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Bolinas Beach, West Marin, California

Posted July 14, 2009 , trackback

It is fitting that I write about Bolinas Beach right before the 4th of July. After all, throughout high school I spent every 4th of July there at the beach, drinking beer during the day and dodging bottle rockets at night. Perhaps best known for its residents who supposedly tear down road signs along Highway 1 so that outsiders cannot find their way* toward the town affectionately called Bo Bo, Bolinas is not for the faint of beach lovers.

//www.flickr.com/photos/cproppe/3184005582/

Bo Bo surfer. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cproppe/3184005582/

Legend has it that a woman rides her horse along the shorebreak, naked a la Lady Godiva. I have never seen it myself, but believe it nonetheless. One time a man at the beach asked me to take his picture, so I did. Before I could snap away he had taken off his pants (but not his shirt). I have seen fights in Bolinas, parades, festivals, drinking, surfing, swimming, beautiful artwork, I have heard poetry and music; I have taken a bottle rocket to the eye in Bolinas.

//www.flickr.com/photos/localleaflover/520883765/

Artwork on the beach. http://www.flickr.com/photos/localleaflover/520883765/

I could describe the sand (white, sugary), the water (friendly but cold). I could describe the beach, the flora, the fauna, but who are we kidding? Bolinas is a beautiful beach but it is the people that make it what it is. Bolinas is artists, musicians, freaks, surfers, nudists, dogs running after waves and kids running after balls. Bolinas is a wonderful place to go. Special. If you can find it.

//www.flickr.com/photos/11114469@N00/223712234/

Possibly part of a parade, possibly not. http://www.flickr.com/photos/11114469@N00/223712234/

*Please note: the map on the link is incorrect. Like, incredibly incorrect. It will lead you to a beach between two tony towns. This is not Bolinas, but this is indicative of the humor of the town.

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