The Long Way Home

Path of Rejuvenation

I've lately been fond of leaving work and taking a longer route home- one that follows The Embarcadero, to Bay Street, through The Marina along Crissy Field, and then onto Lincoln Boulevard as it winds through the Presidio and eventually out to 25th Avenue.

The views offered from the bluffs along Lincoln, overlooking Baker Beach, are breathtaking. I love slowly winding down this stretch of Lincoln, one eye on the road and one eye gazing out over the dusky, shimmering Pacific. It's the perfect ending that sets the tone for a restful evening. It's like hitting a reset button that erases the daily rubble we create.

View at dusk from Lincoln Boulevard overlooking Baker Beach

I must confess I drive this route. I try to not make a habit of driving to work, but sometimes it's a necessity- if I need my car for something after work, or if I am going to be excessively late in the morning. But The Long Way Home gets addictive. I really should try it by bike, as my friends Jake and Greg do.

The Phantom Trailers

Last Thursday I took The Long Way. I left work at 7:00, and by the time I reached the Presidio it was dusk. Driving on Lincoln, I was in the more forested area, just after Merchant Street. In the fading light, I came upon men standing along the edges of the road, and what must have been about 50 trailers. Were they filming a movie? Was it some sort of convention? Was it a mirage?

The next day, they were gone. Okay, so that's not so spectacular, but I like to imagine it was some twilight vision and they were never really there. Maybe that idea would be more plausible if I had seen wagons and men on horseback in 19th century dress, instead of modern-day trailers and guys in T shirts and baseball caps... but one can fantasize.

The one thing I am still waiting (and more likely) to see during my crepuscular ambling through the Presidio is a coyote.

photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/schuberts/349047938/