SF Day 4

After we decide on our main plan for the day, Einar gets onto the computer and plans the routes.  I love that.  For me, a holiday means I don’t have to make many decisions!

Today our destination was Muir Woods National Park. 

Giant redwoods.

Quiet streams.

Green, green and more green.

Tiny surprises.

All the grandkids favourite colors.

A café with gluten free scones (Yay!!!) and Numi Tea.

Driving on narrow scenic roads; in the fog, below the fog, and in sunshine.

Viewpoints overlooking the bridge.

Expresso at a little cafe.

 The Golden Gate bridge is, of course, in the fog.

I actually don't know what this is, but it sure was pretty!

Then to our hotel where we will have the convention. 

A long line-up including many faces I know, but none who know me.  They would all know Einar, but he’s waiting in the car so we don’t have to pay the exorbitant parking fees.  This is his world – and for the next 6 days, I’ll be a part of it.

SF Day 3

There are a few things we love to do in a new city.  Using the local transit system is usually a reasonable and good way to get around, and gives us a better feel for a place. Another is a city tour.  We have done that in many places including Dublin, Montreal, and Washington DC and generally find that if we do it at the beginning of our trip, we know better where we want or need to spend more time.

We managed both of the above today.  Since we were looking at getting into downtown San Francisco from Hayward in the morning during rush hour, we boarded BART – Bay Area Rapid Transit.  I thought Einar knew which direction to go, and he followed me onto the train, so we ended up going the wrong way first, but thankfully we didn’t have to be anywhere at a specific time, so we got to know BART even better than we intended to. 

We had read about the ‘Hop on – Hop off’ bus tour downtown, and thought that would be a good introduction to the city.  We didn’t read that there were 4 different companies offering this service, so I was rather surprised when the tickets we bought were more expensive than advertised.  And then found out they didn’t go to all the same places.  But our tickets turned out to be sufficient to get around.  There were 4 different routes and we went on 3 of them.

  

 Make sure you know which tour you're getting!

 Tallest building in San Francisco

 Hmmm - just add food...

The first route was just the downtown area, and the second went over Golden Gate Bridge.  It was a nice warm sunny day, so each time we boarded, we went up to the open upper deck.  I don’t remember seeing even a cloud in the sky, but suddenly we were in heavy fog while crossing the bridge.  I was thankful for the layers they told us to bring along!  It was cold! 

 Note the fog.  Fog is wet and cold. We haven't seen this bridge without it.

 The Rock.  The closest we got to Alcatraz.

The third route went around Golden Gate Park, but the driver on that route had little to say and we didn’t learn a lot about anything other than the park itself.

 How to avoid sunburn when you forget your hat.

 They call the area around San Francisco "The Bay Area" but what we found fascinating was the Bay Windows in so many buildings.  No connection between the two, I'm sure.

Josiah - this picture is just for you.  

We were exhausted and burnt by the time we boarded BART once more – this time heading in the right direction the first time!

SF Day 2

Travelling with Einar is always a bit of an adventure. Having no set agenda (or letting him set it) tends to make the trip much more relaxing for me. Today the plan was to leave the Yosemite area and head either to the Napa Valley or to Muir Woods. 
He found a Winery Tour that included a Tram Ride and we were both interested.  
Einar brings his GPS and punches in our supposed destination. However, we seldom follow its direction. At least not at first. We like the small country roads. Yes I know you can tell that to a GPS. Don't ask. We stubbornly go north when it says to turn west. It doesn't bother us when it is continuously telling us to turn around. We just turn the sound off. Until we realize that we're on a highway heading back east into the National Forest. How did that happen??  We agree that we were just treated to an unexpected but very scenic detour and turn around to follow GPS directions for awhile.

Coming down from the mountains is incredibly scenic and could be hair-raising if you're not used to mountain roads.  The places where we thought we should get photos had no place to pull over so those pictures are only in our memory.

Again, a large part of our day was spent driving.  But we eventually got to the Sterling Winery.  

In the tram

View from the tram

Napa Valley is beautiful!  And the tour was enlightening.  We are not terribly knowledgeable about wines or wine-making, so it was a good learning experience.  

2014 San Francisco Holiday

We are on holidays in the San Francisco area and I finally have some time to blog.
Day 1:
We spent the night in Hayward, just outside of San Francisco, so getting away in the morning was not too difficult.
We still have mountains of snow in Manitoba and also had the coldest winter I've ever experienced. I think the -50 with windchill on March 1st took the cake, so to speak.
Given that fact, anything above 0 Celsius feels warm and anything growing is a wonder.
At plus 17 Celsius here, jackets are unnecessary. And the scenery!  Almost heaven. Any guesses as to how often I asked Einar to stop so I could take pictures?

Needless to say, anything green or blooming was worth exclaiming over and or shooting with my camera.
It took a long time to get to Yosemite.  We will take a country road over a freeway any day... and that helps us slow down enough to learn to relax!
If the country roads aren't enough, there are always little towns like Coulterville to bring a smile to our faces.  It's charm is the 'ghost town' feel when you enter.  Old buildings and older buildings.  And charming folks at the visitors centre and the local coffee hangout.  If you ever have a chance, visit Coulterville!

We are almost in Yosemite now - this has been my number 1 priority on this trip.  The long trek through burnt out forest could be depressing, but nothing can ruin this day - it has been fabulous thus far.
Eventually we pass the charred rubble, and start to climb.  At about 5000 or more likely 5500 feet above sea level, we start to see snow.  We left our snow behind, but are okay with sharing snow with Californians.  In fact, they could have a lot more - I'd share more evenly if it was up to me.  
The snow didn't seem to add much chill to the air, and also didn't last long.  I think our highest elevation was just over 6000 feet, and when we descended again, the snow disappeared.  We stopped at a number of lovely pull-outs, waterfalls, short hikes, and felt rejuvenated at the end of the day.