ROVING Mt. TAMALPAIS
with SAN FRANCISCO WALT
Hidden away, snugly nestled against a steep incline of the mountain, above Muir Woods, is a unique place known as the Tourist Club. It has become an established part of the lore of the mountain. However, many more people do not know about it than do because it cannot be seen from car travelled roads. One must walk about a mile or more to get there by a choice of several trails. Once there, you are isolated and escaped from the everyday world. You are transplanted to the Bavarian Alps among wooden buildings built on a steep, forested hillside. The buildings have colorfully painted decorations on carved wood trim as you might see in parts of Europe.
While standing outside on the sun deck, you can look down into the verdant valley of evergreens that hide Muir Woods far below. Your eyes are drawn upward, from the valley, sweeping up the west side of Mt. Tamalpais that rises dramatically above and away from you. Late in the morning its distant peaks may be seen through sunlit, remnant wisps of fog. The impact of the mountain's massive presence can be mesmerizing and hold you in its spell for a time before the energy of activity around you redirects your attention.
The Tourist Club is at the junction of the Redwood Trail and the Sun Trail. It is a short (but steep) walk down the hill from the Club parking lot at the end of Ridge Avenue. The land and buildings are owned by "The Nature Friends," originally founded in Vienna in 1895. Members built the main part of the club house in 1917-18. The building architecture is of that era. Several times each year, MTIA hikes pass the Tourist Club or stop there for lunch. You must bring your own food. Only beverages are available except during special events. The sun porch and bar room area are open to the public most week-ends and most week- days. There are three, member organized, special event, fund raisers each year that are open to the public--the Maifest (in May), Sommerfest (in July), and Oktoberfest (in September). The dates are easily remembered. They all occur on the third Sunday of the month.
I hiked up from Mill Valley to work up an appetite before attending the Maifest. I looked forward to being reacquainted with the mood and atmosphere, enjoying the hearty food and delicious pastries, listening to the spirited Bavarian folk music, and watching dancers--in native folk dress--do exhibition dance routines such as the schuhplattler. I arrived at 12:15 p.m. and paid the entry fee. My timing was perfect. Lunch began serving at 12:30. There was still a line of new arrivals at 4 p.m. waiting to be served. I received huge servings of bockwurst, cooked red cabbage, and potato salad. There were other choices as well. Soft drinks and beer are available or, you can get a pitcher of beer for a couple dollars more. The ideal weather, in the 70's, resulted in a sunny, warm, lazy day that was perfect for the Maifest.
Gentle zephyrs stirred gaily colored banners strung over the open air dance platform. A live band played horns, clarinets and accordion. Both the young and senior adults smiled happily as they danced under the sunlit banners to the music. Children, dressed up for the event, appeared thrilled as they were carried by their dancing parents onto and around the dance floor in step to the energetic polkas and waltzes. Hundreds of people were sitting, milling about, dancing, socializing, eating, drinking and enjoying the mellow mood of the day and the music amidst the alpine, mountain setting.
For those of you who have never been to one of the festive
events, I recommend attending at least one. However, only on the
same kind of warm, sun drenched, lazy type of day I was there. A
pleasant mixture of sights, sounds, and experiences will linger
in your memories of the mountain. It is a happening that is part
of the lore and mystique of Mt. Tamalpais. The "Crookedest
Railroad in the World," is history now, something we may enjoy
only through the stories told by others, not by personal experience. If the Tourist Club fests should, for some reason, never
be held again, you will wish you had been a part of the summer
magic that is one of the legends of Mt. Tamalpais.