Postcards in the Air : HIDDEN BY THE FOG

The entrance to Mesa Refuge, the former home of the artist, Sam Francis,
and inspirational retreat for many writers

After an afternoon at a writers workshop at Mesa Refuge near Pt. Reyes Station, I met back up with Bill, who had spent the time taking photos of the area. We wandered around the main street of the small town. To get to Pt. Reyes from San Francisco is a journey from a busy city through suburban life to the quiet country with rolling hills, narrow roadways shared with cyclists, cattle ranches, redwood forests lining the road, and at the end, the Pt. Reyes National Seashore where the land meets the ocean. Both Pt. Reyes and Olema, an even smaller town nearby, depend on tourists and were hit hard during and after the Pandemic. They are just starting to recover with new restaurants opening and inns refreshed.

"The Lighthouse at Pt. Reyes National Seashore" by Bill Slavin

Like our recent trip to Bodega Bay, just north of Pt. Reyes, we traveled mid-week and learned that many places are open for only the four-day long weekend at this point. On Tuesday, the first night we were in Pt. Reyes, the only "open" restaurant was closed for a wedding party. We were lucky to find the Due West at the Olema Inn, with good food made from local produce, fresh fish, and homemade butter. Butter used to be the main product from the area in the late 1800s and early 20th century and was shipped by sea to San Francisco. Spreading the salty butter on the homemade sourdough made us wonder what those times would have been like.

"Pierce Ranch Barn" by Bill Slavin

The next morning, we followed the wedding party to the Side Street Kitchen and had a lovely breakfast of French toast, butter, and strawberries on their patio. We then set out along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, turning off at Pierce Point Road, to search for the tule elk that populate the outer reaches of the national seashore park at Tomales Point.

"Outbuilding at Pierce Ranch" by Bill Slavin

The fog had settled along the coast, and we didn't see any elk even when we came to end of the road at Pierce Ranch. We are used to foggy weather at this time of year along with the wind that makes temperatures feel even colder. We stopped while we both looked for good photographs among the old barns on the ranch and watched as the fog began to lift. As we were driving back, we spotted a lone female elk, high on a ridge, silhouetted by the soft foggy light. As we drove further and the fog began to rise, a herd of elk resting in the shallows of the hills came into view. Some had full sets of antlers. We stopped along the side of the road, opened our windows, and listened to the quiet. The herd had heard our car and turned in our direction but didn't move. As we drove on, more and more became visible. We felt lucky to have seen these elusive animals and not to have disturbed them either.

"Tule Elk" by Bill Slavin

As we headed home, our trip had been a loop starting from San Francisco to Lucas Valley Road to Highway 1 around to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, which brought us back into the sunshine and heat at Fairfax, where we stopped at the Fairfax Coffee Roastery, in business since 1979. The place is covered with Art Nouveau-style vines made of wood, and lettering and murals similar to posters designed by Alphonse Mucha, all a reminder of designs popular in the 1970s. With a friendly staff helping us, we ordered two lattes to enjoy while we sat and watched people roam around the busy streets of Fairfax, another hidden gem in the Bay Area.