San Francisco to Marin Hostel

Took a walk out this morning to go and see the Exploritorium, this is one of those hands on science museums, lots of buttons to press and things to play with, I should have realised it was a weekday and the place was full of primary school kids when I got there.
The outside of the building which appears to be huge hanger is surrounded by a small lake and Greco-Roman columns -very similar to the surrounds of the Trafford Centre. The place is also referred to the Centre for Fine Arts, but there were none of these in evidence and I've no idea where they've gone. I spent a number of enjoyable hours in the Exploritorium – you have to be patient with loads of kids about, fiddling and playing with the exhibits. Walking back to the Hostel to get the car I called in at Safeway on the way to get some food as I had been warned there was not much available at the next hostel.
Back in the car I jumped back into the San Francisco traffic and joined Route 101 North which runs through the town and out onto the Golden Gate Bridge over the entrance to the Bay. The Bridge is certainly iconic but it's a trifle hard to look at it when your doing 45 in heavy traffic! Just after the bridge I peeled of the main road and hooked down and under the road into a tunnel which passed through the hill and out into a valley. This is the Malin State park and is also still used by various government agencies (Coast Guard, NOAA, etc.) All of the buildings are of a wooden 'blockhouse' style but many are privately used now. The hostel was about a mile down the road and tucked away in one of these old army barrack blocks. I checked in and dropped the bags and then continued down to the pebble beach at the end of the valley. The wind was howling in and there were loads of nutters out in surf – it was freezing in the wind! Back at the hostel I had some tea and settled in for the night, and the first hostel I'd had with no internet connection – in fact no mobile coverage either, and the strange thing was I was less than 40 minutes from the centre of San Francisco.