#37 - Bodega Bay - DONE!!

So, one of the items on my list this year was to go to Bodega Bay.  For those of you who don't know, Bodega Bay was the setting of Alfred Hitchcock's movie The Birds.  Ever since I realized that Bodega Bay was a short drive from our house, I have wanted to go (okay, so it took me 17 years to get there ....).  We finally went this past weekend.

Since I'm not very good at figuring out what to do when I go new places, Nevada and I downloaded a driving tour which highlighted some of the spots where not only The Birds was filmed but also The Goonies.  Though there were some flaky things about the tour, I felt like it was worthwhile to get it.  I would certainly be able to find the places on my own should I ever take someone else there (so no need to buy again).

We also opted to watch both movies the night before our trip.  What a great plan on our part.  The scenes from both movies were fresh in our minds and certainly enhanced the experience.

First stop was the school house.  The school house is in Bodega, not Bodega Bay.  In the movie it's right up the street from the water, not so in real life.

In the movie, the kids are all in the school when the blackbirds start gathering on the playground.  They file out quietly but then the birds start attacking and they start running.

 (Image from here)

  

The tour guide suggested that one person go to the bottom of the hill and take a picture of people running from the school.  I didn't ask the other people who were there to do this, but they so would have.  If I ever go again, I will definitely do that.  That's my husband on the left running.

From there we drove down the hill to the general store where there's a life-sized Alfred Hitchcock out front. 

 

 

We left there and took a back road to get back to Bodega Bay.  Some beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean.

By now it was lunch time.  We had a couple of photo ops ... 

  

 

and then we ate at Lucas Wharf.

 

There really was other food involved, but I didn't take any pictures.  It was nice, right on the water.

After lunch we took a hike at the Bodega Head Trail, which is right along the water.  My pictures don't capture how beautiful it is.

 

 

(The requisite picture of a flower for my husband.)

We then made our way to Goat Rock State Beach to see where one of the scenes from The Goonies was filmed.

Can't you picture the pirate ship sailing past the arched rock ...

 

Stuck between a rock and a rock.

 

 

That was it for the touring.  We found our way to a wine bar, had a surf board of wines, and called it a day.

 

 We went home through San Francisco so here's a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge ...