Tour Night 2: Smiley’s Schooner Saloon – June 23
The trip started out … wet. It wasn’t exactly in our plans to deal with rain because it has been so hot and dry for the past few months. I was excited for the rain in terms of the health of California’s ecosystem (check out more about California’s water crisis and the Delta here!), but it isn’t exactly ideal for camping or driving.
Regardless, we set out to Bolinas, CA to play Smiley’s Schooner Saloon and found ourselves on one of the most beautiful drives I have ever seen. Bolinas is a small, seaside town that is on the tip of a cove in the North Bay. Its greenery and ocean road are breathtaking. The Pacific Coast Highway literally borders the lapping bay.
We got there just in time (and with just enough gas!) and were greeted by a friendly, Scottish man named Charlie who hosts the open mic. He was a great guy and let us play two sets for a total of 7 songs. Smiley’s is a small bar with locals coming and going as they please.
We met a lovely couple, the Beaches, who had come from Sonoma to play the show too. They were a raw, dynamic duo of drums and guitar. They call themselves the Best Mates and they really were. Amanda Beach’s birthday was the next day and she wished she was having a party for us to play. They were on their way to see the super moon that night … we saw it later, it was really was super. All in all, the environment was just the right mix of dreamy, dreary and charming for a small seaside town under a full moon.
We ventured back along the winding road and survived the crazy hairpin turns and steep cliffs in the foggy midnight. Our destination was a campground outside of Oakland. We learned a valuable tour lesson that night. ALWAYS check gate times for campsites. It turned out that the campsite we had booked closes their gates at 10pm. So, we rerouted and found a Motel 6 near the airport (all of them are dog friendly, super rad!). It worked out for the better because it rained pretty much all night. We woke up and were followed by a black cat for the better part of the morning. We decided then to make black cats good omens rather than bad. Life is what you make of it, after all.
