We Left our Hearts in San Francisco ?

Saturday we headed to San Francisco and stayed in an RV Resort on a bluff over the Pacific Ocean. After we got set up, we headed into San Francisco, driving the truck! Yes, I did say, driving the big truck!!!! We made our way to the Embarcadero (the road which weaves its way past Pier 39 and the Fisherman's Wharf area.) The roads were small, crowded with cars and pedestrians and provided very limited spaces for a vehicle as large as we were to park. Of course, if we were willing to pay $30.00, they would find a place for us. We decided to just continue driving around the city. I don't think George got to do much looking as he was maneuvering that big white behomoth through those tiny, very hilly streets and I was frantically trying to read the map and figure out where the GPS was leading us. I know we must have been a site because everyone kept staring at us!!!

Up and down the hills we went! We drove thru Russian Hill, Nob Hill, Chinatown, the Financial District, and the Mission District. Unfortunately by the time I identified where we were, we were already past the places. Eventually Chatty Cathy (our GPS) quit "recalculating" and she finally put us on a street I could identify on the map. Kudos to George for not throwing me and the map both out the window!!! As we drove back into the RV park, we both agreed that there had to be a better way to see this city or we would literally leave our hearts (along with various other body parts ) in San Francisco. We made a trip into the office and told the assistant manager what we had done and asked for her suggestions. After she closed her mouth and quit staring at us like we were nitwits, she suggested we drive the truck 2 miles to the BART station and take the train into the city. Once we arrived in the city, we could buy an all day pass that would allow us to ride the public transportation and cable cars all over. Well, yeah!!! That sounded like a plan. So, the next morning, we did just that!

The cable car was introduced to San Francisco on August 2, 1873. Wire-cable manufacturer, Andrew Hallidie conceived the idea after witnessing an accident in which a horse-drawn carriage faltered and rolled backward downhill dragging the horses behind it. The first cable car to descend down Clay Street on Nob Hill was an immediate success. Besides creating a vital link in San Francisco's public transportation system, the cable car opened the door for building on steep hills which until this time was thought to be impossible.

Throughout the 1890's, eight transit companies operated 600 cars which covered 21 cable car routes and a total of 52.8 miles. Cable cars remained the primary mode of transportation until the 1906 earthquake. The quake and the fires that followed, destroyed most of the cable car system, and as the City rebuilt, few lines were restored. A municipal railway replaced most lines. Today there are 40 cable cars in the system. On an average day, 26 are in operation. The cars can only move by gripping onto moving cables. Winding machinery in the cable barn keeps the cable moving at 9.5 miles per hour all day long. There are four separate cables - each a continuous loop - that moves in channels under the streets supported by hundreds of small pulleys. The cable used in the present system measures 1 1/4 inches in diameter, is made of steel with a hemp center to increase flexibility and varies in length. The cable itself is composed of six steel strands of 19 wires each that are wrapped around the sisal rope center. It has an average life of 6 to 8 months. San Francisco's beloved cable cars are the only vehicles of their kind still in operation and are designated National Landmarks.

After riding the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf, the home of San Francisco's colorful fishing fleet, we walked to Pier 39 and watched the sea lions play "King of the Hill" on the floating docks. Grown males can weigh 800 pounds and be 7 feet in length and females up to 300 pounds and 6 feet in length. The Sea Lions return to Pier 39 because it is a comfortable place to sleep, there is an abundant natural food supply (fish) nearby, and there are no predators like great white sharks and killer whales. You can tell a sea lion from a seal because the sea lions have external ear flaps. The sea lions at Pier 39 arrived shortly after the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. At first they numbered from 10-50 but eventually the population grew to more than 300, sometimes as high as 900. They are boisterous and love to show off.

Looking out across the Bay, you can see a jutting rock island which is Alcatraz (Spanish for pelican which were originally the island's only inhabitants). the island served as a military fortification in the 1850's and an incarceration facility for war prisoners during the Spanish-American War. In 1934, Alcatraz became the infamous maximum security prison for members of organized crime and high-risk convicts. Although the island is only a mile from shore, there is no evidence of any successful escapes across the icy bay. The prison was the only one in the Federal system that touted hot showers - a luxury designed to keep prisoners from acclimating to cold water. Alcatraz was closed in 1963.

After all this walking, the food started to look really tempting. Anything and everything was available. The Dungeness crab looked especially appealing.

We finally decided on splitting a sour dough bread bowl, loaded with steaming clam chowder and a Dungeness crab sandwich. It really hit the spot!!

After such a hardy meal, we decided we needed to walk some more, so we headed over to Chinatown. As we passed through the adorned Pagoda Gates on Grant Avenue, we immediately saw the bright neon chinese signs, smelled the ethnic cuisine, and heard the sound of foreign languages and dialects.

We looked in many of the shops and exhausted ourselves walking up and down the streets.

Back on the cable car, we stopped briefly to take a picture of Lombard Street. Located in the Russian Hill District (say, we were here yesterday with the big truck - thank goodness we didn't get on this street), Lombard Street is known as "the crookedest street in the world" because of its eight sharp turns on a 40 degree slope. The turns, known as switchbacks, were built in the 1920's to allow traffic to descend the steep incline (a 27 per cent grade). The street zigzags around beautiful flowers and shrubs and has a nice view of the bay.

After spending six hours roaming around, we decided it was time to catch the next cable car and head back to Pacifica to our own little home for some much needed rest and foot-soaking. Tomorrow will be a more gentle, less rushed day as we once again tackle driving the truck down to the Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park.

Monday, McKenzie decided it was time for her to get to go see some of the sites - so, we all jumped in the truck, plugged in Chatty Cathy and took off. In case you are wondering, yes I did take all the maps with us. Our first stop was at Fort Funston which was built as a defense area. A battery was built to mount two 5-inch rapid fire guns. During World War II, temporary barracks and other structures were built. After the war, the batteries became obsolete and it was demolished. The last military use of Fort Funston was as a Nike missile battery location which is also, now obsolete. Presently the area is used by hang gliders and also as a dog park. McKenzie enjoyed showing off her new halter to the other dogs.

Further down the highway, we stopped at the Cliff House which is a restaurant perched on the bluffs of the cliffs just north of Ocean Beach. There have been five incarnations of the Cliff House since its original was built in 1858. The Cliff House and Sutro Baths survived the 1906 earthquake with little damage but burned to the ground on the evening of September 7, 1907. Rebuilding of the restaurant was completed within two years with additions and modern restorations. It was a favorite haunt of the elite and rich residents of San Francisco. The site overlooks Seal Rock where more than 30 ships have been pounded to pieces. Our next stop was The Presidio National Historical Park. There were some breathtaking views and we had to stop to take a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge.
And speaking of the Golden Gate Bridge - it was the longest span in the world until the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was built in New York in 1964, Today it is still the seventh longest main span in the world. It is 1.7 miles in length and 90 feet wide. One of the most interesting facts is that only eleven workers died during construction, a new safety record for the time. In the 1930's bridge builders expected 1 fatality per $1 million in construction costs, and builders expected 35 people to die while building the bridge. One of the bridge's safety innovations was a net suspended under the floor. This net saved the lives of 19 men during construction and they are often called the members of the "Half Way to Hell Club". The average number of crossings is about 40 million per year, both northbound and southbound. The bridge's paint color is orange vermillion, also called international orange. The bridge was fully painted when it was first built and then touched up for the next 27 years. In 1965, the original paint was removed because of corrosion and replaced with a primer and top coat, a project which took 30 years. Today the painters touch up the paint continuously. The bridge sways 27 feet to withstand winds of up to 100 miles per hour. The concrete poured into its piers and anchorages would pave a five foot wide sidewalk from New York to San Francisco.

The last stop for the day was a picnic at Golden Gate Park. McKenzie and George found a few minutes to rest on the grass and enjoy the flowers. Golden Gate park is among one of the world's greatest urban parks. approximately three miles long and a half mile wide, it is covered with grassy meadows, wooded bike trails, secluded lakes, open groves and gardens. The Conservatory of Flowers, built in 1879 and beautifully restored in 2003 is modeled after London's Kew Gardens, a glass Victorian displaying a paradise of flowers.
McKenzie definitely enjoyed the yellow California poppies. After a full day of riding and enjoying the sites, we couldn't think of a better way to end the day than to sit down with a nice glass of wine and watch the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. McKenzie got a greenie as a treat for being such a good trooper all day as well. Tomorrow we will leave the city and head to the Sonoma area to see what we can find there. Hope you are enjoying all the sites just as we have and that you will continue on our journey with us. Until then, be kind to one another and take time to smell the flowers. Life is a gift.