Stinson Beach

Me and my GF visited Stinson Beach this past weekend. My girlfriend is a bit of a runner so I watched her kid and then we came up here to see her when her race was done and hang out at the beach. I love this beach, even though it is not the kind of beach where you can really get a tan most days. We are late in August and even though it has been fairly hot lately—finally after another cool summer—it was still way too cold for traditional beach activities.

Not that this stopped our kids from stripping down to their bathing suits and wading out into the chilly breakers. Me and the GF just sat there watching them, amazed by how young kids are completely oblivious to cold when they are having fun. Of course, the moment they came back to the blankets, her kid was trembling like a leaf and chattering her teeth.

I would say only about half the people at the beach were really in bathing suits at all. Most just came in sweats or regular shorts. Lots of couples walking at the beach side, a fair number of friends just hanging out to watch the waves, some of the runners still dressed in their running gear.

It was pretty windy and we flew some kites, and just chilled out and re-charged the batteries. If you spend a huge portion of your life in front of screen like me and the GF do, getting out in nature like this is really refreshing. It was just what we needed.

I’ve always dreamed of living up here, some day if I ever reach the point where I am making bank, but really, I think it is fairly unlikely I will reach the stage where this is truly possible, unless of course I were to get a condo over in the town (most people use these as vacation homes, I think). A condo in the town area will run you around $400 K which isn’t too bad. But if you want a real house out by Bolinas Lagoon, then you are looking at multi millions. Well worth it if you can afford it, but just a dream for most of us.

The commute would definitely be hell, of course, heading up Highway 1 to get to the Golden Gate. Not something I would want to do every day no matter how beautiful. (It is the most beautiful stretch of the coastline I have ever seen.)
Stinson Beach is basically a very small tourist town. It gets packed on summers and weekends with beach goers, tourists and hikers. You have your share of ex-hippies (the ones who figured out how to turn a buck anyway) and dot.com millionaire types.

Like I said, if I ever make it and no longer have to commute into work everyday—this is where I would live.