San Rafael & Circus time

Exploring  Mission San Rafael Arcángel - a Spanish mission in San Rafael. Named after Saint Raphael the Arcángel, the angel of bodily healing, it  was founded in 1817 as a medical  hospital to treat sick Native Americans, making it California's first sanitarium.

Whilst not the original building the architecture is great.

Up Mt Tam we went to West Point Inn volunteer pancake Sunday.  At one stage as we looked out at the vista, there was just a carpet of cotton wool fog clouds - beautiful.

The West Point Inn was a brief stop on the Mill Valley and Mt. Tamalpais Scenic Railway - hard to imagine a rail engine chugging it's way up Mt Tam. Built in 1904, it was a place where trains met a horse-drawn stagecoach from Stinson Beach. The railroad was built by hand in six months (take note NZ Rail)  in 1896, with 281 turns the railroad began calling itself “The Crookedest Railroad in the World.

The West Point Inn was part of the railroad until 1930 when trains stopped and later was abandoned. In 1943 volunteers began running the Inn and every so often encourage bikers and hikers to get outdoors by putting on a pancake breakfast. 

The lines for pancakes were long and it was hot so we enjoyed the views from the top and went back down to the shade.

The circus was in Sausalito! Fantastic little circus without animals, just daring feats of knife throwing, acrobatics, slapstick, juggling and a little risque good natured fun - excellent 👌

Great live music throughout the performance.

A good night was had by all.