Day 6, May 30 2002
Fort Bragg, California, to Oakland, CA, via San Fran 268 miles start to finish, not a distance day. (felt like 50 miles on foot though)
It was foggy again on the coast so we cut back to the main highway (another 60 minutes of hair-raising excitement on hairpins and switchbacks through the mountains) and headed south to San Fran. The temperature change was phenomenal, we must have gone from 60 F to 80 F and boy was it welcome. There was another huge change in scenery, we were in the middle of grape and wine country all of a sudden and the nearer we were to SF the more fruit (strawberries, oranges, apples) and names from wine bottles were appearing at the side of the road. Going across THE Bridge was a real blast, the traffic was seriously interesting though. For all their concern with the environment, I don't think I've been anywhere where the locals drive so much faster than the posted speed limits. Not even Houston on the toll roads. It was pretty fun and I just about managed to keep up.
Parked at Fisherman's wharf, had lunch and walked about, then did the Alcatraz tour which was really good. Saw the cell that Burt Lancaster stayed in, and the one that Clint Eastwood escaped from. Walked around the harbor then did the cable car trip to downtown with David hanging off the side. Ate dinner and drove through town, went down the windy steep road who's name escapes me, then fought with rush hour traffic and left town by the other bridge. Traffic was jammed solid deep downtown but the GPS was working just enough to keep us out of trouble. After Oakland we headed inland and the heat was back again. Felt odd because as we went inland it became darker and warmer at the same time. And as it became warmer, so too the background smells became more intense, something to do with the quality and extent of the road-kill I think. Filled up with gas at Livermore at a Shell station that was full of cop cars. Turns out they had all filled up as well and then discovered that the police credit card wouldn't work. We left before they figured out what to do next.
Finally called it an early night at Oakdale (Ramada Inn) just 2 hours short of Yosemite - tomorrow's main attraction. It is also apparently the Hershey's headquarters of America so we will go have a look before we push on in the morning.
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| 8 am at Fort Bragg, fog persists | Inland North California, fruit everywhere | Our first palm tree! | There are still hippies in San Francisco and this is the van they drive around in | THE Bridge, low cloud obscuring the top |
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| Lunch on Fisherman's Wharf | The boy and the rock | Cell block A | Looks like the motel we stayed at in Whitehorse BC. | The exercise yard |
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| Cell block from the outside | Sea lions back at the wharf | Hanging on to the cable car | Downtown San Fran | A 60 ft spiderman on one of the downtown buildings |