Mileage Driven: 39 miles
Points of Interest: Muir Woods, Muir Beach
Good morning!!! It is a wonderful morning! We are happy to report that after the last post stating a concern for the safety of our adventure truck, we awoke to a fully intact brand new Toyota Tundra…no broken windows! However, we did have a circle cleared away on the driver rear window where someone must have looked into the truck! So, we are so grateful that we took everything out of the truck so there was nothing enticing inside. Score!
Now to head to Muir Woods!!!! EEK! I am soo excited…remember my crush on John Muir since I was 14 years old right? Today we get to explore Muir Woods and Muir Beach! That’s all that is on the agenda for today, but in order to park in the “safe” zone at the marina, we can’t return there until after 5pm which is a bummer as we are kinda tired and we were looking forward to resting and lounging on the yacht.
We headed out early so to avoid the morning traffic out of Oakland and found an excellent place to eat for breakfast that I must rave about in Mill Valley on the way to Muir Woods.
Kitchen Sunnyside is located at 31 Sunnyside Ave, Mill Valley, CA and is a MUST STOP for breakfast if you are in the area. Check out their amazing menu here: http://www.kitchensunnyside.com
Check out some of their famous breakfast items we ordered: Corn Flake Crusted French Toast and Buttermilk Pancakes with powdered sugar…….YUMMY! HEAVEN!
Now with bellies full, time to head to Muir Woods!
Just know that you now have to purchase a parking pass in order to get into the muir woods and just driving up and parking is strongly discouraged and you might find yourself out of luck if you don’t do this. I purchased ours about 3 weeks ahead of time and they were running out, so planning is essential. You can make reservations up to 90 days before your arrival and you do have to reserve a specific parking time so you have to know when you plan to arrive…however, your parking pass will allow you to stay for the full day if you choose to, but you must arrive in your parking time slot. Reservations are $8 per vehicle and you reserve online. https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/reservations.htm
What a bummer that the sunshine that I so love kinda distorted the Muir Woods sign, but nonetheless….here we were! 🙂 Yippee!
Here we were again, humbled by these Redwood giants. Many paths in the Muir Woods are clear paths like this and easy strolls for families and those in wheelchairs so no one has to miss these beauties! So if you have 30 minutes or 2 hours, you can find a saunter that will suit your timeframe.
There JM is with President Teddy Roosevelt at the famous rock at Glacier Point where we will be heading soon when we arrive in Yosemite.
Once again, pictures just don’t do these beauty creatures justice! You can’t even tell how huge the tree is!
So surreal, so peaceful and just breathtaking….the trees, the sounds of the birds and winds breathing through the limbs, and the really cool plants we saw here! So awesome!
Now that was so worth the battling of traffic and the drive! On to Muir Beach…I want to see everything Muir!!! 🙂 This beach was absolutely beautiful! As we got out of our truck, we desperately missed the cooler temperatures of Northern California as it was getting warmer every day now on our trip and we felt it on this beach.
Muir Beach is located 16.5 miles northwest of San Francisco in western Marin County, and is of course named for John Muir. the Muir overlook apparently is a great place to watch the whale migration. Check out the beach info here: https://www.parksconservancy.org/parks/muir-beach & https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/muirbeach.htm
I loved this painted rock situated nicely on the beach….someone has their eye on you! 🙂
Once we left Muir Beach, we made the fun drive to Stinson Beach. The views are beautiful and the road is fun to drive to get there. Plus the little town is super cute and beachy. We didn’t stop to eat there but we would have had we been more hungry. A little hint here though that Stinson Beach is located 2.5 miles east-southeast of Bolinas, at an elevation of 26 feet. Check it out!
As we headed away from Stinson Beach, we came back to the city and all the beach breeze began making us hungry…so to stick to the theme of no fast food on this trip, we searched for a local favorite. In our searching, we found an excellent wrap cafe.
If you are in the area of Mill Valley, make sure to grab lunch at Cafe del Soul! Check out the full menu here: https://cafedelsoul.net/
I got the best Quinoa Wrap for $10.50 with quinoa, spinach, jack cheese, feta cheese, black beans and avocado tossed in our house-made chipotle dressing, served in a spinach tortilla. I love California cafe’s! Being a vegetarian is not complicated in this state! Everywhere we go, Sam and I can always find something to eat…this place had amazing wraps! Sam got the Hummus Yummus for $11.00 with red leaf lettuce, feta cheese, edamame, lettuce, onion, cucumber and almonds tossed in our house-made ginger vinaigrette, topped with our house-made hummus that is wrapped in a spinach tortilla but the Quinoa I thought was best.
What a great day exploring! It was almost 5pm and so it was time to head back to the boat and pray that the truck is left alone another night. 🙂 I hope that you get to explore these locations and if you have been, please comment and let us know your experiences as well or if you have different restaurant recommendations in Mill Valley!
Coming Tomorrow: San Francisco, Alcatraz Tour and Pier 39! Yippee!!
Thanks again for coming along this journey with us. Happy trails and safe traveling…until next time!!
— Owl, Hi-Five and Eagle
Wandering with Owl 