Bolinas. It was a name on my road book. It was a confidential suggestion from Lucio (one of the great people I met on the Pacific coast). It was a few decades of struggle against the county to avoid having the signs to the village on the road nearby. But Bolinas has been much more than that!
It all started with a very rainy late afternoon, when I had been forced into a detour of several dozen miles because one of my drivers of the day didin't drop me in the right place (despite my repeated requests...). And there, Mark stops. I no longer believed it was doable. I told him that I was trying to go to Bolinas. He replied: "Get in! This is where I live. " What a godsend!
In the car, we started to discuss. The current flows immediately with this 70 year old man, frankly smiling, curious, Vietnam veteran, traveler in his youth, settled in Bolinas for about 30 years. When I asked him if he knew a few spots to pitch a tent for a couple of nights, he had been already maturing his thoughts for a few minutes. And arrived in Bolinas, he offered me a tour of the village and then took me in his house. I just needed his wife's agreement. But when you see Meg, you suspect she usually agrees about many things.
Bolinas is a village a little isolated. Literally, this is not even on the American continent since the famous San Andreas fault (which causes massive earthquakes) separates the Pacific plate where Bolinas is located and the North America plate on which are the United States.
In the 70s, a bunch of hippies moved there to preserve the small bay (what they call the Lagoon) from an oil spill in San Francisco Bay. And they stayed. When some businessmen began to have plans for this quite and pleasant place, the hippies organized politically to create a true community.
It is this spirit that has endured over the decades. Not that of a closed community of hippies in tie-dyed t-shirts living in Volkswagen vans in which only reigns "sex, drugs and rock 'n roll" as it could be the case in older times. No. It's more a community conscious of how lucky it is to live in a beautiful place, it must preserve and live harmoniously in.
The community does not want to extend beyond measure. Surrounded by state parks, space is limited, access to water difficult. Moreover, it is the latter that determines whether to grant land. This is how the community fought to prevent the construction of a resort, "sorry, but no! We can not have enough water for you! ". End of the project.
Frankly, it's quite fascinating how people who live there feel involved in community life. There is a real sense of belonging, collective vision for their community, mobilization and collective struggle happens ahead of a natural or urban hazard. It's not easy every day but Mark and Meg have assured me that this spirit was being built day by day. Through regular meetings, events, exchanges between people, etc.
Some people work in one of four organic farms in Bolinas, others run a few shops and cafes in the village, others are fishing or working outside Bolinas. Mark and Meg, seeing my interest and curiosity, introduced me to John, a friend of theirs who grows a lot of exotic plants to study biodiversity. Fascinating and enriching.
Mark and Meg have been living there for nearly thirty years. They grow their own garden which allows them to be self-sufficient in fruits and vegetables. They built their wooden house, with a maximum opening to feel almost outside. They make compost. They produce much of their electricity from solar panels and can afford to water their gardens with water collection.
Bolinas is a quiet oasis a few miles from the San Francisco Bay. It can be also seen in the distance. And we appreciate the calm here imagining the turmoil there. Mark and Meg, with their warm and friendly welcome, have been a real nice surprise on my way. They have been a real source of inspiration and reflection. A beautiful conclusion of my two weeks on the Pacific coast, before exploring San Francisco.
No comments:
Post a Comment