Exit Here, No. 4

How I spent the last day of my 40s.

After a full day yesterday of foodless travel and temporarily lost luggage, we settled into a cozy boutique Hotel Petaluma and had a light dinner next door before crashing hard.

The fire was a welcome site.

Luckily, The Shuckery is attached to the hotel and was open. This female-owned oyster bar had the best dang clam chowder I’ve had west of the Mississippi and fantastic cocktails. Their menu said they were “tin fish” obsessed, so I had to order the spiced mackerel pate and some oysters. The Film Noir cocktail was just what I needed to wash it down.

Today, the eve of my 50th birthday was spent caffeinating and exploring. We made a quick stop at a Target for sunglasses because I forgot mine at home, and a Starbucks Toffee Nut Mocha which was really just a sugary gut bomb, before heading back to the hotel because he forgot his sunglasses in the room. This is what it’s like when you travel in your 50s, apparently. You forget things. A lot.

We spent the rest of the day driving the twisty turns of the 1 and the North Pacific coastline. No map, no service, no plan. Just this view, wildlife, and each other. We encountered cows, turkeys, chickens, deer, hawks, and cranes.

I got motion sickness and pulled a groin muscle getting out the car to take a picture. Couldn't ask for a better way to spend the last day of 49. Constantly reminded to take care of my body because it’s getting older and starting to fall apart.

But we ended up at Point Reyes Seashore, the windiest place in California. Growing up in the Chicagoland area prepared me well. Wind schmind.

The pictures don’t do it justice. It was breathtaking.

Tomorrow we dine at Cafe Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Happy birthday to me!