We waved goodbye and drove away from our house on May 26th, 2025 which was also our 29th wedding anniversary. We had set up visit to San Francisco after we put the house on the market to be close to the house and enjoy city life. So we spent three weeks in Sutro Heights (western side of the city) and one week in Sausalito (across the Golden Gate Bridge) sailing, hiking, eating at great restaurants, and exploring.
Our first stop on the way to San Francisco was Rombauer Winery in Napa Valley for our anniversary. It is a favorite spot of ours because they have wonderful wines and a reservable, bring-your-own picnic area with a gorgeous view of the valley. It was the perfect place to sit, relax, and process all of the effort and emotions that got us to this moment.
San Francisco
We rented an Airbnb in Sutro Heights in San Francisco just steps away from Ocean Beach. It was quiet, comfortable, and cool, with plenty of parking, and beautiful sunsets!
Fun with Family
Dave’s sister Martha came to visit for a week. We went hiking around San Francisco and the Marin Headlands. We even found another super steep street.
The three of us went sailing with our cousins Liz, Jane, and Bill. It was a “sporty” strong, windy day. Everyone put up with a lot of heeling as we zipped across the Bay.
Sarah came for a long weekend to visit as well. Fortunately the annual Bouquet to Arts show (a favorite of ours) was that weekend at the De Young and Legion of Honor Museums, so we got to see the amazing floral creations.
We also always enjoy tea and wandering around the Japanese Tea Garden.
For Dave’s Birthday we went sailing! Sarah got some time at the helm down the Slot and out the Gate!
Exploring San Francisco
We really enjoyed living so close to Ocean Beach. Here we are at a chilly sunset, with people congregating around fire pits. Quite a scene!
Exploring Sausalito
For our week in Sausalito we rented a house boat. It really only floated from mid to high tide, otherwise it was on the mud flat. At the highest tides the parking lot would partially flood; the host left us boots and a parking space that was on higher ground. It was an interesting experience in a beautiful setting. It was fun to watch the seaplane come and go. We were surprised how much warmer and sunnier it was in Sausalito than in Sutro Heights; just 20 minutes apart.
For Father’s Day we sailed on the Matthew Turner out of Sausalito. It is a wooden tall ship that was designed and built using traditional methods and sails. It was quite impressive to see how the crew managed the sails and we both got a turn at the helm! We now have a bit more knowledge about how these massive ships work and how yardarms operate; we were geeking out.
We also visited the Bay Model that was built by the Army Core of Engineers in the 1950s. They wanted to see if they could dam the Bay and build a couple of big reservoirs; can you imagine?! Afterwards, it was used for many years to study the interplay of tides, rivers, and currents on changes to the Bay. It is a massive 1.5 acre model and the tides cycle every 15 minutes. It is a fascinating place.
And of course we explored. Sausalito it a cute little town with some great restaurants and views.
Three Bridge Fiasco – Lundell Style
There is a famous annual sailing race called the Three Bridge Fiasco where the racers go under the Golden Gate, Bay, and Richmond Bridges to complete a circuit of the Bay. On our last sail for this visit we immediately headed out the Golden Gate since the winds, currents, and tides were in our favor. We then had perfect winds for an easy sail down the stunning San Francisco waterfront and ended up going underneath the Bay Bridge. That is when the idea clicked. If we go under the Richmond Bridge we could hit all three bridges in one day. So we zipped across the Bay and made it happen! It was one of our best days of sailing ever!
Fast Month in the Bay
The month went by quickly with all of the visitors and fun activities. From San Francisco we drove to Boulder to get back to downsizing chores and setting up our storage unit. We also took a quick fun trip to South Dakota to set up residency. It was fun and busy start to the summer!
For you Ted Lasso fans, keep your eyes out for the cookies below. We purchased these at Mollie Stone’s Market in Sausalito. The are expensive, but super yummy.
