(July 3 - 5, 2009) I never made it into the actual town of Sausalito (an excuse to return soon) but instead camped out at Cavallo Point, an historic national park on the grounds of the former Fort Baker, the Golden Gate Bridge just a short hike away. Historic rooms at the Lodge are in carefully restored buildings from the original Fort. Built in 1850, a base to protect entrance into the San Francisco Bay and California's gold assets, the renewed iteration of Cavallo Point pays attention to both history and sustainablility, using organic and natural products where possible. Brand new contemporary buildings sit on the hill above the old officer's quarters, built with materials like bamboo, recycled wool rugs, and solar panelled roofs. There is much to do here. Yoga classes each morning, docent-led hikes daily (complimentary to guests), cooking classes, a beautiful spa, and Murray Circle - the only Michelin star restaurant in a national park. Or, you can just park yourself on a bench somewhere and relax. My special treat July 4th dinner was a scrumptious duck with licorice jus, roasted fennel and caramelized turnips. Extraordinary! Oh, yes, and the Mercantile Shop. Good shopping!

And then there's the view. It was great FuN to prop my beach chair at the edge of the water and watch the San Franciso fireworks across the Bay, with the sound of fog horns in the distance forming the musical score:

(July 2 - 3, 2009) Street names like Back, High, and Church harken a time when Coloma was a boomtown at the heart of the California gold rush. Word of the find spread like wildfire by men on horseback carrying a limited supply of newspapers back East, and then travelled out of control via word-of-mouth around the globe. Can you imagine the mayhem that might have occurred if the pioneers had carried Blackberrys and iPhones and had Twitter accounts? I hit the motherlode in Coloma of interesting...

(June 30 - July 2) FuNshine to spare! Horseback riding, hiking, a train ride on an old logging railroad line, and a cowboy-style campfire sing-along were all part of my Yosemite experience. Oh, and benches both manmade and natural. There were times when I wished I was travelling with family to share the expansive vistas that brought tears to my eyes, or feel the waterfall spray together, however there are advantages to going it alone, incognito. You get to share conversations with numerous st...