A mural depicting how Bolinas would have looked in the 50s. Not much has changed. The artist added a touch of humor with the blue surfboard the man in the brown sports coat is carrying.
Marin County had a problem. Its highway department would put up a sign on Highway 1 pointing west toward the town of Bolinas and the residents of the small coastal community would tear it down. Again and again. Located 30 miles north of San Francisco and just south of Pt. Reyes National Seashore, the town didn’t want anyone to know where it was; the town was a recluse.
Finally, out of frustration, Marin County held a vote: Did or did not the townspeople want the signs? They voted no. Today, nothing points toward the community. But a map or GPS will get you there.
I first made my way to Bolinas in the early 70s. Surfers, hippies, commune members, artists, writers and other alternative types called it home. I was running an environmental center in Sacramento at the time. Being ex-Berkeley and ex-Peace Corps, I more or less fit in. “I could live here,” I thought to myself.
The town was also known for its nude beach. I won’t incriminate myself other than to note that there are some places on the body it’s best not to get sunburned.
Ken, Leslie, Peggy and I made our way to Bolinas after we left Pierce Ranch. Other than a new park in the middle of town, I was happy to find that the community had changed little. The park, I was proudly informed by a shop owner, had been donated by one of the town’s billionaires. Big money had found its way to this small community, which is pretty much the story of Marin County. Extreme wealth and a laid back lifestyle go hand in hand. In Bolinas, VW Vans and BMW’s seemed to happily co-exist.
We wandered through town poking our heads in various shops and looking for a bookstore. It’s become a tradition whenever we travel. We love books and we like to support local bookstores. We found one on the edge of town next to the post office. It was quite unique; the owner was elsewhere and shoppers were invited to price their own selections. Seven suggested categories ranged from “unbelievably really great” for $20 to “ordinary” for a buck. It was possible (though not likely) that Peggy’s really great might be my ordinary. A small, metal box with a slot on top was set up for payment. A statue of the Virgin Mary fronted the box. I wasn’t sure whether she was there to say thank you or to haunt our conscience if we paid five bucks for a book we believed was worth ten.
A sign with suggested prices for books in Bolinas, California that depended on your assessment of the book.
Ken deposits $5 for a “great book” in the Virgin Mary box while Peggy, reflected in a mirror, looks on.
I assume this was the missing owner’s office. I believe he painted the pictures.
Leslie, Ken and Peggy stand in front of the Bolinas Bookstore named Books.
Our visit also included stopping off at a stuffed-to-the-ceiling antique store, admiring quaint houses that had been around since day one, taking photos of murals and visiting a small shop featuring incense, eastern music, and a Humpty-Dumpty Buddha.
Bolinas today, which I did in black and white to give it a 70’s feeling. Take away the cars and the billboard building and you’ll find the Bolinas featured in the mural at the top of the post.
The Grand Hotel Shop and Gallery was stuffed top to bottom with antiques.
I was intrigued with this aging mannequin I found looking out the window of the shop.
The old homes in town have aged well.
Incense, Eastern music, and this sign pulled us into a shop.
The laughing Buddha face on the upper left shelf made me think of Humpty Dumpty. The items in the shop were, um, eclectic…
Very eclectic.
We found a shrine next door that the community had put up after 9/11.
A Bolinas surf shop advertised using broken surf boards featuring Native American/First Nation art.
This pumpkin reminded me that Halloween had just passed…
And this sign reminded me that we would be buying our gas elsewhere. This station matched what I was paying in the Yukon territory this summer.
NEXT POST: Peggy and I heading off to Mexico for three weeks. To fill in, I’ve decided to put up photos that Peggy and I have taken in America’s National Parks. We’ve made a point of visiting close to all of them. I’ll close out my Pt. Reyes’ series with a Bolinas mural that I think reflects the area: ocean, wilderness, and a touch of magic.
17 thoughts on “Bolinas: A Recluse Kind of Town… Pt. Reyes National Seashore”
teagan geneviene
It sounds like my kind of place – except they’d stop me at the city line for fear that I’d go to the beach and get *nekkid*.
Maybe someday I’ll be a wealthy published author and buy a little cottage there. Or maybe I’ll just write about being rich and living there!
If you two have ever been to Half Moon Bay I hope you’ll post the photos. I saw a snippet about it once and felt terribly homesick, despite never having heard of the place.
🙂
shoreacres
There was a couple in a Galveston Bay marina years ago that had a hailing port of Half-Moon Bay on the stern of their sailboat. They’d brought it through the Canal, which was pretty darned interesting. Most people go the other way. 😉
Curt Mekemson
Our son Tony had dreams of sailing down through the Panama Canal from San Diego after he left the Marines and before he joined the Coast Guard. Time and circumstances influenced his plans but he did by a sail boat and sail to Puerto Vallarta.
Curt Mekemson
Yeah… it was the getting rich part that may have kept me from buying a small million dollar cottage, although things would have been much more reasonable in the 70s. And yes Peggy and I have been to Half Moon Bay several times and it is a delightful town. Don’t remember taking photos. –Curt
Animalcouriers
Wonderful eclectic collections in the shops.
shoreacres
I couldn’t help noting the correspondence between Bolinas and Crystal Bridges – big money, nestled up against “just folks”. Granted, it Bolinas the “just folks” would seem pretty exotic to the “just folks” at the museum, but still…
I love the broken surfboard signs, and the book pricing. But most of all I love the City-that-Would-Not-Be-Found. My kind of place. (And I still know how to use a map.)
Curt Mekemson
Yeah, Linda, I often identify with the town’s illusiveness. 🙂 As for the Just Folks, they might seem strange anywhere although they could probably blend into our area in Southern Oregon. –Curt
Carrie Rubin
I love that you scope out bookstores. There are some real gems around the country. We visited one in Columbus, Ohio (in the German Town district) that was amazing. So big, it seemed to go on forever, but it was in an old building which gave it a nostalgic air. I had no idea it was there, and I live only a couple hours away from it.
Curt Mekemson
Have you ever been to Powell’s in Portland, Carrie? You can get lost in it. I am reminded of bookstores I have wandered through in London. -Curt
Carrie Rubin
No, I’ve never been there. It’s been years since I’ve been to Portland. I’ll have to keep the store in mind if I ever get there again.
FeyGirl
I’ve never been, but I think I’ve found my new hometown. 🙂 Incredible!
Curt Mekemson
I have a sense you would really like Bolinas, FeyGirl. Lots of great wildlife around as well. –Curt
sixdegreesphotography
what a cool little town.. and why is it the cool, artistic towns have the most expensive homes..
love that “back in a hot flash” sign..tee-hee 🙂
Curt Mekemson
Artists like beautiful little towns in great locations. Guess rich people do as well, sigh. Peggy and I were ever so lucky to find a beautiful, inexpensive place to live. Yeah, I was tickled about the sign as well. –Curt
sixdegreesphotography
off to Mexico? how on God’s green earth do you afford all of this travel.. tell me so I can start doing some 😉
Curt Mekemson
We are cheap on everything else. 🙂 That and being retired. –Curt
sixdegreesphotography
That’s encouraging.. I’m a cheap traveler, good saver so there is hope I too can be an avid traveler when I retire 🙂