by Patrick Wong

Recently we took a trip to Bodega Bay. It was about one hour drive north of Point Reyes National Seashore, if you know where that is. If you don't, think about Santa Rosa. It is straight west of Santa Rosa. We went there because it was my wife's birthday, and because many people had told me it was a romantic place for a short overnight trip. In believing that, I picked an inn with a room which has a heart shaped Jacuzzi inside. Trust me, the room both looked and felt a lot more modest than the picture, although certainly not suggested by its price. A better bet next time will be the Bodega Bay Lodge and Spa. 

Bodega Bay is a small inlet shielded from the rough Pacific Ocean. Judging by how the seabirds standing in the water, most of the water in the bay must be very shallow. There is a narrow stretch of deeper water leading from the opening of the bay to the inner side, where the harbor stands. There must be where the town originated. So you guessed it, the town has the same name as the bay. Bodega Bay is a small fishing town in the bay.  Probably it is big by the local standard. The sign says they have a thousand populations. Looks to me most people are living in the grayish houses sitting on the hillside overlooking the ocean. Tell you what, they are not cheap. 

There are not a lot to do in the town except sports fishing. I had a few miserable fishing experiences, so naturally we did not go fishing. Rather we spent our day combing the area and surrounding towns. It has quite a few beaches nearby; long stretch of sand, roaring ocean, windy and cold, typical northern California beach like. But there is one at the southern end of the town, the Doran Beach. It is a narrow piece of land separating the Pacific Ocean from the bay. It is the best spot to do bird watching in the bay. And it is a state park where there are camping and RV facilities. Even though it was not a holiday when we visited, there was a lot of RV with the whole families, barbecuing by the water edge and basking in the setting sun. It was nice, indeed. 

We visited Occidental, a quiet and spiritual town - not in religious sense, but the worship of nature, harmony and transcendence. It is a neat little place. I wish I could have pictures to show you. The next town we visited was Freestone. It is even smaller. The whole visit was for Chiaming to have an enzyme bath at Osmosis. According to her, they covered her with a warm mixture of rice bran, cedar fiber and who knows what other stuffs. Afterwards, she took a shower and was wrapped with a blanket for thirty minutes listening to some soothing music, supposedly to balance your left and right brain. I am not sure that really improve anything of her, but certainly she had a pleasant fragrant smell for a few hours. Just to clarify things a little bit, I did not join the bath thing. I lay outside on the lawn and finished a good part of the Harry Potter book.

If you plan to go there, now is the best time. Fall is somehow the mostly likely time of the year that you will have a sunny, balmy visit to the coast. Of course, it is always sensible to wear layered clothes. You never know what the weather is going to be like. If you enjoy driving, take Highway One. It is scenic and fun. Enjoy California living.