Where I take a walk on the wild side

Mia Lipman, Photography by Mia Lipman

I’ll take any excuse I can find to hike in the coastal hills, but my favorite by far is a chance to get into the grounds of the Djerassi Resident Artists Program. This 580-acre swath of land, dotted with giant, surreal outdoor sculptures, is normally a sealed-tight private hideout for 80 lucky writers, composers, choreographers, and artists who spend a week or a month here focusing on their work. But on a handful of weekends between April and October, the public can storm the gates and take a (guided) look around during Djerassi’s annual sculpture tours.

I’m always floored when I turn an innocuous-looking bend in the trail and come face-to-face with one of the huge works. As you hike past a carefully constructed bird’s nest big enough for an adult to curl up inside, or a giant wooden pendant suspended between two trees, it’s easy to imagine finding your muse here. The landscape is spectacular, too—redwoods, wild deer, rolling hills, and glimpses of the ocean.

Afterward, I like to grab a bite at Alice’s Restaurant, a classic biker hangout (that’s Harleys, not Schwinns) a little farther down Skyline Boulevard. From there, I wind down La Honda Road to the coast at San Gregorio and loop back to San Francisco the slow way, meandering along Highway 1 in the late-afternoon light all the way to Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, and then home.

Alice’s Restaurant: 17288 Skyline Blvd. (at junction of Hwys. 84 and 35), Woodside, 650-851-0303, alicesrestaurant.com; Djerassi Resident Artists Program: 2325 Bear Gulch Rd., Woodside, 650-747-1250, djerassi.org. Now taking reservations for 10 a.m. Two-Mile Tours (2.5 hours, free) on April 3, April 13, May 1, May 18, June 12, June 22. More in-depth Director’s Tours (4.5 hours, $40, bring a picnic) also start at 10 a.m.; now taking reservations for April 20, May 25, June 29, July 19.

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