Time: July 24th, 2016
Place: Japanese Tea Garden, Stinson Beach, Mt Tamalpais
Company: Wife and Daughter
Highlights: Since almost 3 years we have been wanting to visit the Japanese Tea Garden but have been postponing for some reason or the other. Finally, considering it was a beautiful sunny day in SFO, we decided the time was just right for something that each of us wanted - Gouri (Japanese Tea Garden), Paavani (Beach), Harsha (Mountain Peak).
We left home (Pleasant Hill) at about 11 am and headed to San Francisco via Bay Bridge. Due to traffic, it was almost 1 pm by the time we got car parking and entered the Japanese Tea Garden. It was pretty pleasant and green all around. Not much of flowers but there were some Lily-pads and lotus flowers blossoming around many small streams and lakes. There were some nice tiny bridges made of stones and one specially curved ladder like bridge which was famous for photos. Pagodas and other Japanese art was strewn around the place. Soothing and nice - it was all over by 1 hour.
We headed out and had quick bite at a 'Meals on wheels' Indian food truck. Then we walked back to the car, which was almost a good mile away. Our initial plan was to go to the Mt Tam and then relax at the beach for the sunset but daughter was insistent that we go to beach next. So be it. We headed towards Stinson beach, which seemed to be the closest to Mt Tam. Alas, we were stuck in the traffic for a good one hour, and by the time it started moving, it was already 4 pm. We went through the Golden Gate Bridge and finally reached Stinson Beach at about 4:45 pm.
Much to our surprise, Stinson Beach was magnificent. Not all beaches in California is as good as this. This beach has extremely nice soft sand and one can spend hours on it, simply lying down. The waves are super awesome, especially because it is shallow for a long distance away. The ocean itself was very cold. So we satisfied ourselves by standing a few feet inside to get our ankles washed up by the waves and also we walked along the beach just at the place where the waves were losing steam. Felt nice and good - especially because the weather was just perfect. We were fortunate enough even to see a whale going past the swimmers and Paavani had a nice time building what she called the 'Rao Mountain'!
Meanwhile, we had all but decided to ditch the Mt Tam trip because the fuel gauge suddenly was showing just 2 gallons (what with all the hills that we had to climb to get to the beach) and the upward drive to mountain was surely going to consume all the fuel. The trip to Mt Diablo was fraught with similar scenario and we didn't want to risk one more mountain top driving with so much of anxiety. Even in this case, the nearest gas station was 15-20 miles away and even to get there, we had to go up (and down) some hills. Hence, considering the Mt Tam trip was off, we spent nice and relaxed time at the beach.
However, just as we left the beach and headed back home at 6:30 pm, we saw a road towards Tamalpais State Park, and on an impulse, we decided to take that road. Within a few minutes, the gauge dropped to 1.5 gallons. Still we continued on. After 4 miles, we saw the road to Mt Tam peak - 4 miles away. We decided that we will continue on until the gauge drops down to 1 gallon. Finally, when we were just a mile away from the peak, we decided to park the car on a pullout and walk the remaining distance, which shouldn't be 20-25 minutes away. The gauge was still showing 1.5 gallons - which was good because we had a good 15-20 miles for the next fuel stop.
We started walking at 7:20 pm and thought we will reach at about 7:45. However, the road kept climbing and climbing, and the peak seemed very far away - which is common in all mountain hiking. Thankfully, the wife and daughter were up for it, and we kept on walking. Soon enough, we reached the parking lot. However, there was still 0.3 miles with an elevation gain of 230 ft pending. It started off easily from the parking lot and then it became all rocky and gravelly. But daughter and wife enjoyed it a lot. It didn't take long for us to be at top.
The peak was gratifying, the hike was well worth it, and we were extremely happy. With all the tension of the fuel, the sweat on the brow during drive without fuel all seemed worth it. The view on the top was super awesome. It shows rolling mountains and the cloud that gets condensed from the ocean near the city of SFO is practically happening right in front of our eyes. As the sun set, the orange rays shone super brilliantly and the sky slowly turned to pink and it was as if we were on an airplane.
After taking pictures all around the peak, we started heading back. Just as we got to the car parking lot, the sun set and quickly the hills started getting enveloped with darkness. We still had a mile to walk/run to get to our car before the jungle came alive. Even so, when we were walking on the road, we suddenly stopped on our tracks - because a deer was intently watching us from a ravine, still as the mountain itself. Soon, its offspring joined it. There we were, in the middle of a jungle, all by ourselves, and two deers looking at us. No one else anywhere nearby! Quick pictures, and we started half running, half walking to the car. Paavani helped a lot by running too but I carried her the last few yards and finally, we were safe in our car. It was 9 pm.
I was pretty confident that we could reach the fuel stop - especially because it was mostly downward drive. Still, I drove most of the distance in neutral. The road was very winding and curvy for almost 30 minutes. Paavani slept off soon enough. It was about 9:30 pm when we finally got to a fuel stop. Fuel filled, we wanted fuel ourselves! We headed to a nearby Subway (first time after almost 2 years!) and had a Veggie Delite. Rest of the journey was uneventful but pretty fast! By the time we arrived home, it was 10:45 pm.
It was extremely tiring although it started very relaxing at the garden. The traffic jam itself was tiring, the beach was again relaxing. The fuel issue caused lot of anxiety but the East Peak of Mt Tam was gratifying. Just like the roads in Mill Valley, the day was full of up and down - and we were glad we had done all that we had planned to do. It just seemed the perfect day for everything - A Garden, A Beach and a Mountain!!
Place: Japanese Tea Garden, Stinson Beach, Mt Tamalpais
Company: Wife and Daughter
Highlights: Since almost 3 years we have been wanting to visit the Japanese Tea Garden but have been postponing for some reason or the other. Finally, considering it was a beautiful sunny day in SFO, we decided the time was just right for something that each of us wanted - Gouri (Japanese Tea Garden), Paavani (Beach), Harsha (Mountain Peak).
We left home (Pleasant Hill) at about 11 am and headed to San Francisco via Bay Bridge. Due to traffic, it was almost 1 pm by the time we got car parking and entered the Japanese Tea Garden. It was pretty pleasant and green all around. Not much of flowers but there were some Lily-pads and lotus flowers blossoming around many small streams and lakes. There were some nice tiny bridges made of stones and one specially curved ladder like bridge which was famous for photos. Pagodas and other Japanese art was strewn around the place. Soothing and nice - it was all over by 1 hour.
We headed out and had quick bite at a 'Meals on wheels' Indian food truck. Then we walked back to the car, which was almost a good mile away. Our initial plan was to go to the Mt Tam and then relax at the beach for the sunset but daughter was insistent that we go to beach next. So be it. We headed towards Stinson beach, which seemed to be the closest to Mt Tam. Alas, we were stuck in the traffic for a good one hour, and by the time it started moving, it was already 4 pm. We went through the Golden Gate Bridge and finally reached Stinson Beach at about 4:45 pm.
Much to our surprise, Stinson Beach was magnificent. Not all beaches in California is as good as this. This beach has extremely nice soft sand and one can spend hours on it, simply lying down. The waves are super awesome, especially because it is shallow for a long distance away. The ocean itself was very cold. So we satisfied ourselves by standing a few feet inside to get our ankles washed up by the waves and also we walked along the beach just at the place where the waves were losing steam. Felt nice and good - especially because the weather was just perfect. We were fortunate enough even to see a whale going past the swimmers and Paavani had a nice time building what she called the 'Rao Mountain'!
Meanwhile, we had all but decided to ditch the Mt Tam trip because the fuel gauge suddenly was showing just 2 gallons (what with all the hills that we had to climb to get to the beach) and the upward drive to mountain was surely going to consume all the fuel. The trip to Mt Diablo was fraught with similar scenario and we didn't want to risk one more mountain top driving with so much of anxiety. Even in this case, the nearest gas station was 15-20 miles away and even to get there, we had to go up (and down) some hills. Hence, considering the Mt Tam trip was off, we spent nice and relaxed time at the beach.However, just as we left the beach and headed back home at 6:30 pm, we saw a road towards Tamalpais State Park, and on an impulse, we decided to take that road. Within a few minutes, the gauge dropped to 1.5 gallons. Still we continued on. After 4 miles, we saw the road to Mt Tam peak - 4 miles away. We decided that we will continue on until the gauge drops down to 1 gallon. Finally, when we were just a mile away from the peak, we decided to park the car on a pullout and walk the remaining distance, which shouldn't be 20-25 minutes away. The gauge was still showing 1.5 gallons - which was good because we had a good 15-20 miles for the next fuel stop.
We started walking at 7:20 pm and thought we will reach at about 7:45. However, the road kept climbing and climbing, and the peak seemed very far away - which is common in all mountain hiking. Thankfully, the wife and daughter were up for it, and we kept on walking. Soon enough, we reached the parking lot. However, there was still 0.3 miles with an elevation gain of 230 ft pending. It started off easily from the parking lot and then it became all rocky and gravelly. But daughter and wife enjoyed it a lot. It didn't take long for us to be at top.
The peak was gratifying, the hike was well worth it, and we were extremely happy. With all the tension of the fuel, the sweat on the brow during drive without fuel all seemed worth it. The view on the top was super awesome. It shows rolling mountains and the cloud that gets condensed from the ocean near the city of SFO is practically happening right in front of our eyes. As the sun set, the orange rays shone super brilliantly and the sky slowly turned to pink and it was as if we were on an airplane. 
I was pretty confident that we could reach the fuel stop - especially because it was mostly downward drive. Still, I drove most of the distance in neutral. The road was very winding and curvy for almost 30 minutes. Paavani slept off soon enough. It was about 9:30 pm when we finally got to a fuel stop. Fuel filled, we wanted fuel ourselves! We headed to a nearby Subway (first time after almost 2 years!) and had a Veggie Delite. Rest of the journey was uneventful but pretty fast! By the time we arrived home, it was 10:45 pm.It was extremely tiring although it started very relaxing at the garden. The traffic jam itself was tiring, the beach was again relaxing. The fuel issue caused lot of anxiety but the East Peak of Mt Tam was gratifying. Just like the roads in Mill Valley, the day was full of up and down - and we were glad we had done all that we had planned to do. It just seemed the perfect day for everything - A Garden, A Beach and a Mountain!!
No comments:
Post a Comment