Day 36 - 10/10 - Return to San Francisco

We got a later start today. Yesterday, (Monday) was a long, full day and a challenge to our stamina.

One of Byron’s objectives was to eat at his favorite restaurant one more time. So, Martha made a reservation for a 1:30 lunch at The Spinnaker in Sausalito. Given that fact, we needed to plan our time accordingly. That means taking into account drive time.

In addition to a lunch reservation, we wanted so see some San Francisco highlights from out car and moving at our own pace. Our GPS routed us around the east side of the bay and northward over the San Quentin Bridge to enter San Francisco via The Golden Gate Bridge.

Our campground is in the lower portion of the map. Our GPS app

showed that we’d get into San Francisco by going

the long way around.

Our first stop was Lombard Street. Getting there involved going across Cow Hollow on Lombard and past Van Ness to the top of the hill. Then came the drive down drive through the six switchbacks on what is the equivalent of on block. It was interesting to drive that tight stretch and even more interesting with all the tourists walking around in the middle of the street. Neither of us can imagine living there! Just imagine the difficulty of moving in or out.

Which is worse, looking down or driving down Lombard Street?

Having done it, Martha commented that once was enough!

Having conquered Lombard Street, we headed on eastward on Lombard to Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower. Most of the views of the city are now blocked by overgrown trees. We could see see Alcatraz, the Oakland Bay Bridge, and even the Golden Gate Bridge. Coit Tower has an elevator to the viewing area at the top. It was out of order. That meant the only way up and down was 234 steps each way. We opted to save our energy and move on.

Cylindrical in shape, many believe the tower was modeled after

the shape of a fire nozzle as a tribute to firefighters. In reality, that 

may not be the case. There are murals painted by 27 different artists

in the interior of the tower.

The view at the base of Coit Tower looking westward.

The Golden Gate Bridge can bee seen in the distance.

The view looking northward from Coit Tower. Alcatraz Island

is in the distance near the middle of that portion of the Bay.

Looking in a northeasterly direction, Treasure Island and

Yerba Buena Island (with tall hill) can be seen beyond

a Princess ship that was in port for a few days. The northern

half of the Oakland Bay Bridge can also be seen.

The southerly exposure shows two, prominent building

that make up a part of downtown San Francisco’s skyline.

On our way to Sausalito, we drove through Crissy Field, formerly a military air strip that has been converted into a nice park and beach area. It is located west of Ghirardelli Square and east of the GG Bridge near the beach of the Bay. 

This photo was taken from along the beach of Crissy Field.

The morning fog had yet to disappear...

...and the fog is still there, if not worse. Truly, it is a natural

development of the weather and terrain working together

to create a microclimate. This photo was made

at the Vista Point on the north side of the bridge.

A great place to eat in Sausalito that is on the bay but not

the on the touristy path.

We enjoyed a nice lunch on the bay at The Spinnaker where we watched a couple of sea lions or seals play in the water. After lunch we decided to say goodbye to SF and head back to the motorhome so we could rest and prepare for our travel day for Wednesday.