 1, which is of course the most scenic option. About a 1 hour drive from the bridge for a beautiful drive along the coast, passing Point Reyes National Seashore and entering Tomales Bay State park, you arrive at Marshall, and if you have made a reservation with Blue Waters Kayaking, you will look for some kayaks stacked on the side of the road. From there you can fill out the necessary paperwork with the friendly staff at Blue Waters and they will set you up with safety equipment, instruction and directions. From there you can choose your destination and either paddle for a longer period or head directly to the beach of your choice and have your lunch. There is information on their website regarding classes, what to bring and also available tours, so it is highly recommended that you review their site. I have taken various trips with this operation, including an overnight group with about 20 people. My last trip last year started out early, where we packed an excellent lunch along with some nice bottles of wine and paddled for about 45 minutes across the bay to a nice secluded beach. Along the way we were able to see jellyfish, small sharks (not the scary kind) and rays along the route. After relaxing for a nice romantic lunch on a secluded beach we had an easy paddle back with the wind to the kayak operation.
Afterwards, depending on time (or as a separate trip) there is a nearby restaurant that I highly recommend. It is Tony’s Seafood Restaurant and is a quaint, unpretentious restaurant right on the water that offers an excellent selection of locally caught seafood. For seafood lovers, during crab season there is fresh crab and almost year round there are oysters that you can either eat raw or try their top notch BBQ Oysters. Of course this all goes very well with a frosty Red Tail, Chardonnay or other adult beverage of your choice.
Here is some of the vital information for your next adventure north of San Francisco:
Blue Water Kayaking (Inverness or Marshall, CA)
415.669.2600
Tony's Seafood Restaurant
18863 Hwy 1
Marshall, CA 94940
(415) 663-1107
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