Baker Beach + The Golden Gate
Hello, hello! Why does the weekend always fly by so fast? Boo.
Although it seemed too short, we had a really great weekend.
On Saturday, we packed Coco up in the backseat and took a trip to the coast.
We have wanted to go to the beach here on the west coast for quite some time and decided to finally give it a go this past weekend. We chose to go to Baker Beach in San Francisco because it’s dog friendly and also has a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
After checking the weather forecast (most sunny with a temperature around 70 degrees), I thought it would be perfect for us to have a picnic on the beach while watching the sunset. Turns out, the forecast was a little off…
Not only was the sun completely covered by clouds and fog, but the temperature was about 55 degrees paired with extremely strong winds.
It was so windy that Coco’s ears kept blowing up in the air.
Even though our picnic plan was shot, we still had a great time running around with Coco and taking in the views.
It was pretty entertaining to watch her run around in the sand.
She’s not a fan of the water (and she calls herself a Labrador…psshhh) but she seemed to enjoy drinking it.
Brandon managed to coerce her into the water long enough to get hit by a wave before running back to dry land.
She had so much fun and it was great to see her so happy!
Her paws have officially touched sand on the east coast and the west coast of the United States.
We also got a few family photos in front of the Golden Gate.
Bakers Beach was actually really nice and had beautiful trees along the hills leading inland.
The beach also has a 200-step stairway called the Sand Ladder Stairway which is made from 10-foot logs and is a part of the Pacific Coast Trail. We didn’t do them, though, because we wanted to take it easy on Coco.
This beach was so much different than the kind Brandon and I grew up on in Florida since it is surrounded by enormous cliffs.
Some of which have homes perched along the edge.
Can you imagine this being your view every day?
I can only imagine how gorgeous it must be on a perfectly clear day.
After a while, our ears started to hurt from the constant cold wind and Coco’s energy was starting to wear so we decided to pack up and head home.
True to California form, we sat in traffic in the city forever.
Once we got home, we unpacked our picnic and enjoyed it on the couch while watching a movie.
Pretzels, whole wheat bread from Trader Joes, olives, lemon hummus, and ricotta spread. So yummy!
I also had a mini bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay packed for our picnic, isn’t it cute?
What? Am I the only one who thinks wine is cute?
The documentary we watched was really good and I will be sure to share more about it (this post is getting a little lengthy!). It was entirely about food so I think it may interest some of you.
Overall, it was a great day and we really enjoyed Baker Beach. Hopefully we can make it back one day when the weather is a little better.
Do you live close to a beach?
What are your favorite foods to bring on a picnic?
Aww coco looks so happy in those pictures! and yeah the people who live in those houses on the cliff have one spectacular view to wake up to every morning! awesome picnic packing! all of it look delicious and that wine is really cute :) have wonderful monday!
The beach looks absolutely gorgeous! I can only imagine how pretty it would look on a good day. The fog does add a nice little aura, though. :)
That weather is a bummer! You cant beat those views though…Wish I wouldve known about this spot when we were there last Fall! And those houses in the background…..it would be amazing to live there and see the bridge every day!
Awwr that’s really too bad about the weather – hate it when Mother Nature decides not to stick to her predictable side of the bargain. But it still looks like you guys had a really awesome time. I don’t live near a beach, but we have a huge river valley running through the middle of our city that makes for some amazing trail walks. And I couldn’t help but laugh at Coco not wanting to go in the water… my dog is exactly the same way, but I have a feeling that it’s because she’s self-conscious about the fact that she looks like a drowned rat when she gets wet.
Aww, Coco looks so happy!! And why wouldn’t she be??
I am loving that little picnic idea and the picnic-type foods. Yum!
Looks like a fabulous time at the beach, even though the weather wasn’t exactly working in your favour. Any beach around here is about a 30 minutes drive at least, but it’d be worth it sometime this summer…I’d love to take Atticus to the beach when he gets a big bigger!
And I would love going on a picnic with wine in hand ;-)
You should totally take Atticus to the beach! And I’m not so sure the wine part was legal but we planned on trying to be inconspicuous while we drank it! ;)
Oh I really miss the beach – I’m from the Caribbean but I’m living in Calgary now, which is not waterfront! I know so many Labs who don’t go in the water, but either way Coco looks like she had a great time and those shots in front of the Golden Gate Bridge are gorgeous! Shame about the weather but the picnic looks like it made up for it!
That is awesome you are from the Caribbean! I would have had such a hard time leaving if I were you! Hopefully you get to back and visit.
Oh wow – what a gorgeous day even through the weather was cold. I bet is to was awesome to see sweet Coco happy. How’s she holding up?
We’re 4ish miles from a beach now and both grew up in South Florida where the beach was no more than 10 minutes away. I’ve gotten used to lakes and rivers, but will always miss the ocean.
She has her ups and down but overall, she seems to be doing good. She had a blast at the beach so that was a good thing!
I know, when you grow up next to a beach, it becomes a part of you. I find myself always comparing other beaches to Florida beaches and they never seem good enough. Unless I were in the Caribbean, of course!
Looks like you had a great day! That picnic spread looks delicious as does the cute wine :)
I love cheese and crusty bread for a picnic and of course red wine.
So many cute photos of you guys! I love them! I wish I lived closed to or ON a beach but I don’t. =) I soak up the views when I am at the beach though and that is enough for now! When I go on picnics I like to bring a bunch of snacky foods—veggies, hummus, crackers, cheese, fruit, and of course something sweet for dessert!
Thank you Melanie! Dessert was the only thing I didn’t pack which makes me a total failure! ;)
Yay for San Francisco and another yay for another NorCal blogger! Baker Beach is almost always windy no matter how hot it is. All the good beaches in CA is down south. I guess it’s a trade off, if SF had awesome beaches then it would just be unfair to all the other cities.
Hi Tara! I’m happy another NorCal blogger found me! :) I agree it wouldn’t be fair to have great beaches in addition to everything else here that is so awesome! It’s a small price to pay.
I love Baker Beach, the view on Golden Gate Bride is awesome. You should come back when the weather is nice, it’s absolutely stunning. Thanks for bringing back good memories :). Also I really love the family pics!
You’re welcome for the memories, I do what I can! ;) I hope we get a chance to go back soon!
Oh my gosh – Coco looks SO happy on the beach! Her and Mitchell would have a blast running together except I’m sure Mitchell would be trying to swim too far out into the water and I’d be having a panic attack thinking that he was going to drown ;) Your picnic looks identical to one that I would bring – wine (especially a CUTE bottle!), cheese, bread and olives. Yum :)
Mitchell sounds like he is true to his breed! I wish you did live close so we could have a play date for them. They would make a cute couple…does Mitchell like his women with curves? Lol.
Sounds like a great weekend! Baker Beach looks beautiful! I love all the pics! We live about 40 minutes away from the beach, but we haven’t gotten there yet this year. We need to go asap!
The beach looks so beautiful! I love the beach, but am usually there when there are lots of other people around. It looks so much more peaceful without all the people running around.
Yeah, we lucked out with it being pretty empty. I think that’s because it was so dang cold and windy though!
Gorgeous photos! Coco looks like she is having a blast! Love the picture of the two of you. Great picnic spread! I love to make a cheese tray with olives and lots of other goodies and spread it out on the coffee table and enjoy with a good movie. :)
I’ve never been to Baker Beach. I don’t usually go up into the city and when I travel north, I try to avoid it. :) Glad you had a fun time out there with Coco. Even with the weather it looks beautiful.
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