rave and rant

RAVE: Marin Headlands

Sometimes you find astonishing beauty right under your nose. I've been hiking in the Marin Headlands several times--it has the absolute best view of San Francisco, and there are gigantic WWII-era gun emplacements bored through the hillsides--but when you're walking it's difficult to get off the beaten path. For some unknown reason, I've never run there until recently. My friend Josh and I went over there the last two weekends, and as luck had it, the weather was absolutely spectacular both times. (The alternative, I'm told, is pea-soup fog.)

Today we parked where Bunker Road meets the Coastal Trail, ran up the Bobcat trail almost to the FAA beacon, then down to Tennessee Beach via the horse stables. Tennessee Beach is a tiny, narrow beach surrounded on both sides by high cliffs. There is a small pond just inland from the sand. How many other little gems are hidden on the Marin coast?

Marin Headlands trail map [National Park Service]

Other Raves: Brunch, morning runs, dive bars

RANT: City Parking

Parking is tight near Josh's place in the Marina. So tight, in fact, that I had Josh get out of the car when I was parking, so I could avoid blocking a driveway by squeezing up close to the car in front of me. I ended up about two inches away, without touching the other car's bumper in the process. I was proud. I am a parking ninja.

Imagine my surprise when I returned to a note on my windshield. The car in front of me was gone, but its owner left an angry message claiming I scratched her bumper. I gave her a call and explained very nicely that I did not touch her bumper, I went to great lengths to avoid it, and that the damage was just as likely done by the car there before me. She remained agitated and said she would refer the case to the DMV. Go ahead, angry lady--that's part of life in the big city. And I didn't touch your bumper, so you're not getting anything.

Other Rants: Sewer backups, Caltrain delays, darkness at 5 pm