Golden Gate Bridge, California

Crossing The Golden Gate Bridge is quite an adventure whether you drive your car, ride a bike, or walk. We opted to drive the car over due to the time of day and the weather.

You feel almost like you're in a tunnel, and as you look up you feel quite small. When it was built in 1937, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Looking across you get a feel for the size and strength of this structure. Though no longer the longest, it ranks 9th. It's ranked the 5th most favorite Architecture in the United States according to Wikipedia.



Please take time and pay homage to the Navy and Merchant Marine Memorials. The Lone Sailor Memorial was dedicated in 2002 and is a replica of the one in Washington D.C.






I highly recommend taking time to site see here, dress warm and prepared to wait your turn to get pictures, and to use the bathroom.

Sadly this beautiful location is a suicide destination, the most popular in fact in the United States. No exact figures were listed however. The feeling is, many bodies aren't found once they do jump due to the strong currents in the waters below.

Lombard Street, Traveling in San Francisco, California

Lombard Street, famous (incorrectly so) for being the crookedest street in the world. In fact, it's not the steepest or crookedest even just in San Francisco. No matter, it is known and photographed as such. The steepest street in San Francisco is Filbert with a slope of 31 1/2 % grade, while Famous Lombard Street is only a 27% grade. Vermont Street in San Francisco claims to be more crooked, while Snake Alley in Burlington, Iowa has yet sharper turns.

Lombard Street, San Francisco has 8 hairpin turns that attract tons of visitors every year. It's fun to ride the Hyde Street Cable Car to the top and walk down. From the top you get quite a view of San Francisco. Looking down the hill towards the bay you can see Fishermans Wharf, Alcatraz, and Ghirardelli Square.


Beautifully restored Victorian homes line the street, with well manicured flower beds give one colorful backgrounds for photo's.

I was taken aback by the number of rude tourist who seemed to forget these were private homes. Stepping into their yards to get better photo's ...totally disregarding the signs that politely ask tourists to please stay on the walk. I would not want to be a resident there. People would stand right on top of flowers for the sake of a better photo. I'm always sadden by people's lack of respect for others property. Once when the same person had tromped more than one flower, I spoke outloud to my husband and said ...why are people so rude they ignore the signs and think it's ok to trespass, tromp flowers...wonder how they'd react to someone doing that in their front yard? I hoped people heard me.

Riding the various trolleys and cable cars is great fun, and a nice way to see what you later want to explore further. Plan to wait, be patient, be kind and wait your turn...
This should be a clue to people with small children not to add this activity to your travel plans. Waiting is not in shaded comfortable areas, there is not entertainment, nor refreshments. Do yourself a favor rent a stroller and do the walking tour, or hail a cab.


There's plenty to see while walking, and you can still see the trolley's and cable cars, see how steep and narrow the streets are.

Lots of fun places to dart in for a cool drink or have lunch, but again...be prepared to wait.

You've all seen this famous street in movies and TV shows. It was filmed in the move, "What's Up Doc" with Barbara Streisand and Ryan O'Neal and the famous movie "Vertigo".

The switchbacks were instituted in 1922-23 as a means to slow down traffic, and make travel there safer. Lombard Street begins in The Presidio, runs through the Russian Hill and Telegraph Hill Neighborhoods.

MUSTS when traveling in San Fransisco:
Wear comfortable walking shoes
Layer clothing
Be prepared to wait, everywhere you go

NEAR BY Attractions when traveling in San Francisco:
Alcatraz
Muir Woods
The Presidio

THE ROCK, Alcatraz Island, California

Alcatraz, The Rock, so much more than the movie! This site is the location of the first Lighthouse on the west coast, the first US Fort on the west coast, a bird santuary. A whole village/town existed at one time. Children played here, went to school here. Some of the memories and history written about Alcatraz comes from these folks. It was considered good duty to live and work on the Island. Nothing of the town or private houses is left; though one can see where they were.


Sunny California it is NOT! Notice my heavy gray sweatshirt that I purchased at Big Sur in an effort to get warm. Many of us on the ferry are huddled up, back to the wind, ears covered trying to stay warm. Bring a jacket...and a scarf would have been nice to cover the ears. Ferries to and from Alcatraz run almost constantly. It is wise to purchase your tickets for the ferry ahead. There are day and evening tours, though the evening tours sell out first. Plan ahead!


Look how foggy it was. You can see The Golden Gate Bridge...but not well.


Looking back through the fog towards the sky line of San Francisco, bet it would be a pretty site if you were leaving for a night tour with all the lights.


We're approaching The Rock here, somehow it seemed even more mysterious through the fog. Wonder how it looked to those inmates as they approached?


Alcatraz is historic on many different levels. One is for 18 month of Indian occupation. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. In the 1800's American Indians were prisoners at the military prison at Alcatraz. Then in 1964, one year after the closing of The Pen and again in 1969 when they claimed it Indian Land.


Alcatraz was the first United States Fort on the West Coast, and was fully garrisoned in 1859. Civil War history is alive at Alcatraz.


Can you imagine living in a cell this small? Dark, dingy, one horrible open john-privy. Seeing the world through the iron gates. Hearing San Francisco. Some of the more famous inmates told how on New Years Eve, they could actually hear parties from their cells.


Probably the two most famous prisoners held here at Alcatraz were Alphonse "Scarface" Capone. He was in for tax evasion. He was an inmate from 1934-1939. And let's not forget George "Machine Gun" Kelly, he spent time for kidnapping from 1934-1951


A thick heavy door to one of the solitary cells. Only a small window where food could be passed in.


The American Flag was really flapping with the wind the day we were there.
*An interesting and very educational tour, I highly recommend it
**Families traveling with small children should look into The Jr. Ranger Program before they go.
***Wear good walking shoes, wear a hat (birds fly and drop constantly...seems someone is always getting hit, so a hat would at least protect your head).
****Watch were you're walking...smelly bird poo........everywhere. Another reason to wear tennis shoes and not open sandals.
*****Eat before you go, there are snacks, but very limited. Eating is only permitted on the dock.
*******Do obtain the audio tour, it's facinating. Very well done, voices, sound effects...you really do feel like you're there when those cell blocks were shut!




Escapes:
Much romance and speculation, were there any "successful" escapes?
Some say it depends on your definition of the word successful, however...here's the stats. There were 36 men who attempted escapes (2 of those 36 men tried twice...so 34 actual men). There were 14 different escape attempts. 23 men were caught, 6 shot and killed while trying to escape, 2 drowned.
34-23-6=5

And what of the 5? There are to this day, 5 prisoners on records who were officially listed as "missing and presumed drowned". Recording it that way, the officials I guess can still say, there were no successful escapes.......but, I wonder.

Muir Woods, California

Muir Woods. Most interesting thing to me is how a forest of this magnitude can be soooooooooo close to San Francisco, so close to civilization. These trees are awesome! How forward thinking to preserve them. You can see the size by how small I look when standing near them. It's not possible to look up enough to see the tops of tree without feeling like you're going to topple over backwards.
The black on the tree is the tree's way of self protection, from disease, animals, and fire. We were told the fire damage one can see happened over 200 years ago; but these trees show it like it happened just yesterday.

Muir Woods is a National Monument, part of The Golden Gate National Recreation Area. In 2008, it turned 100 years old, having become a National Monument (the 10th), in 1908 by an order from President Theordore Roosevelt. Named for Conservationist, John Muir; it almost didn't happen. In 1907 a water company from Sausalito wanted to dam the Redwood Creek, went to court to get the land condemned for there purposes. Owner Kent, blocked their quest by giving the land...all 295 acres to The United States Government. In 1933 The CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) began work that lasted until 1941 when it completed it's last project.

As mentioned, one can't look back enough to see the tops; nor photograph them. These trees reach towards the heavens. There is documentation indicating the tallest Redwood tree is as tall as a 35 story building!!

The last ring on this three was back in 1930, thats 79 years ago folks.
I have this pictured labeled me among friends. I LOVE trees, I find them spiritual. It therefore, seems most appropiate to end with a favorite poem.

Trees
by Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)*

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Did someone say poetry