I recently returned from a ten day and much needed vacation to California with Mom and Dad. It was filled with giant views, a giant city, and my giant family. I'll be chronicling the trip in three parts over the next few weeks.
Day 5 : Yosemite to AT&T Park
One last breakfast in the Wawona dining room and a stroll around the Wawona Pioneer Village wrapped up our time at Yosemite. The Pioneer Village is a self guided tour of example buildings gathered from various parts of the park with most having been built in the first half of the 19th century. Beautifully preserved carriages had us marveling at the fact that people and, even more so, furniture were able to make it across the country relatively unscathed.
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| Covered bridge at Pioneer Village (someone missed the Northeast). |
We decided to head back to San Francisco via a different route than we'd come so headed south out of the park. Coming out of the mountains always knocks me out - guess it's my body's way of adjusting to the pressure. Along the way, we saw the crazy effects of the current California drought. Mostly brown trees with the occasional spots of bright green agricultural fields (majority of which are almonds!).
We crossed the Bay Bridge which to date is the largest I've ever been on. This bridge has been retrofitted since the 1989 earthquake and also provides fantastic views of the city. Mom and Dad dropped me off at the hostel I would be staying at and headed to their hotel. I chose to stay in a hostel here to meet people and mostly to save a little money. So glad I did! The Hostelling International San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf location is breathtaking. Located at Fort Mason and in old army barracks, my room had a view of Alcatraz and was super quiet. The base now houses National Park Service offices and great green spaces.
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| The hostel was long and skinny. |
After settling and getting ready, I headed out to meet Mom and Dad so we could make our way to AT&T Park. The concierge at their hotel suggested walking there (mostly downhill) and taking an Uber home. What a great walk it was. We walked through North Beach (essentially Little Italy), caught glimpses of Chinatown, and experienced the rush hour walking that you tend to find in a big city.
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| View from our seats! |
After meeting my dad's older brother and his youngest son, we grabbed a bite to eat at Pedro's and headed into the park. Anytime my family is in a new city we try to go to whatever baseball game we can. This game just worked out perfectly because it was Mom's birthday and if she can't be at the beach, a baseball game is the next best option! The stadium sits right on the bay, as in if they hit it out of the park, fish are getting knocked out. It was a beautiful night with wonderful people.
Day 6 : Across a Bridge and Into Jail
After a filling breakfast at the hostel, I wandered around near Fisherman's Wharf and eventually met up with Mom and Dad. We decided to go ahead and rent our bikes for the day so we could get the most use out of them. Blazing Saddles set us up with all we needed. {Got a great discount via my hostel, always ask wherever you're staying if they have any city partnerships!} We popped into the Maritime Museum which has beautiful art deco paintings and would be an ideal reception or celebration venue. Later in the evening we did notice an event happening on the rooftop.
And the ride to the Bridge began.
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| A pause for taking in the view! |
The first part is this ridiculous hill that only the Europeans (and Dad!) seemed to be making it up without stopping. The top of the hill crested at my hostel (on the base) and looks over the bay and old docks. From there it's an easy ride through Crissy Field and by some beautiful yachts. The trail takes you to Fort Point for the first fantastic photo op of the ride. It was a foggy/rainy morning which could have been a bummer but we got to see some surfers right at the point!
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| The surfers were all in full body wet suits! |
After another few hills, we finally hit the Bridge entrance. Aside from a few close calls with "real" bicyclists, the ride was awesome. We stopped a few times for pictures before beginning the downhill into Saulsalito. Mom and Dad loved the downhill and flew quickly into town. My bike skills are historically not so graceful so I took it a bit slower. The homes in this city are gorgeous but the weather is what I fell in love with that day. Perfectly sunny and apparently always like that. We grabbed a quick lunch of fish and chips before hopping on the ferry.
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| Saulsalito's beautiful homes. |
We made it back to city side just in time for our Alcatraz ferry and were on our way out to the infamous island. It's hard to describe the experience of being at this island prison. Definitely surreal and made me never want to be in any jail ever. The guided tour is very well done with voices of former guards and inmates describing daily life as well as the more well known prison events. A former inmate was on the island that day doing a book signing - again just a very odd feeling seeing someone who committed so much fraud (he forged and counterfeit checks for many years) almost being treated as a celebrity.
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| I had no idea about the Indian Occupation of the Island in the 1970s. |
Upon returning from the island, we wandered back to Blazing Saddles through Fisherman's Wharf to return our bikes. Following advice from friends, we found a restaurant not directly on Pier 39 for a less crowded dinner. Pompei's Grotto was delicious and the service was great. Definitely doesn't beat Gulf Coast seafood but when in Rome! After dinner treats at Ghirardelli Square and I was ready to pop. We were all worn out after a full and fantastic day of being tourists.
Day 7 : San Francisco to Asilomar Beach
We wrapped up our last morning in San Francisco with a ride through the city to find the Painted Sisters and the Full House house. Wandering through neighborhoods is such an easy way to get a feel for a city. A drive down Lombard Street was necessary and as cool as I had expected.
We had most of the day to make it down to the family reunion so decided to take the Pacific Coast Highway south to our destination. Such a beautiful drive - cliffs, occasional farms, and so many wildflowers. We stopped to take in the views and stretch our legs. There were a good amount of people taking advantage of the state park system and gorgeous weather.
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| The rocks were so neat and different from what we have in the Southeast. |
Santa Cruz was our goal for lunch. Hula's was recommended on Zomato as a local favorite. We all had delicious sandwiches and then took a stroll down the main drag. Very laid back and what you would expect from a place known for its surfing crowd.
We made it to Asilomar mid-afternoon to check in for the family reunion. The grounds at Asilomar are beautiful and great for large events. This reunion was the original reason for this grand California tour. It is organized by my dad's generation of cousins from his mom's side. It's become a much anticipated event as so many of us are spread across the States (and world every so often). After checking in, I wandered down to the beach with Mom, aunts, and a few cousins. Dinner was followed by lots of catching up in the common area before we headed to bed.
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