Tomales Bay is a long, thin finger of water that points north-west from Point Reyes, and it lies exactly on the San Andreas Fault. The Pacific plate on the western side is moving north, slowly, against the North American plate on the east, and the straight, narrow shape of the bay is the scar left by the rift. In 1906, the fault slipped here with such violence that fences and roads were displaced by several metres, and you can still see where in places near Point Reyes Station.
The water is calm and green, with oyster farms along the eastern shore, tide flats and small boats pulled up on the mud. Inverness, a village of about thirteen hundred people on the western side, is a cluster of wooden houses and a few cafes, while Point Reyes National Seashore stretches beyond it. On the road along the eastern shore, State Route 1, villages like Marshall have fish restaurants and oyster stands where you can eat fresh shellfish at a picnic table with a view.
The ride here is excellent. Highway 1 follows the bay in a series of gentle curves, with the water on one side and rolling hills on the other, and the surface is generally good, though some stretches are rough and narrow. Fog is common, especially in summer, when it rolls in from the Pacific in the afternoon and can drop the temperature by ten degrees in minutes. Bring a layer even on a warm day, and be careful on damp corners. On weekends, cyclists and tourists crowd the road, so go on a weekday if you can.
Fuel is scarce on this stretch. Petaluma, about twenty-four kilometres east, is the nearest large town, and the villages around the bay have limited services, so fill up before you come. Food is easier: the oyster shacks and bakeries along the shore are a Bay Area institution.
Early morning, when the water is flat and pink and the first fishermen are out, is the best time for a photograph. Elk, herons and pelicans may all make an appearance, and in winter the sky is full of migrating birds.