Saturday we intended to take an excursion and so we began the day with some of Sarah's home made bread ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100737 which Ed enjoyed ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100738 as we surveyed the skies (and, of course, the French flag) and wondered what the weather would be like ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100739 when we crossed the Golden Gate bridge heading north ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100740 though Thomas didn't seem to care ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100741 as Sarah ate her bread ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100742 and we made our way to the bridge ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100743 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100744 stopping for gas on the other side ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100745 before coming to the visitor's center ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100746 where this volunteer ranger gave us excellent advice ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100747 and so we went to see science on the sphere ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100748 but before the show we admired Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100749 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100750 and studied the map so we would have our plan in mind ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100751 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100752 as the earth came into view. Science on the sphere was fascinating as the guide used her Wii remote to explore various data sets ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100753 beginning with changing migratory patterns of turtles ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100754 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100755 showing us seals ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100756 and their migrations ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100757 and then after some views of our sun with its mini-eruptions on the sphere ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100758 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100759 including a dark one that represents far in the future ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100760 gave us a sense of the scale of the sun compared to the planets. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100761 We then looked at CO2 generation at different times of year on different parts of the globe beginning with January, 2004 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100762 and moving on to May, 2004. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100763 Next, we watched day begin in various places ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100764 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100765 and then some impacts of CO2 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100766 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100767 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100768 followed by views of shrinking ice areas of the globe ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100769 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100770 and measuring the impact of a 1 meter rise in the water levels (from melting ice) ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100771 and then a 6 meter rise (which wipes out Florida among other areas) ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100772 We returned to impacts ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100773 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100774 before looking at the facebook map of who is friends with who based on geography. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100775 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100776 After wishing the elephant seal well ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100777 we headed for the earthquake trail ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100778 which truly was a shrine to earth's power ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100779 as we observed the San Andreas fault ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100780 and wondered about the girl and her dog (about whom more later), ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100781 there was geology, ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100782 and even a slug on the ground ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100783 followed by a lesson in plate tectonics ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100784 with a version for kids ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100785 as we saw the anatomy of an earthquake ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100786 with the kids' explanation ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100787 and then the story of the infamous fence that moved 16 feet in the 1906 earthquake ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100788 though this led to a discussion about how what we were seeing was unlikely to have survived for the past 100 years, earthquake or not ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100789 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100790 though we were sure that the story of the impact on the land was correct ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100791 as we noted the markers showing the path. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100792 The kids among us (and who isn't) saw the impact of the 1906 earthquake ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100793 which was more pleasant than the version made for adults. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100794 Next we read about the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100795 and finally though the train had jumped its track, we were relieved to see the girl and her dog back in our midst. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100796 The exhibit explained where modern seismology came from ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100797 but no one mentioned the major moss hanging from the trees ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100798 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100799 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100800 though we did appreciate some unique theories about where earthquakes arise ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100801 which also had a children's version. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100802 After being told how to prepare for the risk ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100803 we were given guidance as to whether there was a risk. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100804

All of this built up our appetite and so we headed to the pine cone diner in Point Reyes Center which had been recommended as the best restaurant in town (of course, it was the only one!) ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100805 and studied the menu with both breakfast ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100806 and lunch available at this time. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100807 I had a diet coke ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100808 and Ed's omelette ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100809 looked very much like mine though the insides were different. Sarah's soup and sandwich came a bit later and somehow avoided camera view. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100810 Next we walked across the street to the Cowgirl Creamery ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100811 where we saw crazy broccoli Romanesco ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100812 along with recently made cheese ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100813 and then we drove on to the trail leading to the lighthouse ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100814 and after looking below ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100815 and recording the hours of operation ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100816 we took a last picture of the sea ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100817 before observing the trees along the path (and also along the edge of the cliff) ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100818 which seemed to indicate the wind direction quite clearly ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100819 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100820 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100821 before we came to this exhibit about the cistern ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100822 which though impressive could not compete with the Istanbul cistern. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100823 Eventually, we came to the lighthouse visitor center ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100824 where we saw a version of the lens used in the lighthouse ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100825 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100826 and on exiting we saw a California gray whale skull ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100827 and rocks that supported many small forms of life ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100828 as we caught our first glimpse of the lighthouse below ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100829 and the staircase that led there. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100830 We began the walk and began our counts of the number of steps ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100831 as others made their way up ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100832 and we were soon at the lighthouse where it was quite windy because of the exposure ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100833 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100834 and so we went inside to see the lens ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100835 and the mechanism (not unlike a grandfather clock) that drove ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100836 the lens consisting of many panes each of which had to be cleaned by hand especially when there was no light but rather a flame. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100837 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100838 It was disappointing to go below where we saw the modern equivalent and heard the constant ringing of the fog horn ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100839 Ed posed on the lighthouse ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100840 and then we read the history of the Fresnel lens ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100841 and looked down at the sea below. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100842 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100843 When it was time to start back up, we noticed the the steps were numbered making our counting (which hadn't been correct) irrelevant ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100844 though the numbers at first suggested a daunting path up ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100845 and so we paused ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100846 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100847 before taking on the task ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100848 with rock formations to our side ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100849 offering a distraction from the "left foot up, right foot up" cadence ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100850 as we proudly made the top and wondered what it would be like to live here ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100851 and then made our way back past the leaning trees ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100852 to the car and the path to the other vista which went past many cows (which may explain the Creamery) in the rain ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100853 and once at the vista, we decided to stay in the car and record the windshield wipers in front of a foggy view of the ocean (artistic some would say). ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100854 Back to civilization (such as it was) we stopped at the best place in Inverness, the Busy Bee Bakery ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100855 where there were pastries ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100856 and carrot cake ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100857 as our food was assembled ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100858 and Ed and Sarah seemed to enjoy being out of the rain ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100859 as did I ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100860 though we didn't quite get the motif of the place ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100861 which was perhaps best explained by the road sign in this piece of art. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100862 Returning to our journey, we went past the place where the road had collapsed ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100863 and eventually we ended up back in PH5 where we found Andrew Ferguson '08. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100864 After an attempt to go to Mission Chinese which was packed, we made our way to Gracias Madre ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100865 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100866 where Ed and I had the Enchiladas con Mole ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100867 I had a mojito ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100868 Sarah and Ed had beers ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100869 and the waiter took these pictures of our gathering. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100870 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100871 After dinner and ice cream which somehow went unrecorded, I was dropped off at my unspectacular hotel room to sleep near the airport for my early morning flight. ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100872 ../../../Sabbat/2011/11.02-05.11California//P1100873