The men of Bolinas, who have carried the day on only one occasion in the last decade, don't prevail so quickly. As nine minutes stretches into 12, some of the men start to foam at the mouth. Finally, the Bolinas men are victorious. For those not familiar with the exact location of Bolinas, the abandoned rope is as good an indication as any. No road signs mark the highway exit, nor will they as long as residents have the means of removing them.
Today is a slight exception.
Once parked, a free shuttle is offered by a British sousaphone player who volunteers for the Bolinas Border Patrol. I run them until 3. Downtown a couple thousand people are milling around drinking beer and eating fresh barbecued oysters. The crowd is heavy with children, hound dogs, and flamboyant beachside apparel in shades of red, white, and blue. We need you for the millennium.