Alcatraz prison sits atop the island in the San Francisco Bay. Many of
Americas’s most notorious criminals spent time here. Only three prisoners escaped the island but their fate remains unknown. Having seen
the prison in movies, it was awe inspiring to see it in real life. The self
guided tour is narrated by one of the last prisoners to leave the island
and guards that were on duty. A great way to understand life as it was
within the walls, from both sides!
Bridalveil Falls. First protected
in 1864, Yosemite National Park
is best known for its waterfalls
like the Bridalveil Falls shown
here. While the falls are spectacular from May through late
July, there are also valleys,
meadows, lakes, mountains,
giant sequoias and just beautiful wilderness. Whether you
want to take a walk, hike or do
some wilderness camping,
Yosemite offers all of it. We
took several hikes in Yosemite
Valley. John Muir was the real
driving force behind protection
laws and the eventual dedication as a National Park. Muir
took Teddy Roosevelt to some
of his favorite spots and
Roosevelt was so moved that
he later signed documents
making it a National Park.
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Cable cars are a fun way to get around and by making connections,
you can get around much of the area. A one day pass, good for the
cable car and buses are only $20 a day. Hoping on a cable car for one
ride is $7. Lines will be long at each end of the route. We learned how
to hop on and hop off at stops along the way, thanks to a helpful ‘native’. It is fun to just hang on! https://www.sfmta.com
July 2016 www.marshandbayou.com
We arrived in San Francisco early on a Thursday
morning after a nonstop flight
from San Antonio. The sunrise
was chasing us across the distances, and no one could
sleep on the way. Flying over
the beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountain range was like
a hint of what was to come.
After getting our rental
van, we headed to our first
planned stop, the Twin Peaks.
They overlook San Francisco
and are said to offer a great
view of the city; but like so
many winter mornings trying
to navigate the Mississippi
below Venice, all we could
see was fog! Heading back
down, we started towards the
Leroy King Carousel.
Driving in San Fran is not like
really driving; It’s more like a
moving parking lot. In fact,
the first parking lot that we
pulled into had a big sign that
said something like, "Parking,
$6." Pulling into the building,
the attendant could tell we
were tourists and asked how
long we would be. "Maybe an
hour or two," I told him. "That
will be $48," he said. We
missed the part about $6 for
fifteen MINUTES! We escaped and headed for our
hotel in the Marina District.
The way to navigate the
city is to use streetcars and
buses! It’s easy and for only
$20 a person, you can really
get around. Forget driving!
After a fun ride on a street car,
we were walking towards
China Town. Surely you have
heard about the hills in San
Francisco? Well, for a flat lander old man, they were a challenge. Hopping off the
streetcar on “The Crooked
Street” was easy to see why
it’s called that. We then took
a bus to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and
walked on the famous bridge
as the fog moved in. You just
can’t go to ‘Frisco without
going to the famous bridge;
and by using the bus, it is so
easy. Just get a route map, or
ask someone. Everyone we
talked to was more than willing to help us out.
The next morning, we
had reservations for the Alcatraz Prison tour. I highly recommend this tour! Head
straight to the top and get a
headset for the narrated selfwalking tour. Alcatraz was actually the favorite stop on our
trip for my grandson, Caleb.
Then we headed across the
Golden Gate Bridge and up
Highway 1, the coastal highway. I recommend that after
crossing the Golden Gate,
take Highway 101 to Santa
Rosa, then take the Bodega
highway to Bodega Bay, and
then up the coastal highway
as far as you want to go.
There are some beautiful
spots to stop and see the
coast and several beaches
with cold water, but a fun
thing to do. We stayed in the
little town of Gualala where
we found a good Mexican
Restaurant just up the road. It
had been a long day – Alcatraz, scenic stops, beaches,
and a few short walks - and
then we crashed for the night.
The next day, we decided
to head back to Highway 101.
We had enough of the windy
Highway 1. By driving 101 to
Santa Rosa and over to Highway 1, I think the drive all the
way to Leggett where you get
back on 101 is the best route;
but whichever way you head
up to the Redwood Parks,
stop in Leggett to see the
“Drive-Through Tree.”
We stayed in the town of
Arcata, the home of Humboldt College, at a very nice
condo, the Arcata Stay. Having a fully-equipped home for