Auto Tour - Marin Headlands - 1/24/11

          The days are getting just long enough to where we can enjoy sunset after work. We headed South on 101 from San Rafael and took the last exit before the Golden Gate Bridge up into Marin Headlands. The Headlands offer great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco. The landscape is strewn with a vast network of underground bunkers and old war remnants that are fun to explore. Click here for a map of the roads and trails of the Marin Headlands.
          We headed past Hawk Hill, which gets its name from the vast number of Hawks that regain their strength here by floating in upward currents before their migration across the open water. There is a volunteer group that is responsible for a “Hawk Watch” where they tally the number and different types of raptors seen each day. You can visit the following website for more info on the “Hawk Watch” http://www.ggro.org/.
          Past Hawk Hill you can either turn around or continue on Conzelman Road, a one way road that descends along a cliffs edge at a steep grade of about 18%. This is possibly the most fascinating road to drive during the sunset hour offering fabulous views of Point Bonita and Ocean Beach across the Bay.
          Conzelman Road comes to a T junction where we veered left to briefly check out Point Bonita. Just Past the parking lot for the lighthouse to the right is a great dirt parking lot to watch sunset from. After sunset we drove back through Gerbode Valley where we saw a bobcat.

Sunset

Bobcat