The time change worked to our advantage and we were able to get 4 hours of sleep and still make our way to the bay area bright and early. We drove along the piers until we found parking and then proceeded on foot. The first thing that struck us was the cold. I never would have imagined that I would need a jacket midsummer in California. We made our way to Pier 39, a large tourist attraction lined with restaurants proclaiming to serve the best clam chowder sough dough bread bowls, eccentric shops and a large noodle. After looking around we went further down to Pier 33 where we took a boat to Alcatraz. This island was more than expected. Not only was it the site of the famous inescapable prison (remember the Clint Eastwood movie, Escape from Alcatraz), it was also home to many of the guards wives and children. We took an audio guided tour around the prison that described attempted prison escapes as well as provided a glimpse of the mundane life of an Alcatraz prisoner (some of the most famous prisoners that were held there included Al Capone and the Bird Man). When the prison closed in 1963, American Indians claimed the island and started a reservation there, welcoming Indians of all tribes to join them. Today it is a national park, (the first of the many we will visit on our trip) with thousands of visitors a day.
After the tour, we returned to Pier 39 for lunch. I had to try the clam chowder and I have to say I was not disappointed. The crowd had multiplied since the early morning, so we didn’t linger for long before heading back to our car. We headed down along the scenic drive to the Golden Gate Bridge. The thick fog covered the skyline and the top of the bridge, hindering our view but adding its own essence. Continuing our drive through San Francisco, we wondered how anyone with a standard car could manage the steep hills. We retrieved our luggage from the airport and headed to Oakhurst, CA. As we neared the gateway to Yosemite’s south entrance, we were awe struck by the sun setting behind the horizon of rock mountains to the west. To the east the almost full moon glowed and lit up the winding roads on our drive.
We arrived to our hotel and were eager wash up and get into clean clothes. It seemed that the rain in Chicago was our enemy, my bag was wet, Becca’s bag was soaked! Her clothes were more wet than when taken out of a washing machine. In less than ten minutes we looked like a pair of hill billies with clothes thrown all over the room to dry. But that didn’t stop us from getting a good night’s sleep.
221.7 miles
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