We've been enjoying spending time with family and discovering what the North bay area has to offer. Turns out there's a lot to explore :)
On Smith Ranch Rd we found a great little walk right by the settling ponds, which I must say didn't smell at all - unlike Sifnos where I nearly choked on the odors. Anyways the ponds have gates that let in sea water and it provides safe haven for water fowl. If you are lucky you can see turtles and otter but it wasn't our lucky day. Lots of white egrets, too far away to get a good pic, pelicans, swans, ducks and plenty of bird watchers enjoying the serenity.
We took a drive out to Muir Beach and whilst the water looked tempting, it was still a little chilly.
The old Pelican Inn was still looking grand but was closed as we went by.
As we drove along the Shoreline Highway there were any number of lookout points to admire the coastal stretch - stunning.
We made our way to Stinson Beach and had a game of ping pong on a community table in the park - very cool to have paddles and ping pong balls for anyone to have a bit of fun.
It's not all beer and skittles, we did a bit of hard labour - helping with yard improvement - good to get the muscles working hard again.
We also have had to do a bit of forward travel planning. Travel planning is much more time consuming with checking Covid country entry details and the ever changing flight schedules, cancelled flights and flights cost increases for aviation fuel - eek. You can go down a rabbit hole searching for an elusive great deal :)
We shot over to Berekely to pick up some foreign exchange for Malaysia. While in Berekely we took a walk up Panoramic Hill - great views back to the city.
There were a stack of ships waiting off the wharves - it's a busy harbour.
We also managed to catch some local music on Friday night - a free summer community event in Terralinda.
Today we had a visit to Halleck Creek Ranch - 45 years celebration today. There was an Irish trio, bbq and cake and just a lovely, lovely experience to be a part of.
The ranch invites people with disabilities, and their families, to live a “Life without barriers” through the beneficial activity of therapeutic horseback riding.
Each week, participants and volunteers travel to the ranch, staff pair trained horses with volunteers, creating a team that carries special riders into the beautiful Nicasio countryside.
Check out the You Tube link to get a sense of the wonderful work of the team and volunteers.
https://youtu.be/PLItP5z2zkU
It has some fantastic facilities, tack rooms, stables, equipment, easy mounting platforms, arena, trail paths through the ranch - all provided by good people's fundraising efforts.
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