Heavenly Drive

It was such a lovely day that it was impossible for us to get home to the coastside via the usual routes. It was our chance to drive my favorite drive. It is where I want Michael to take me just before I die. Heaven on earth.

It begins on the bay side of the Peninsula in Woodside. That is a city of very rich people who love horses. The little restaurant in the very small downtown area - Buck's - was the site of many of the early deals of the start-ups of the Silicon Valley. Crawling through the city, past the local schools, very large estates and state parks, the road begins to climb and weave in very tight switchbacks towards the top of the ridge. But, the views! Breathtaking. The entire Bay Area is laid out at our feet. The road gets steeper and suddenly, we are in the redwoods. Massive, old redwood trees. Finally, some small houses appear so the top of the ridge is around the corner. At the intersection with the ridge road, there is a "biker" restaurant, gas station and market. It is a destination for so many bikers riding the ridge road. We cross that road and head down the other side of the mountain towards the ocean.

It is also redwood covered but less steep but has fewer tight turns. Small houses, some just shacks are dotted along the road. As we descend, the redwoods are gone and different trees and large ranches appear. Further on, the trees are smaller and the coastal hills surround us. There is little growth on the hills and we look down into the valley on our left. The hills are golden in color. We are, after all, the Golden State. Weaving our way through sweeping curves always heading downhill, we make it to an old market, which is also a bar! We turn, crawl up a sharp, quick shortcut to Highway 1. From there, it is only a quick 10 miles to our home, if there is no traffic. We were lucky. Traffic in town was not too bad and we arrived home relaxed and happy from my most favorite drive in the world.

At home, Michael's phone needed some tweaking after getting a sim card installed, I made his upcoming workday breakfasts of Spinach with Prosciutto Deviled Eggs, ironed his shirts, ran and emptied the dishwasher then made dinner. I love this type of day as it fills my soul and sets me up emotionally for another week.