 |
Here's Tyler actively helping us to reach our destination. I
guess this mode was preferable to being bored out of his mind. |
 |
We entered the tunnel just before the Oakland Bay Bridge. We
entered San Francisco after around six hours of driving. That included a
"rest stop" along the way. We didn't really rest, but we're more
comfortable referring to our stop activities this way. We got to our hotel
around 11:30 that Friday night. We quickly checked in and spent a fitful
night listening to all the noises in that building of cardboard walls
(babies crying, mothers "shoosh"-ing, and all other kinds of
distractions.) |
 |
The next morning we had a quick breakfast in the hotel cafe
and then headed out to the Exploratorium. This is a science "touch
and feel" exhibition hall set up in the Palace of Fine Arts
(constructed at the turn of the century—see photos later.) Here, Elena
and Tyler experiment with matters of perception. Somebody's out of place;
you guess who. |
 |
Elena's exploring the Alice in Wonderland Room. This was a
room of strange proportions. The end was skewed smaller, but the floor
tiles and other parts of the room were painted in a way that made it
appear to be a normal room. Elena became monstrously large when she walked
to the other end. |
 |
The Exploratorium also had a mirror with a step stool at one
end. An observer watching from the other end would get an amusing illusion
of levitation if the subject lifted their visible foot. |
 |
Here's the lake outside of the Palace of Fine Arts. Many
ducks and other water life were enjoying the beautiful day. |
 |
Tyler snapped this shot as we prepared to descend Lombard
Street, billed as the crookedest street in the world. There were
pedestrians all the way down. Silly folks, I'm not sure they realized they
had to walk back up again to get to their cars...VERY steep climb. |
 |
On Saturday, while we were waiting to get on the tour to
Alcatraz, Tyler spotted these punks along the side of the road. They had a
sign soliciting their photogenic qualities for a mere $2 - 5. If we had
taken this shot just a month ago Tyler could have blended right in with
his mohawk. |
 |
Our dinner on Saturday consisted of Boudin's Sourdough loafs
hollowed out as bowls to hold Clam Chowder (Elena's choice) or Chili
(Tyler's choice). They also have a beef stew that's quite good. |
 |
Here's a shot as we waited to board the Harbor Emperor of
the Blue and Gold Fleet. They're the charter service that currently holds
the contract to service the Park Service's tours to Alcatraz Island. |
 |
Here's our wash as our boat skips along the waves to
Alcatraz. |
 |
This is the sign that greets visitors when they first come
to the island. You can see the remnants of the Indian's takeover of the
island in the late 1960's. |
 |
Elena and Tyler are listening to the audio tour...highly
recommended. |
 |
This is a frozen honey... |
 |
Tyler, Elena, and Valentina (Elena's mother) in front of one
of the lakes in Santa Rosa, where Valentina lives. |
 |
My honey and the good looking guy she's married to... |
 |
Tyler was begging not to be forced to go up this hill, but
you can see who lead the pack. |
 |
On Monday, we visited Muir Woods, a famous stand of redwoods
and giant sequoias. |
 |
You can see how big around the giant redwoods get... |
 |
...and how tall. Look at the people in the bottom of this
shot. The largest giant redwood recorded was around 370 feet tall. |
 |
Elena's playing hide 'n seek in this tree. |
 |
Our final crossing over the Golden Gate Bridge. Hard to
believe this is the middle of summer by the looks of the fog. |
 |
While we enjoyed our final lunch in San Francisco at
Tarantino's on Fisherman's Wharf we watched a street performer. That's him
behind the bushes. He had some branches (probably torn off of a nearby
shrub) behind which he'd hide, waiting for unwary passers-by. When they
approached close enough he'd jiggle the branches and scare them, to the
delight of the onlookers. Of course he also had a donation can nearby. |
 |
Here's the Van Gogh exhibit at the Wax Museum. Stupid waste
of $20 in my opinion, but Tyler got a kick out of it. Of course, he didn't
pay for it. |
 |
Racing back home, my honey got the old buggy over 100 mph.
If you're law enforcement I'm just exaggerating. |
