Written on April 13, 2009
This morning I visited one of my favorite locations on Planet Earth. I certainly wouldn't be disappointed if heaven had a view like this spot. Every time I visit San Francisco I try to make time to visit it.
Getting there is no small task, of course. I jog to the vicinity, 3+ miles from my usual home at Cole Street... then hike down a treacherous trail... cut through trees and brush... hike some more... and then it all opens up. I sit there... take a breath... and soak in everything all around me.
It's awesome being there. It's torture to leave.
The view is so stunningly beautiful that even the words in my head turn to mush. The spot never ceases to provide a full sensory experience... the breathtaking 360 degree view, the rush of the wind from all directions, the smell of sea salt, the chill rushing in from the bay. I would be hard-pressed to find a more special spot in all the Bay Area.
And each time I visit, no one else is ever around to enjoy it.
It's always as if I'm the only person in San Francisco who knows about it. Being in an area where millions of people live, and millions travel to each year, I relish and enjoy the privilege of experiencing the spot in a solitary way. I wish everyone could spend some time there at some point.
But, at the same time, I don't want to be Rick Steves either.
Rick's travel guides have been helpful (and cheap) guides that have led to me to some spectacular hilltowns throughout Europe. I'm forever grateful for his guidance. But the man is essentially a conquistador. His guides have a way of turning once-quiet, quaint and remote towns into tourist-ridden knickknack markets.
So I don't know if I'll tell you how to find my spot. All I'll say is that it's a natural elevated platform, with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, Lands End trail, wildlife, the bay, dramatic waves crashing, and even a stone labyrinth.
Good luck finding it. If you're ever fortunate to hike around Lands End, you'll certainly know when you do find it.
Sometimes the best places we discover in life are the ones we've sweated to find on our own.
