I had an exciting trip this time! My dad came from Oregon to show me where he grew up in Mill Valley….including a walk around the peak of Mt. Tamalpias. Believe it or not, at 85, he runs circles around me and I was a little worried about keeping up with him!
Never having driven through Mill Valley’s downtown area before, I was amazed at the woodsy feel and charming shops.
The first thing dad pointed out was the beautiful old theater building where they went to see the movies “way back when”!
A few miles away the deep woods at the entrance to dad’s old home were an exciting surprise. So close to San Francisco I didn’t expect houses nestled deep in a redwood forest! Approaching the neighborhood where he grew up we drove through Old Mill Park and stopped to see the mill building and walk by the creek.
Ahead of me all the way, dad had to stop and help me down to the creek bed numerous times! (I knew I’d be eating his dust!-he does over 100 push-ups a day-how can I compete with that!)
Leaving the park we drove up a very narrow road through an area of hillside homes all nestled back in the forest. I just couldn’t get over how far it felt from the nearby city! No wonder people pay the big bucks to live over the bridge in Marin! The steep driveway to dad’s old house was a bit of a challenge even in a 4 wheel drive Explorer…I’m not used to driving straight up to get home!
The first thing we came to was an old garage tucked away a little down hill from the house. My dad was surprised to find that the garage had been moved and the road to the house apparently redirected since he lived there. The house itself came next and it too was different. A front porch was now enclosed, a large deck had been added to the back and a long front stairway was new. But, it was still the house where he grew up and he had a few stories about times there with his brothers. The guest house still stood on the hill behind the house and the area was still beautiful and full of trees.
The best story came as we walked away from the house…One day my dad had walked to downtown Mill Valley (kids did that in those days). He always took an off-road path through the woods to get home from school or downtown. One day as he walked along he noticed something hanging in an old shack he passed by each day. Thinking it was a dummy somebody had hung there he went on home for lunch without stopping. “I didn’t mention it to my mother because I always thought of her as rather delicate and I didn’t want to upset her”, he told me. But, as any curious boy would, he headed straight back after lunch…..to discover it wasn’t a “dummy” but a man who had hung himself in the old shed . ” Oh my gosh dad, what did you do?”I asked. Always unflappable (apparently even as a kid) my dad just shrugged and said, ” well I walked back downtown and went to tell Chief…..(I forgot the name!) He, and apparently everyone in old Mill Valley, knew the police chief so he just walked in and told him there was a dead body hanging in the old shed! He never did tell his mother but when the story came out in the local paper that a 13 year old boy had found a body she figured it out. (His only outrage about the whole thing was that they said he was 13 and he was actually 14!)
Check out this path….if we all had to walk this to work or school everyday we wouldn’t need to diet every again!
Driving through the woods past the house we wound our way up to the sunlight and a road that led us to our next destination: Mount Tamalpias State Park. It’s a long and curvy ride up the mountain but the views are spectacular. I was so excited I pulled over a little too fast when I spotted the San Francisco skyline in the distance on one side of the mountain and a completely fog enshrouded ocean on the other side! It’s worth a trip just to see this!
Driving further, to the peak, we pulled into a large parking lot, paid the $8.00 fee and took off on a nice paved walkway around the top to enjoy some spectacular views:
Photography note: These images were taken around noon…the worst time of day to photograph! If you go, try early morning or sunset for far better images!
As we walked along taking in the view we saw some radar equipment on a mountain nearby. Apparently in the “cold war” with the soviets there were many of these installed that are, fortunately, no longer needed but remain as a reminder of less friendly times.
My dad also remembered the days when bunkers and guns were installed in what is now the Golden Gate Recreational Area because when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor everyone thought the coast of California would be next. “We had to cover our house windows at night and once we got yelled at when driving because we didn’t have the car’s headlights covered properly”, he told me.
On our walk last Monday it was over 90 and sunny but glancing up, the moon was still visible as well!
Our walk over, we headed back down the mountain stopping to visit a mountain inn where my brother had his wedding reception years ago after being married on the side of the mountain…still a beautiful spot…and this time we could actually see it! The day of the wedding was foggy and dripping wet…we could barely see the lodge and certainly couldn’t see the view! It was nice to have the sun out this visit! They are closed on Monday but let us walk around and reminiscet anyway.
Down the mountain and winding our way back through Mill Valley to 101 we passed by the high school my dad attended through part of his senior year. Unfortunately that was the year WWII broke out and he was pulled out of school and drafted into the army. I asked if he was upset that they would pull him out of school like that. ” Well, there was a war and they had a quota to fill” he told me. I guess things were different back then..I’d have been hopping mad! And, in the 1960′s, when I was in high school, guys regularly got deferments for schooling….times change….But, Tamalpias High is still a beautiful old building.
Our trip over, we headed to our favorite lunch spot (In n’ Out of course!) before heading home. Take your mom or dad on a trip down memory lane soon….it’s really fun! And, who knows, you might even find a body somewhere in the story!
Thanks dad….it was a great day! Love you!
