Every trip up or down the Greenbrae Boardwalk where I live, is a sensual blast. I get out of the car, ignore the roar of the freeway only feet away, leave the paved road and head down the 4- or 5-foot-wide walkway, which is built between the big, tidal Corte Madera Creek and a wild stretch of virgin coastal marshland. At least it’s wild for an urban place like the SF Bay Area – in good traffic it is only eight minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a third of a mile to the house, takes 5 to 10 minutes. You don’t want to get to your car and discover you’ve forgotten your keys!
Every once in a while, I am thrilled to smell briny oceanic salt. Sometimes the hurricane force wind is enough to blow me off the boards into the marsh, so I hold on to the railing, grinning because it’s kind of fun. The rain can pour down, but I’m ready for it – rain pants, Gortex hiking boots and Gortex jacket. On memorable days, there can be a “king” tide because the full moon or the new moon are pulling more of the water from the Pacific Ocean into San Francisco Bay and up the creek, flooding the spot where the boards meet the highway pavement with deep, fast moving water. On those days, the 100 or so people who live out here wear knee-high rain boots. At least the smart people. One winter, every single king tide, I forgot to wear my rain boots, had to take off my shoes and socks, roll my pants up to my knees and wade through the water. And laughed with any neighbors who see me – almost all of us have been there. Back on dry land, I sit on a bench conveniently placed on the other side, wipe my feet down with my socks, put my shoes back on, roll my pant legs down and carry on. This winter, I’m proud to say that I have been prepared for every king tide. Also proud that I was prepared for phase two of a “king tide” crossing: bringing my regular shoes so I look presentable to the civilized world after fording the deep water.
And the birds! We often see great blue herons, egrets and king fishers. A couple days ago, I saw something perched on the Boardwalk railing that I don’t see often, a Western blue bird with its shiny blue head and back and rust orange breast.