Other visitors to Ocean Beach that day included moms with strollers, joggers and cyclists, who utilized the long, uninterrupted path, and dog walkers, who brought huge packs of dogs for their lunchtime walk. A couple of guys tossed around a football and a few families flew kites, which flew wildly in the wind. Just to the south of the beach are some cliffs that are a popular (and terrifying) spot to go hang gliding, and they can often be watched from the beach.
My favorite part of Ocean Beach is the fire rings, where beachgoers can have barbecues and bonfires when the sun goes down. (Please note that there are strict guidelines for beach fires, including restrictions on what can be burned, fires must be extinguished by 9 pm, and no fires are allowed on Spare the Air days.)
Ocean Beach is a great place for bonfires, jogging, and biking, and on those incredible days when temperatures rise and the sun shines, it seems like the whole city comes out to enjoy the weather. I wondered why people came here on a day like today, misty and grey and cold.
A woman stopped me to chat as I walked along the sidewalk at the edge of the sand. She was standing, trying to avoid touching the bird poop-spattered sea wall, watching the waves. She’d felt called to visit the beach today, she told me, and when you feel that pull, you’d better listen. Her lungs needed to breathe in the ocean air; there was a lot on her mind. She felt better already. She explained that she believes in the ocean’s healing powers, that the salty water and air would cleanse you, mind, body, and soul. She’d had surgery on her ankle, and during her recovery, she would come to Ocean Beach and wade in the Pacific, soaking her feet in the salt water. When she returned to her doctor for a follow-up, he was surprised at how quickly she had healed, and she insisted that it was attributable to the effects of the ocean water. Before I left she reminded me to take a moment to let the ocean breeze fill me with peace, and I did.
The fog never burned off that day. When I left the area in the early evening, it was getting dark, or so I thought. I drove back down the peninsula and was surprised to find that it was still a bright sunny day outside of San Francisco.
