Day 5 - San Francisco

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

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Day 6 - Big Sur     >>

Pier 39 flags

Wednesday was our second day in San Francisco, and we decided to wander around Pier 39 before taking the hop-on-hop-off tour around the city.

Juanita and Angharad

Merry-go-round at Pier 39

Alcatraz

Cars coming down Lombard Street

In general, I would recommend city bus tours; my experience has been that you get a really good, high-level tour of a city. They cover the touristy highlights, and they always know more about the history of the place than I could ever find on my own. It can be difficult to get good pictures because you're inside a vehicle most of the time, but still well worth it. If you have time, you can always circle back for photo opportunities, and if not, you'll still have had a good tour.

City Hall, San Francisco, CA

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, CA

Instructions on the street car

After the hop-on-hop-off tour, Angharad and I ventured out to ride a cable car, which I thoroughly enjoyed, although we did end up stranded in downtown San Francisco after the business rush was over, which meant we ended up walking back up that ridiculously steep hill and into China town where we finally found a bus that took us back to our hotel.

Looking ahead - down the hill we go!!!!

Watching the street car go back up the hill

China town, San Francisco, CA

Wednesday night meeting was on the southern end of San Francisco and so we made our way down there for supper, heading back to our hotel afterwards for the night.


We left San Francisco with boxes of chocolate from Ghirardelli's, sore feet, and great photos. And I found yet another place that I need to go back to. Two days is not enough time to spend in that city.

How does the song go?

"...I left my heart in San Francisco..." 

At the very least, a little part of mine is there. Partly because of the Golden Gate bridge, and partly because it reminded me so much of Paris.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

<<     Day 4 - Sacramento to San Francisco

Day 6 - Big Sur     >>

Day 4 - Sacramento to San Francisco

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

<<     Bandon to Sacramento

Day 5 - San Francisco     >>

Happy Canada Day!!!

We left our hotel in Sacramento in time to get to San Francisco for about 10am, stopping on Treasure Island for a chance to stretch our legs and to get some pre-arrival photos of the city.

Treasure Island

Oakland Bay Bridge, San Francisco, CA

Downtown San Francisco

"Helping" the car up the hill

And... Down we go!

Our hotel was ideally located just a couple of blocks from Fisherman's Wharf on the bus route, but we were too early for check-in, and so we decided to go exploring for a bit.

We drove down to the harbor, got out and took some pictures of the Golden Gate bridge, and then headed across it for lunch in Sausolito.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

Clear as mud!

Going to Sausolito

Freezing, but enjoying lunch in Sausolito

Despite the FRIGID weather, we ate outside, then wandered through the town, visiting art galleries and the little boutique stores for which the town is known.

We then headed back into the city across a bridge that was now completely fogged in, and checked into our hotel, resting a bit before supper.

Heading back into San Francisco

Forbes Island, San Francisco, CA

Supper was a surprise for us; Angharad had planned our entire trip down to the very last detail, and she was buzzing with the excitement of where she was taking us for dinner - it was a secret, and she had worked very hard not to let it slip.

As we wandered along the wharf, we admired all of the sights, commenting on the little lighthouse randomly placed in the middle of the pier, looking for the streetcars and all the famous sights for which Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 are known, deliberately not noticing every time she sort of veered off and asked for directions - there's nothing worse than ruining a surprise for both yourself and for the person trying to surprise you.

Coit Tower, seen from the top of the Forbes Island lighthouse

In the end, we took a water taxi to Forbes Island Restaurant, which was inside a boat cleverly disguised as an island with a lighthouse. Supper was delicious, our waiter was fantastic (i.e. very cute, with a voice that was also delicious - I "misheard" the specials and forgot how to read just so that he would have to repeat them...) and after dessert we climbed up the lighthouse for a photo op that left us out of breath from laughing.

Juanita and Angharad decided to walk back to the hotel via Lombard Street, and I caught a bus; I had no desire to walk up that hill!

Laughing at the top of the Forbes Island lighthouse

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Day 5 - San Francisco     >>

Planning a road trip to the Grand Canyon

Prequel to: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

So, I'm still coming down from a high after my trip to Mexico, and last night, Angharad, Juanita and I had a Facetime call to talk about our road trip to the Grand Canyon in the first weeks of July.

I am SOO excited about this!! Angharad and I have been talking about doing this for about three years now, and it is finally happening. And what a road trip it is going to be.

Basically, take everything that is best about driving down the western U.S. coast, and put it together with the Grand Canyon, and you have our road trip. Trust me, I checked.

Angharad put together a preliminary plan...

"Not trying to take over, but just put this together to start the discussions"

which is what we talked about last night.

And today I Googled:

"What are the best road trips along the western U.S. coast"

According to Fodor's Travel, of the 5 best trips, we are covering over half of them.

• San Diego to Ensenada, Mexico - Not happening
• LA to Joshua Tree - While the park isn't on our itinerary, LA is; from there, we're going north of Joshua Tree National Park to Williams, where we're catching the train into the Grand Canyon.
• San Francisco to Big Sur - This is Absolutely Happening!!! Did I mention that I'm excited about this trip???
• Portland to Redwood National Park - This is half happening. We are driving along the coast from Portland to Reedsport, and then heading inland to San Francisco. Adding Redwood National Park turns a comfortable 7.5 hour drive into a 9 hour drive; we'll have to see how we feel on that day.
• Seattle to Alaska - We are not going to Alaska. We are however, driving from Vancouver through Seattle, so we will be doing some of this trip.

And then, after all of that, we get to spend Independence Day with friends,  take a train ride into the Grand Canyon, and drive through the Grand Staircase National Monument.

So, Angharad, as far as I am concerned, you can plan a road trip for me any time. And Thank You.

I will be flying back to Regina from Salt Lake City, and they will continue the trip home to Vancouver taking in the Bonneville Salt Flats, Wild Horse Monument, and Leavenworth, to name a few.

It's going to be amazing. 

Bixby Bridge, Big Sur Coast - Photograph by Don Bright