South on Highway 1, Part 2

 Day 4:
After a comfortable night in Gualala, we had a quick breakfast and hit the curvy winding road once more.  I'll let the pictures tell the story of our slow and scenic ride down the Sonoma coastline.  Each corner brought new amazing views of the ocean.

Our original plan was to cut over to the Sonoma Valley, after going down the coast, and taste some wines.  But it was Jeff's birthday weekend, so he had the final say on our ultimate destination.  We drove all the way to lands end at Point Reyes, when Jeff said "Let's go to San Francisco!"  I had a brief objection, citing financial concerns, but he won me over and after a quick search for lodging near Golden Gate Park, we turned and went over the big bridge to San Fran!

We landed at the Stanyon Street Hotel.  It had a prime location just two blocks from where Haight Street meets the Golden Gate Park.  We checked in, took a nap after our long drive and set out with appetites ready for good food.  We found it at an Italian place, "Bambino's" around the corner, and after dinner, had a nice walk around the neighborhood.

Sunset Day four in San Francisco

Day 5:  San Francisco to Williams
Our hotel room at the Stanyon was a reminder of Europe.  It was small but comfortable and had breakfast included.  Next door was a bike shop, so after breakfast we rented bikes and rode into Golden Gate Park.  The park is huge.  I wanted to go to the botanical gardens, so that was our first destination.  The weather was perfect.....sunny but cool.

Brushing up on my biking skills

Break time

Finally found the botanical gardens

Rest time again

After the gardens, we rode to a lake

Thank goodness we knew our limits.  We were tired and hot and hungry so we went back to the hotel and picked up our bags and got a hot dog for lunch.   Jeff wanted to go to the beach so we went west and found the ocean again.

California surfer.....brrrr!

 After about an hour of reading, snacking and people watching, we got back on the road and drove northeast through Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Calistoga.  We ended up in Williams at about 8 pm and gratefully found a cheap hotel and prepared for the long drive home the next day.

Through the rainbow tunnel and out of SF.

Our destination for day 5---adjacent to 1-5 and the way home.

Day 6:  Williams to home.
No pictures recorded during this day, but suffice it to say we made the trip north on I-5 safely and were glad to get home.  What a wonderful trip and one that I would highly recommend.