Running

I ran from our office along the bay to the pacific ocean this afternoon. It was a very typical San Francisco summer day: nice and sunny at the Embarcadero, but as soon as I came around the bend, the fog was already hugging the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge was just a concrete footing with a white cover. I ran past hundreds of tourists at Fisherman's Wharf, and saw a sea lion browse around in Aquatic Park waiting for the kids to jump into the freezing water to come and play. Past the "Blazing Saddles" rental bikes at the Marina Green, I watched the pelicans make their way back from the bay towards their nesting rocks along Ocean Beach. The dogs were playing in the water at Crissy field while the kite surfers and kite flyers seemed the only humans who were enjoying the wind gusts that come with the fog making its way inland. At Baker Beach, I saw two red-tailed hawks playing in the wind while mom or dad was searching for dinner down below. The mansions with their beautiful views and trimmed gardens in the gloomy Seacliff neighborhood attracted hummingbirds, and they followed me up towards the Land's End trail. I watched the waves pound on the cliffs, and sometimes the sun came out to make a beautiful contrast with the fog clouds and the reflection on the water. The tourists at the Cliff House were witnessing this bizarre landscape from their fine dining seats, where it seemed that we were really at "Land's End"; the horizon had disappeared. My last of the 13 miles was hard, but the hot chocolate made for a happy end.

Sven

PS: sometimes pictures are not needed :-)