Saturday, May 10 was our transition day. We would be leaving San Francisco and exploring more of California.
Our day started with a disappointing breakfast and service at the hotel’s restaurant. Hampton Inn does breakfast better.
We checked out and made the short walk to rent the car.
This started well too. They couldn’t find the Commander’s original reservation. Once that was sorted out, the real excitement started—driving out of the city.
I only made one significant error in leaving the city, I missed the overlook stop for the Golden Gate Bridge.
From that miscue, we found our way into Tiburon. A pretty town on the bay. Here, we were to meet the Commander’s sister, Abby, husband, Art, Betsy’s niece, Ashley, husband Rob, and most importantly their precious daughter, Bridgette.
This would be the Commander’s first visit with Bridgette. She was excited.
Gradually, we all met in the designated parking lot to catch the ferry over to Angel’s Island.
The ferry ride to Angel Island is short and pretty. Views abound in every direction.
Angel Island Ferry (Photo Bill Pike)
Angel Island’s founding dates back to 1775 when the Spanish ship, San Carlos, entered San Francisco Bay.
If you make a trip to San Francisco, you must set aside time to visit Angel Island State Park. The beauty of the island and its impact on California and America are remarkable.
The island has been a “cattle ranch, U. S. Army post, from 1910-1940 the processing center for thousands of immigrants, and in World War II German and Japanese prisoners of war were held here.” (California State Parks)
Additionally, Angel Island was “a transition point for U.S. military personnel returning from the Pacific following World War II, the 50s and 60s it was the site of a Nike missile base, and today, two active Coast Guard stations make the island their home.” (California State Parks)
We opted to take a tram ride to assorted points around the island. This guided tour not only took us to remote points, but afforded us the opportunity to walk around at numerous stops. Many of the buildings from the island’s assorted uses are still in place. These snapshots into the past gave us a feel for how the immigration process worked. That important history combined with the island’s natural beauty makes quite a background for storytelling.
Assorted buildings Angel Island (Photo Bill Pike)
The shoreline is a mix of rolling hills filled with shrubs, trees, wildflowers, and rock. Most noticeable in the plant landscape is the Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans).
A stand out on the island (Photo Bill Pike)
We worked our way back to our entry point.
Soon the ferry had us back in Tiburon. Ashley and Rob led us to a waterfront restaurant, Sam’s, where we enjoyed a late lunch, and Bridgette continued to be a happy traveler.
It is always special to catch up with family, and Tiburon and Angel Island provided another pretty setting for a good visit. We said our goodbyes, and started our drive to Novato.
In Novato, we checked into our hotel. Then, we opted for some more steps as we took a short hike at the Buck Gulch Falls Trail, a part of the Ignacio Valley Open Space Preserve.
After the hike, we stopped at the HopMonk Tavern for dinner. This is basically a beer bar with live music. A very competent trio was playing, and I enjoyed a highly praised California beer, Pliny The Elder.
Our drive back to the hotel was quiet.
Tomorrow would bring another opportunity to explore a section of the California coast where we had never visited.
And that made me think more about Angel Island.
From its first Spanish explorers to the last immigrants, I wonder where they found their courage to leave their homelands and make this journey?
I put on my running gear, did some stretches, and found my way down to the lobby and out into the cool 52 degree air.
The sun was up. My goal was to run along Fisherman’s Wharf. I managed to run just past Pier 1.
This was a flat run, no challenging San Francisco hills.
Even though it was early, there was lots of activity.
Seagulls were scavenging trash bins.
I could hear the early morning squawking of the harbor seals.
Delivery workers were hustling in various spots along the wharf. Most of them could make their deliveries blindfolded.
Caretakers were hosing down entrances to dock areas, public restrooms were tidied up, and trash bins emptied.
There were runners, walkers, and bicycle riders. Some acknowledge my timid wave or quiet good morning. A few were in their zone focused, oblivious of an old fool from Virginia.
A solitary homeless man striding at a hurried pace was yelling into his phone, “I’m going to kill him, I’m going to kill him.”
I came upon the architecturally stunning San Francisco Ferry Building. This eye catching structure opened in 1898.
Before the construction of bridges, the Ferry Building was the base for the ferries that brought people in and out of the city. Today, in addition to being a smaller hub for ferries the building houses office space and a food hall.
The centerpiece for the building is a 245 foot clock tower.
I made it back to the hotel. Cleaned up, and we had breakfast.
After breakfast, we quickly organized ourselves, and headed down to meet our Uber.
It is interesting to note the differences in the personalities of the Uber drivers. I’m sure the Commander Supreme cringes, but I always attempt to chat a bit with them.
The driver this morning was friendly. However, he was more interested in pitching a ride with him to Santa Cruz. We had to refocus him on our goal for the morning— Golden State Park.
He did attempt to use music to soothe us. When we told him that we were from Virginia, he played the John Denver song “ Take Me Home Country Roads.” The lyrics mention West Virginia. I was not impressed with the driver’s smoozing.
Once we figured out our drop off point, our exploration started of this 1,017 acre park. If you travel to San Francisco, and you have a pretty day, you must come to this park. I say that because the park offers something for everyone.
Our feet did not grace all 1,017 acres, but at times we felt like we had.
Our exploration started at the de Young Museum. Here there is an amazing observation deck. Helpful museum personnel guided us to the deck. Good news, visitors can go to the observation deck for free. Admission to the museum and its exhibits is separate.
I will admit that I was powerfully tempted to tour the exhibit: Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm. I passed. In walking to the museum, I had seen some of the park’s beauty. I wanted to explore and see more. Sorry, Sir Paul, maybe another time.
A tempting exhibit (Photo Bill Pike)
Twelve unique gardens make up the park. We didn’t see them all. But, the ones we saw were stunning.
Our first stop was the Japanese Tea Garden. The origins of this garden date back to 1894. The plantings, layout, and the Japanese architecture are nicely synced together.
(Photo Bill Pike)
A bonus in Golden Gate Park is the San Francisco Botanical Garden. These 55 acres featuring over 8,000 plants from around the world doesn’t disappoint. Visitors can roam from an Andean Cloud Forest to Temperate Asia.
Most impressive to me was the Redwood Trail. This section featured the Coast Redwoods. In a setting similar to a coastal redwood forest, there is a quiet respect for these majestic trees. Adding to that tranquility are over 100 species of native California plants perfectly matched in the cool shade of the redwoods.
Beautiful trunk bark of a Coast Redwood (Photo Bill Pike)
As the morning progressed, we were conscious of timing our stay for a walk to the Beach Chalet for lunch. It is a long walk to this ocean view restaurant, but worth the walk. Of course, I made the walk longer and more adventurous, when I suggested the wrong direction.
After lunch, we took a Uber back into the city to visit Amoeba Music, the world’s largest independent record store. I probably could have spent a couple of days there. I think we were out of the store in less than an hour.
Our next destination was to find the famous Painted Ladies houses. This required walking through the Panhandle an extension of Golden Gate Park. The Panhandle is pretty green space. It provides multiple locations for sun worshipers to start their tan lines before summer arrives.
Gradually, we made our way to Alamo Square, also a park where the Painted Ladies houses come into view.
The Painted Ladies are Victorian and Edwardian style houses that regained popularity in the 1960s when new owners started repainting them. Often the repainting was completed in a variety of colors as a way to enhance their architectural style. Located on Steiner Street, the houses have been seen in assorted movies, television shows, and marketing campaigns.
From here we took an Uber back to the hotel. We had a bit of quiet time before heading down to the lobby for happy hour.
A couple from Canada sat across from us. They were in San Francisco for her husband to participate in a training and transition program at Guide Dogs For The Blind. We learned a lot about this outstanding organization.
After happy hour, we opted to walk back to the Boudin Bakery for dinner.
Another hearty meal at the Boudin Bakery (Photo Bill Pike)
We had a nice dinner at Boudin, and when we arrived back at our room we were beat.
Tomorrow, we would say goodbye to San Francisco. We talked briefly about our Saturday plans including renting a car.
We had another good day of walking right at nine miles
Today was another example of admiring the vision of people to preserve and protect land that has been converted into parks for communities to enjoy.
Golden Gate Park is an outstanding example of how space can be preserved in a variety of unique ways.
I’m thankful for people who have the vision to value how land can be creatively saved for the good of all.
I hope we can hold on to these priceless places forever.
In the summer of 1980, I made my first trip to California. For the Commander Supreme and me that was a before kids trip.
A highlight of that trip was a drive up the coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco. My sister-in-law, Abby, was our tour guide.
Three years ago, we were all set to fly to San Francisco to attend the wedding of the Commander Supreme’s niece, Ashley. The day before we were scheduled to fly, thinking she had a sinus infection, the Commander tested positive for COVID-19.
Obviously, we canceled the trip, but the Commander was able to hang on to the flight for the future.
So on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, we boarded a Breeze Airways Airbus A-220 in Richmond and flew direct to San Francisco.
By 6:00 a.m. we were in the car and driving toward the Richmond airport.
Other than a van driver from the extended stay parking lot who didn’t know the details of his job, we had no challenges getting into the terminal.
We cleared all of the screening hurdles. Our walk to the gate was leisurely. Knowing that we would be sitting for a long time, I walked a lot in the terminal.
Eventually, the plane arrived from Charleston.
The boarding process went quickly.
The A220 seating configuration is three seats and two seats. The Commander booked us a two seat reservation with extra leg room. This arrangement was a nice surprise from the normal sardine box.
Even though, we boarded quickly, we sat too long on the tarmac before heading to the runway.
The captain of the plane told us to expect a few bumps as we settled in for the cross country flight.
Breeze is a no frills airline. No monitors on the back of the seats for watching movies. I had to hope I could download their wireless access correctly.
For now, I focused on the landscape out my window for a distraction. I love how the topography of America changes as we fly west. The hills, east coast mountains, the flat plains, the snow covered Rockies, wide sections of deserts, more hills, and finally the coastal plain heading into San Francisco.
Snow topped mountains flying west. (Photo Bill Pike)
Early in the flight, I nodded off for some nano naps. Read from Richmond editor and writer, Tom Allen’s second book—“Roll With It: encountering grace, grins, gridlock, and God in everyday life.” After a few chapters of Tom’s book, I switched over to Tristan Gooley’s The Secret World Of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop (Natural Navigation).
At some point, I opened up my laptop computer and started to write. For a long stretch, this was a good distraction.
The bumps, the turbulence on the flight were minimal.
Gradually, the plane slowed. We were notified that our descent into San Francisco had started.
I made sure everything was securely in my backpack. Then, I was glued to my window tracking the landscape changes.
The plane made a graceful landing. We departed the plane easily. The next hurdle was finding our way in the pretty San Francisco airport.
With adequate signage guiding us, we exited the terminal to a line of taxis. We were assigned to the first taxi in line. The driver helped us with our luggage, the Commander gave him the hotel’s address, off we went.
Our driver was very good. He skillfully maneuvered us through traffic, patiently answered questions, and never appeared rattled by wacky moves from other drivers.
He even explained Waymo to us. Waymo is the driverless Google car.
Our frequently spotted Waymo (Photo Bill Pike)
At the Alton Hotel, the driver dropped us in the perfect spot, helped with our bags, and we wished him the best.
The Commander’s detailed planning made for a seamless checkin and a surprise room upgrade.
We settled quickly into our and room, and promptly left heading to the In and Out Burger a block away from the hotel.
Until Saturday morning The Alton would be our home. Located in the Fisherman’s Wharf area of the city, the hotel still had a new construction feel to it.
We arrived just in time at In and Out. By minutes, we beat the daily lunch hour surge. The In and Out chain is a West Coast staple. If you’ve never had one of their burgers, don’t turn it down.
As soon as we finished our burgers, we hit the pavement.
One thing you quickly learn about San Francisco is the terrain. Maybe the reason Tony Bennett “left his heart in San Francisco” is that it died walking up one of its hills.
The contrast from the relative flatness at Fisherman’s Wharf to the extreme steepness of the hills on either end of Lombard Street is significant.
Our first stop was the Coit Tower. The tower sits on the top of Telegraph Hill.
The walk up to the tower is a heart thumper. But the vistas from the park at the top, and the views at the tip of the tower are worth it.
Coit Tower was built from 1932-33. It has 234 steps to the top. The tower is also graced with fresco murals.
Coit Tower (Photo Bill Pike)
From Coit Tower, we walked back toward Lombard Street. To get to the other end of Lombard Street requires another steep decent and climb.
This side of Lombard Street is known as the “Crookedest Street In The World.” It is interesting to watch cars handle the sharp turns along the well maintained lawns and gardens.
A car heading down Lombard (Photo Bill Pike)
We shifted our walk into the North Beach neighborhood. Here a mix of houses and business caught our attention. Pretty cathedrals against a blue sky backdrop were hard to miss.
A pretty cathedral (Photo Bill Pike)
Even on the first day of vacation, I could not resist going into Cole Hardware. Founded in the 1920s, the store and its contents are very appealing. Maybe this motto explains the sustained success of the store: “There are no strangers here, just friends we haven’t met.” The store even has a cooler of pies from The Pie Company based out of Ripon, California.
Next, we worked our way to the famous City Lights Bookstore. Founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin, this is one of those special independent bookstores that has managed to beat the odds. If you love books, you must stop.
The famous bookstore (Photo Bill Pike)
Then, we took a brief walk on the fringes of Chinatown. Lots of shop owner energy was present among the diverse merchandise with customers haggling for the best price. ‘
As we started our walk back to the hotel, Italian food shops tempted us with their aromas and displays, but we kept moving.
At the hotel, we collapsed, but made sure we were up and heading toward the free happy hour in the lobby at five. A nice glass of wine for the Commander and a California Blonde Ale from the Eel River Brewing Company for me helped to bring our busy day to a close.
For dinner, we made the short walk from the hotel to Cioppinos, an Italian restaurant. The food and the service were good.
After our filling dinner, we were really ready to collapse. The Commander’s “fit bit” had us over eight miles with most of those steps recorded during our afternoon trek.
At the end of the day, I’m remembering the architecture as our taxi driver drove us further into the city. No part of a plot of land is wasted. Homes and businesses are stacked up on every hillside throughout the city.
We saw lots of pretty gardens and shrubs along the way. Blooms of all shapes, sizes, and colors added to the charm and character of the neighborhoods.
Pretty blooms (Photo Bill Pike)
At the end of our first day, I’m thankful for my Commander Supreme. If the remainder of the trip is as good as the first afternoon, then we’re going to be remembering this trek for a long, long time.
might be baloney 