indian summer

When the rest of the country gets ready for fall, we who shiver through the foggy, chilly summer in San Francisco finally break out our shorts and sunglasses for Indian Summer. Last weekend was filled with some truly wonderful weather, both inside the city and out. Saturday, we volunteered at the lunch stop for the San Francisco version of the MS 150 – Waves to Wine. Familiar with the annual two-day bike race because my dad and my best friend rode in it for years in Missouri, I was really happy to be volunteering for the Northern California race. Starting in San Francisco, the race route crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and wandered through Wine Country. The riders’ lunch stop was at a fabulous spot right on Tomales Bay, famous for its oyster farming. Home to a few oyster eateries, including the famous Hog Island Oyster Co., Tomales Bay is a lovely, tranquil place. It was foggy when we arrived at 7:30am at Miller Park, next door to Nick’s Cove (a cute waterfront restaurant where there was actually a wedding going on during the bike ride, much to the bride’s chagrin), but it turned out to be a gorgeous day. We were especially happy with the clear skies when we drove back to the city along Highway 1, where the endless, jaw-dropping views of the cliffs and the Pacific Ocean are usually hidden in clouds. 

The following day, we headed to Berkeley for some betting and beer-drinking in the sun. Golden Gate Fields sits right on San Francisco Bay and hosts dollar Sundays, where parking, beer and hot dogs are only a buck each. The $7 I won on my horse, off a $2 bet, covered expenses.


It was foggy when the day started for the MS Waves to Wine bike ride (above left), but the sun came out and the day was glorious at Nick’s Cove (above right + below); it was also a fabulous day to drive down Highway 1 on our way back to the city (bottom left); and we got more sun for horse-racing at Golden Gate Fields (bottom middle + right)