August 8-Presidio: Baker Beach & Beneath the Bridge

Today’s jaunt through Presidio, located on the northern edge of San Francisco, was chock full of rolling hills, open grassy areas, coastal cliffs, sandy beaches, curvy roads, and historic buildings but my favorites parts were Baker Beach and the view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Point.

Turning onto El Camino Del Mar from 25th Avenue to enter the large historic park, I caught a glimpse of the blue waters of the Golden Gate in front of me, framed by the Marin Headlands in the distance and a charming neighborhood with steep streets, tall lush green trees, and a sidewalk vendor in the foreground.

Winding my way through the park down to Baker Beach, a mile long stretch of sand along the Pacific Ocean, I was struck by the grandeur of the dark rugged cliffs along the shoreline, the silver blue rippling sea waters to the northwest, and the majestic Monterey Cypress trees with flat topped umbrella like canopies and dense green foliage lining the road.

Parking and walking along the wet golden sand, I breathed in the salty sea air, leaned into the wind, and reached down to touch the foamy waves collecting at my feet. Gazing up at the sand dunes lining the back of the beach, I could see pink and white wildflowers there blowing back and forth on their short green stalks.

Continuing northeast through the neighborhoods of weathered, wood-framed army barracks and historic military quarters, I made my way to Fort Point, a military structure built to protect the entrance to San Francisco and located at the northernmost tip of the Peninsula, directly beneath the southern edge of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The view from this civil war era red and brown brick building is breathtaking, at least in part due to the contrast between its 165-year-old brick exterior and the massive modern steel structure rising over it through the fog above the Golden Gate Strait. What a great day on the road!