DAY 35 - 10/09 - In and Around San Francisco on Big Bus

Today was “stamina day” because we left the campground for a nearly one-hour drive into the city to park on Fisherman’s Wharf for the day. We wanted to get a good spot since we’d be on a morning tour and an evening tour aboard Big Bus Tours.

We started with breakfast at Darren’s where we receive prompt service. Martha had the Eggs Benedict with Crab Meat and Byron stuck with the basic version. The reviews of this small restaurant were spot on. 

After breakfast, we made the short walk to the location for boarding our double-decker bus. Though the tour was a "hop on, hop off" variety, we elected to stay aboard for the two-hour trip.

Taking a Big Bus tour of San Francisco is a good way to see

a few of the highlights of The City by the Bay. Neither of us

got a good photo of a bus so this photo grabbed from

the Internet is being submitted for your approval.

On the bus, earphone adjusted, and ready to go on a cool day.

As we learned, layered clothing and sun glasses are required.

The bus makes about a dozen stops throughout the tour. Highlights are as follows.

• Big Bus Visitors’ Center (across from the Wharf sign)
• North Beach and Chinatown
• Embarcadero Center
• Ferry Building
• Financial District via Market Street
• Union Square
• Civic Center and Performance Venues
• Haight-Ashbury District
• Golden Gate Park
• Golden Gate Bridge and Vista Point (turn around)
• Palace of Fine Arts and Presidio
• Marina District and Cow Hollow
• Lombard Street (at Van Ness)
• Pier 35 and the Cruise Terminal
• Pier 39

The San Francisco Courthouse and City Hall is ornately

decorated by gold. Who would have thought?

Amazingly, it was not foggy when we rode across the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was a bit breezy and cool on that upper deck with the wind in our faces.

The Vista Point at the north end of Golden Gate Bridge

offers a good view of the bay and the city skyline.

Note, this is not taken with a panorama setting

or wide angle lens. It is what it is and cropped

for 16 x 9 display.

Always easy to spot, the TransAmerica tower was the

tallest structure in San Francisco for many years.

It is still majestic and worthy of architectural acclaim.

The coppery-green color and shape of the Sentinel

Building still attracts attention today. Work on the

building was done before the earthquake of 1906.

After repairs were made, the flat-iron building

was completed and opened to business. Some aspects

of the exterior have received updating but one

corner has only received careful maintenance.

The SalesForce Tower is now San Francisco’s tallest structure.

The modern shape is a bit less striking in architectural appeal.

Note, not our photo (which explains the clear sky).

Sitting in the middle of the downtown area is Union Square with

a monument not many notice. The public space got its name

from the fact that people, loyal to the Union, regularly held

demonstrations prior to and during the Civil War. The monument

in the center of the Square is Dewey Monument. It is the earliest display of

public art in San Francisco. It commemorates the Spanish-American War of 1898.

The things you see, especially in Haight-Ashbury, can make

one wonder and laugh at the same time.

No review of San Francisco would be complete without a

photo of Coit Tower which sits atop Telegraph Hill.

It stands as a tribute to the firefighters of San Francisco.

After making the rounds, we had lunch at Boudin Bakery on the Wharf. They are known for being in business since 1849 and the home of a San Francisco classic, sourdough bread, the bread that began with the gold rush. From Boudin Bakery we headed to the Ferry Building to catch the cruise to Alcatraz.

Boudin Bakery is a busy place. And the smell of bread baking

provides a pleasurable experience. We each had a sandwich

and we both enjoyed the Tomato Lentil Soup.

As Byron told Martha, touring Alcatraz is an essential part of the San Francisco experience. It isn’t something that you come away being happy about seeing. You come away with a more profound understanding.

Waiting in line for the trip to Alcatraz Island is a little like

waiting in line for a ride at Walt Disney World. The pricing,

however, is quite different.

We’re here under our own power for a visit to see the historic place.

Byron tried out a cell for size.

Martha listened to the audio tour while reading about the cells.

There is a flower garden on Alcatraz. It was brought back

to life a few years ago. Originally, it had been greatly cared for

by an inmate who originally knew nothing about plants

but quickly learned in order to survive life while imprisoned.

The true story was made into a children’s book the pages

of which are featured throughout the garden.

You can read about it here --

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/59147401

After our return from Alcatraz, we walked to Ghirardelli Square to eat up some time; no chocolate. This took us past the old cannery buildings and the maritime museum. We did get some ice cream, however.

There are several building that surround Ghirardelli Square

and an interesting fountain.

The large sign can be seen from across the bay. Of course,

it is easier to see at night if it is clear.

We returned to the Big Bus center in time to catch the night tour of San Francisco. The night tour makes no stops. Though advertised as a 60-minute tour, our driver entertained us for 90 minutes. Included were the following highlights of the tour.

• Embarcadero (night lights)
• Fisherman's Wharf
• Chinatown (from a different vantage point)
• Financial District (TransAmerica and Sales Force Towers)
• Bay Bridge for Photos at Treasure Island
• Mark Hopkins Hotel and Grace Cathedral
• Ride from the Top of Knob Hill to the Bottom

Chinatown in San Francisco has the largest population of ethnic

Chinese in the country. This street is but one of several

that looks into the neighborhood. The church to the

right is St. Patrick Church. Byron went to a service

there on one of his trips to San Francisco.

Grace Cathedral is the home of the Episcopal diocese in the

San Francisco area. It also sits on Nob Hill along with

several other historic buildings. Though it has a similar

look to Paris’ Notre Dame, there are differences that

a discerning eye will notice.

The sky was still overcast when we rode the Big Bus over

to Treasure Island via the Oakland Bay Bridge. By the way,

the trip on the bridge was even more exciting (wind, rain,

and cooler temperature) than the one over the Golden Gate

Bridge earlier in the day. By the way, Treasure Island

is a man-made island created for a world's fair.

Day 34 - 10/08 - Sunday at Stanford and Half Moon Bay

Today we went to the campus of Stanford University (official Leland E. Stanford, Jr. University) to attend the public worship service at Stanford Memorial Church. We arrived at the campus about 10:20 AM and had time to walk around before the doors opened at 10:30. The church building sits at the back of the quadrangle. It is an elegant and beautiful structure as are the buildings of the campus. We arrived early enough to view the interior and sit and quiet our minds as we prepared for worship.

Although, not a large crowd, it was a wonderful mix of all ethnicities gathered together. The Senior Dean and pastor is an African American lady from New Jersey with family ties throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. She knew how to say “ya’ll” well and encouraged our participation with “Amen” frequently. Her message for the second Sunday of October regarded the two, greatest commandments: “Love God with all your heart, mind and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.” The music covered a broad range from anthems to gospel hymns.

After service we walked over to the Herbert Hoover Memorial Bell Tower before heading back to our car and a drive over to Half Moon Bay for lunch. The photos (below) reveal some of the beauty and sense of permanence to be seen. Byron had been to the campus at least a half-dozen times. For Martha, this was her first time and she found it to also be awesome. We both agree that Stanford’s campus offers more beauty than that of Notre Dame in South Bend. Both, however, are outstanding.

Palm Drive, the drive the leads to the main entrance.

Groves of trees are on either side of the roadway. 

Only the palm trees are next to the road. Other types

are in the wooded areas.

This photo of Stanford Memorial Church was taken through the arch

at the back side of the Quad. Since its completion in 1903,

Memorial Church, non-sectarian from the start,

has been a spiritual sanctuary on campus.

An interpretive sign reveals the fact that a larger archway and

steeply were part of the original construction.

Even the covered walkways around the buildings of the Quad

are beautiful in detail. The stonework is truly amazing.

This photo was made as we were under the archway in the Quad.

Stanford Memorial Church stands as the focal point and was

built after the original buildings were constructed. The façade

of the building contains gold foil tiles. The religious scenes

are mosaic tiles and have been on the façade since completion

and dedication in 1903.

The interior of Stanford Memorial Church is as beautiful inside

as it is outside. Scriptures and wisdom sayings are carved

into the stone walls. Stained glass windows abound as

do more images of mosaic tile.

The organ is at the rear of the sanctuary mounted to the

rear of the choir loft. It is actually two organs in one.

Pipework from the original remains in place on

either side of the C. B. Fisk organ installed

in the 1980s.

After the service, we walked over to the Herbert Hoover Memorial Bell Tower before heading back to our car and a drive over to Half Moon Bay for lunch. Byron has a friend who has played concerts at this carillon. Originally, there were 35 bronze bells of the instrument. In 2002, the carillon was refurbished and expanded to 48 bells. The bourdon (largest) bell has the inscription, "For Peace Alone Do I Ring." Hoover felt it captured the purpose of his library.

Hoover Tower is a 285-foot art deco edifice that is recognizable

all over the Stanford campus. It is a part of the Hoover Institution

on War, Revolution and Peace complex. The carillon was originally

installed in the Belgian Exhibit of the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

The tower was commissioned by  Herbert Hoover before he

became President of the USA. Construction was overseen

by the architect of Coit Tower. It was dedicated in 1941

for the university's 50th anniversary.

Getting out of Palo Alto was not an issue. However, where we were to start over the coastal range, traffic got heavy. It took us one hour to go six miles. The reason for the slow traffic, as we later observed, was the extreme business at the pumpkin farms along the coastal area near Half Moon Bay. As it turned out, it has been an annual thing to buy pumpkins on the second Sunday of October. Everyone knew this but we sure didn’t! We enjoyed lunch at Half Bay Brewing Company with a view of the bay and marina. We completed our visit by returning to the campground via a different route.

Since it was a bit cool, we elected to sit in one of the dining

rooms at Half Moon Bay Brewing Company instead of

eating on the patio.

Day 33 - 10/07 - A Day Off

It was quiet at Dumbarton Quarry near Fremont, California.

The area is one month away from the start of the wet season

and the golden hills will change color.

We didn't go anywhere today. It was Saturday and we took the day off from traveling from one location to another or from sightseeing in the area. We watched parts of four football games on TV. The results were as follows. While Georgia and Louisville were playing we had both televisions in the motorhome going. It’s been quite a while either of us watched TV in the bedroom.

Georgia  (1)- 51 vs Kentucky (20) - 13

Louisville (25) - 33 vs Notre Dame (10) - 20

Alabama (11) - 26 vs Texas A&M - 20

LSU (23) - 49 vs Missouri (21) - 39

The results of these games meant that rankings for everyone but Georgia changed. Martha was happy that Georgia remained on top of the NCAA heap and Byron was glad he saw Louisville win their sixth one in a row and move up in the rankings.

Oh, list it be forgotten, Byron did change a brake light on the motorhome.

Day 32 - 10/06 - To Carmel By-the-Sea and Back

In an effort to avoid the crowds in San Francisco due to Fleet Week, we opted to head to the Pacific Coast for the day (Friday). Our terminus was Carmel By-the-Sea, a beautiful and unique neighborhood within the city of Carmel about 60 miles southwest of the campground.

We located the the Visitor Center and got a map which included a self-guided, walking tour of the historic area. The list included the many courtyards and passageways which exists throughout the twelve-block neighborhood. 

The hand-painted tiles of this stairway is an

example of the varieties of decor and building styles

found throughout the historic district.

The unique characteristics of Carmel By-the-Sea are

the old buildings of mixed styles interspersed by

courtyards and passageways filled with flowers,

vines, and decorative plants.

The courtyards originated in the 1920s when Hugh Comstock’s fairy-tale houses (Hansel and Gretel style) and shops were built. The architectural style is subtlely evident. Each of the 41 passageways and courtyards (distributed throughout the commercial area), are different in shape and landscaping. They separate the unique shops, galleries, and restaurants.

The “Hansel and Gretel” houses and building

are interesting. Their roofs are of slate instead

of thatch but that doesn’t keep them from being wavy.

A gallery owner has pictures displayed in a nearby

passage way. Stone walks and varieties of flora

and fauna abound.

The United Methodist church reflects some of the

mission architecture also found in Carmel-by-the-sea.

The simpler style of Cypress Inn reflects some

aspects of the mission style of building.

We spent a little more than an hour exploring some of these delightful passageways, courtyards, and historic buildings before stopping for lunch. We ate at Flaherty’s Seafood and Oyster Restaurant for a lunch of English fish and chips.

After lunch, we drove along Scenic Road and found a parking spot, We descended some stone steps to the beach and the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Houses of all kinds of designs are along the narrow streets. The yards are all meticulously landscaped and maintained. The trees? There were many varieties ranging in age with many being quite old.

Would you like the job of washing the windows

on this beach house in Carmel By-the-Sea

with a view overlooking Monterey Bay?

From Scenic Road, we made our way around to the 17-Mile Drive at Pebble Beach. The 17-Mile Drive is one of the most famous scenic drives in the world. It winds through the impressive Del Monte Forest where large homes and golf courses are interspersed among the trees. There are 17 points of interest at Pebble Beach and within Del Monte Forest. We didn’t stop at all 17 points, but a few of the highlights were:

• Pebble Beach Visitor Center, which sits on a scenic overlook above the Pebble Beach Golf Links;
• Ghost trees at Pescadero Point (sun-bleached Cypress trees that give a spooky look to the point); and
• Fanshell Beach Overlook, which is one of the primary pupping habitats for harbor seals on the Central Coast. 

The view from the Visitor Center at Pebble Beach was

gorgeous. The bay is quite prominent throughout

the 17-mile trip through the area.

We made it to Pebble Beach. Where are my clubs?

This is the closest Martha will ever come to Tiger.

We made our way back to Fremont and our campground through fields of strawberries and artichokes. Castroville, California is the Artichoke Capital of the world. You can get deep-fried artichokes and artichoke cupcakes at the local fruit stands in the area.

One of Martha’s favorite PGA tournaments to watch on TV is the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach because of the beautiful scenery. It was as beautiful as it appears on TV; the surf, the large rocks, the shallow pools, and the wind-blown shrubs and short trees. It is all beautiful and worth seeing.

Day 31 - 10/05 - Vacaville to Fremont in the Bay Area

Today was another travel day and a short one at that. In fact, the shortest distance yet. We left Vintage RV Resort in Vacaville around 11 AM and pulled into Dumbarton Quarry Campground on the Bay at 12:30 PM. Our route took us down through Berkeley and around the East Bay on the freeways to Fremont.

Martha enjoyed some quiet time in the middle of the afternoon.

As is evident from the photo, it is generally dry in this area

of California this time of the years.

Located within the large Coyote Hills Regional Park and next to the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay in Fremont, Dumbarton Quarry Campground on the Bay. It is a part of the East Bay Regional Park District and is their first full-service campground. As a public park, it has multiple picnic areas in addition to the 63, a camp store, an amphitheater, and a playground. The sites are 70 feet deep and surfaced by asphalt. Each has a concrete picnic table sitting on a finely crushed-rock surface. Each site has some landscaping which includes a large rock marking each spot. It is one of the three excellent campgrounds at which we’ve had the pleasure of staying.

We are very impressed with this park and its campground. Each site is spacious. Though we can see the busy freeway in the distance, we hear none of it’s noice. It is also in a relatively remote area. This means there is no glow of city lighting to interfere with the clear view of the night sky. Our plan is to be here for six nights and five days; our longest stop of the trip. It will be enjoyable and relaxing.

After arriving and getting set up, we turned on the TV to see how many stations could be found using the antenna. Well, that number was above 60 though several of them are duplicates. There are channels broadcasting in English, Spanish, and Chinese in the eclectically mixed region.

The network-oriented stations (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC) were all broadcasting the funeral service for the late California Sen. Dianne Feinstein at San Francisco City Hall. Feinstein, who died last week at the age of 90, served as San Francisco’s first female mayor before being elected to the Senate. Vice President Harris, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and others spoke at the service. There was also a fly-over of the Navy’s Blue Angels.

We have chosen to stay out of downtown San Francisco until the weekend festivities related to Fleet Week have concluded. The highlight of the even include the three days of air show over the San Francisco Bay. Friday’s show is abbreviated compared to the shows of Saturday and Sunday which are identical in nature. Of course, the air shows close with a performance by the Blue Angels. This year’s aerobatic group includes a woman. She will be piloting the plane when the missing pilot act is performed. The act is being dedicated to Feinstein.

The opening activity of Fleet Week is the parade of ships

into the harbor area led by two fireboats with water canons shooting.

Fleet Week was initiated with Dianne Feinstein was the Mayor of San Francisco.

Incidentally, Seattle and New York City also have such weeks to commemorate

their connection to naval shipbuilding and support.