A Day in San Fran

Nobody had a problem sleeping last night. After a wonderful meal and a quick dip in the pool, all four of us passed out easily.

This morning, after waking up and eating breakfast and getting our caffeine kick, Uncle Ron drove us about 10 minutes to the Walnut Creek BART station. If you're ever worried about using public transportation in a big city, take a trip to the Bay Area. The transportation was extremely user-friendly and easy to figure out.

We ended up getting off at the Powell Street station, walked up the stairs, and were hit with the sights and sounds of a bustling downtown.

It was also a pleasant 65-70 degrees outside.

Not much planning had gone into what to do in San Francisco, but that was fine. We knew we wanted to end up at Fisherman's Wharf at some point as well as, obviously, visit the Golden Gate Bridge. Everything else was just left up to whatever we were feeling.

At the Powell Street station, you can get on a trolley and take it all the way to the Wharf. That's what we originally wanted to do. But when we got to the trolley line, we saw it line up nearly two blocks. That'd come out to be a nearly two-hour wait.

We passed on the trolley trip and started walking. It was about a mile and a half hike up and down a hill to get there.

Before we ended up in Fisherman's Wharf, though, we came across a bike rental place. For $25, you can rent a bike and go wherever you want in the city. That sounded like a good plan to us, and we hopped on some bicycles.

It didn't take long from there, then, to get to the Wharf.

When we got the Wharf, hunger was kicking in. After doing some research on the phone and walking up to different restaurants to see the menus, we settled on a place called Capurro's. It was an Italian place that had some breakfast specials and lunch specials going on.

Cara was feeling a breakfast burger. I chose a seafood sandwich. Lauren got a crap-topped pasta dish. And Ethan ended up getting a Caesar salad and bread bowl plate.

Food was excellent and nobody left disappointed. It also gave us the energy we'd need to get ourselves to the Golden Gate Bridge. 

We figured we'd get to the bridge relatively quickly, but the scenery and need to take it in meant we made multiple stops.

First stop was just past the Aquatic Cove on the Aquatic Park Pier. From the pier, we could see the skyline, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Our trip continued onward after the stop on the pier. We made our way through a couple small parks and up some hills. It is is San Francisco after all, so it's hard to avoid going up. That just means you'll head downward at some point, though.

Eventually we biked our way to entrance of the Golden Gate Bridge. From there, we felt like there was no choice but to attempt to bike over it. Apparently the bridge had undergone some renovations or transformations recently, so the entire west side (facing the Pacific) was open only to bicyclists. That was nice because it meant traffic would move quickly.

For somebody who is truly afraid of heights, I still don't know how I managed to bike across the bridge. The biggest thing with this bridge, aside from the height, is the wind. I wish I knew that exact speed of the winds, but it had to be close to 25 MPH constantly blowing in from the Pacific. It was insane.

The bridge does make for some incredible scenery, though, so it was worth it even if I felt somewhat scared at times.

At one point on the bridge, about halfway across, we stopped to take the photo above. I also shot a short video in hopes that you can see and hear what the wind is like on the bridge. Sorry the quality isn't as great as the previous video in Montana de Oro State Park. I'll keep that in mind for future videos.

Surprisingly, at least for me, we made it across the bridge. It was an exhilarating experience, and I believe all four of us were feeling pretty good about what we had just done.

But getting across is one thing. We still needed to get back over.

Going over a second time wasn't too tough, even if the wind never did die down.

After a quick stop in the visitor center to get a few souvenirs, we were off and heading back toward the Fisherman's Wharf. We chose a different path this time around, and went around some of the parks and eventually through high school campus. It was interesting to see the area and city from a different angle.

Before getting back to the Wharf and dropping off our bikes, though, we had to make a stop at the Ghirardelli Square and the Ghiradelli shop. After looking at the menu, all four of us individually decided on the same exact snack: a caramel flavored Quake Shake. Yeah, it was definitely worth it.

By about 5, we got back to our bike shop and dropped off the bicycles. We only had to walk a block or two from there to get on a trolley. If the line was just as long as it was in the morning, we said we'd pass on the trolley.

Fortunately for us, it was not nearly that long of a line. It was still a wait, but by about 6, we were all boarded up on a trolley. They pack passengers on the trolley which mean that two of us would have to sit and the other two could stand and hang off. Halfway through the trip, we had to stop at a red light, and the two couples switched spots.

We know it's a touristy thing to do, but hanging off the edge of a trolley as it drives through the city was unique and fun.

By the second or third to last stop, the trolley had lost a lot of passengers, and all four of us could now hang off the side. Cara was up front and snagged this photo of us.

The trolley stopped right outside the BART station, and we were heading back to Uncle Ron and Aunt Kay's place before we knew it. We were greeted with yet another delicious dinner this evening.

Now sounds like a good time to say our thanks to our very generous and friendly hosts in San Francisco. Uncle Ron and Aunt Kay have treated us so well. We're very fortunate to have gotten to stay with them.

Biking around a city took a lot out of us. And with a big drive ahead of us tomorrow morning, sleep is essential. Tomorrow night we'll be in southern Idaho before getting to Yellowstone National Park on Monday for a two-night stay.

We're on the road early Sunday morning as we begin our trek back east. Who knows what service or internet will be like over the next few days, but I'll update when I can.