Tuesday, April 14, 2026

We got up and went back to Rustic Bakery for coffee, and I stocked up on their cheese coins before we headed north to Petaluma, California. The drive was less than an hour, and Petaluma put us closer to both Sonoma and Napa.

It was too early to check into the hotel, so we headed into Petaluma’s historic downtown district to walk around. I was surprised by how nice it was — historic, charming, and filled with fun, upscale boutique shops and restaurants.

Our first stop was the Sonoma Spice Company. I try to hold off buying spices at the grocery store so I can splurge when I find fun shops like this one. After that, we found a culinary store, which is always fun to browse through. We then found the Petaluma Pie Company and stopped for a snack, sharing a couple of small savory pies.

Before we left on this trip, we had talked about some of the foods we wanted to eat. We both thought we would run into a lot more clam chowder and fish and chips, since we both love them, but so far we had only had them once. I had seen several places on Yelp in Bodega Bay that served fish and chips.

There was another reason I wanted to see Bodega Bay: I knew that Alfred Hitchcock had filmed The Birds there. I get a kick out of seeing filming locations.

Forty minutes later, we were in Bodega Bay, having enjoyed the scenery along the way. We found a great place right across the street from the marina, ordered fish and chips and clam chowder, and sat outside at a picnic table to enjoy it.

Afterwards, I had to find the Potter Schoolhouse used in Hitchcock’s film. It wasn’t hard; it was right there in Google Maps. Today it is a private residence, but it still looks a lot like it did in the movie, except the tree on one side is now significantly larger.

Downtown Petaluma

Clam Chowder at the Fisherman’s Cove

Fish and Chip’s at the Fisherman’s Cove

Downtown Petaluma

Pie Shop

Dowtown Petaluma

Monday, April 13, 2026

Overall, this was a packed, fun-filled day.

We started with another stop at Rustic Bakery for coffee and a ham and cheese croissant. I also bought a box of rustic cheese coins for the road and quickly found that they were somewhat addicting.

As we left the hotel, the sun was shining brightly. Driving south on the 101, I looked out at the green, hilly terrain and admired the natural beauty. It was one of those views that made me think, this is why people want to live here.

We arrived at Muir Woods around 8:30 a.m. We had the required parking reservation, and there were, at most, a dozen cars in the lot. Since it is so close to San Francisco, I had no idea how busy it would be, which is why I wanted to get there relatively early on a weekday. It looked like my plan worked.

For the better part of the morning, it felt like we had the National Monument almost to ourselves. We ran into a few other people along the trail, but for the most part, it was quiet enough to not only look at nature, but also listen to it.

By midmorning, the mood had definitely changed. People were walking and chatting, teens were howling like wolves, and kids were shouting and screaming. The peaceful morning atmosphere was pretty much gone.

Although the trees were not nearly as massive as the redwoods up in Humboldt County, Muir Woods was definitely worth seeing. There were additional hikes we could have taken, but by 11:30 a.m., we felt like we had pretty much seen the main part of the park.

We stopped by the visitor center for a grilled cheese and tomato soup snack before heading out. As we left the parking lot, I noticed that it was full and people were parking in additional lots. I cannot imagine what it looks like on weekends or when school is out.

From there, we headed to the Muir Beach Overlook, which offers stunning views of the coastline. I am so glad we did this — the views were amazing. Afterward, we continued driving up Highway 1 and stopped at Stinson Beach.

Looking at Google Maps, I noticed some stunning pictures taken from a lookout in Mount Tamalpais State Park. On a whim, we drove up to the East Peak lookout, which overlooks San Francisco and the surrounding area. It was probably the highlight of the day.

We had a late lunch not too far from the hotel and then came back to the room to rest for a bit.

Sunday, April 12, 2026

We got up around 7:00 and headed over to Rustic Bakery in the Marin Country Mart before driving out to Point Reyes.

It was pouring rain as we headed out. I reminded myself that when it comes to seeing nature, nature doesn’t always cooperate. It poured pretty much the entire morning, so we spent more time driving and sightseeing than hiking and taking pictures.

I hadn’t been to Point Reyes before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It is a vast, scenic region with a little bit of everything: rolling hills, patches of forest, rocky coastlines, and sandy beaches. Elk and deer roam freely, birds are everywhere, and elephant seals sun themselves along the beaches.

We used the GuideAlong app, which gave us the history of the area while letting us know which stops were must-sees and how difficult the hikes were. Although the rain didn’t make for great pictures, we had a great time seeing the area. It reminded me of visiting California’s Central Coast, where you drive from one scenic stop to the next.

As we left Point Reyes, we stopped at Marin French Cheese, which first opened in 1865. We had lunch there before trying some of their cheeses. It had a really nice picnic area, and the store sold a lot of good cheeses in addition to their own. We bought a few things for the road before heading back to the hotel.

For dinner, we headed to downtown Larkspur. The clouds had cleared, the sun was out, and I couldn’t get over how picturesque the town was, with gorgeous homes and stunning natural beauty.

We had dinner at Picco Pizza. It was good, but pricey — although Northern California tends to be pricey in general.

Family get together!

Saturday, April 11, 2026

I love to travel, but in the days leading up to a trip, I always find myself thinking of every reason why I should just stay home. Then, once I actually hit the road, I’m fine — and usually wondering why I hadn’t left sooner.

We were up early, packed the car, and headed to Paris Baguette for coffee. As we were ordering, my cell phone chirped. I looked at the camera alert and saw that, for the second day in a row, someone had put a door hanger on my front door.

Nothing screams “we are not home” quite like packages, flyers, or door hangers sitting on your doorstep.

So we headed back to the house to grab it, and as I suspected, it was from a real estate agent promoting an open house. Seriously, you would think a real estate agent would understand home security.

Eventually, we headed out for Northern California. I hadn’t been to Muir Woods before, and there were a few places around Point Reyes that I wanted to see. The plan was to stay in Larkspur for a few nights, visit Muir Woods and Point Reyes, spend some time in Napa Valley, and then head back home.

On the way, we stopped to have lunch with my spouse’s aunt in Visalia. We always bring her goodies from Thai Town in Hollywood, and she always seems so happy to see us. We had lunch at Pita Kitchen, and she told us about her birthday and how her friend had taken her to Morro Bay.

After lunch, we continued on toward Larkspur, with another four hours or so of driving ahead of us. We were making good time until we hit the San Francisco area, which had bad weather and bad traffic. As I sat there, I wondered, isn’t this the case every time I go through this area?

I have visited San Francisco many times, both for work and for pleasure. I never understood the allure of that city. It can be a fun place to visit, but even in July, you have to have a jacket. More often than not, people would ask where I was from, and when I said “Los Angeles,” they would make some snarky comment like, “I’m sorry.” It always felt like a setup, and not exactly welcoming or endearing.

We arrived at our Larkspur hotel and checked in. As I checked in, I was told there was an additional $15-per-night parking fee, followed by being told that housekeeping would only clean the room every other day. They used to give you points if you chose not to have your room cleaned every day. Then COVID hit, and now they just tell you they’re not going to clean it.

We had dinner at Hog Island, at the marina next door. I thought it was good.

After that, it was back to the hotel, where I focused on figuring out what we would do the next day.