April 29, Sacramento to Arcata

Luckily we had a full propane tank because the temperature dipped down to about 40 last night. However it warmed up quickly as we set out to head north. We traveled on the freeway for about two hours to reach the scenic drive from Redding to the Pacific Coast.

As we headed west we could see snow capped mountains in the distance and knew that we would have to get to what was on the other side of them. The mountains are part of the 2.1 million acre Shasta Trinity National Forest, the largest in California. This forest has 6278 miles of streams and rivers. The road curved and twisted alongside the Trinity River for many miles. We drove through dense forests, up mountains, down mountains and finally reached the coast.

We drove for six hours today and so were pleased to get a spot at the Mud River Rapids RV Park. Tomorrow we will drive through the Redwood Forest. A change of wardrobe is definitely in order...we will have to dig out the jeans and socks.


Sent from my iPad

April 28, Yosemite National Park to Sacramento

April 28, Yosemite National Park to Sacramento

It was cold last night. The temperatures often dip into the low 30's here at this time of year. Fortunately we have a great furnace, but unfortunately we were low on propane and therefore didn't have it turned up as high as we would have liked. One of the first things we did this morning was to fill the propane tank!

Yosemite National Park consists of about 1200 square miles of wilderness,  meadows, giant forests, enormous granite peaks and waterfalls. There are many scenic stops on the way to Yosemite Valley, and along with many others, we stopped frequently, took tons of picture, walked some of the trails and visited all the displays. We didn't do any serious hiking as we didn't have all the necessary equipment. The waterfalls in Yosemite are spectacular and due to lots of rain and snow this past winter the streams are full. As far as wildlife is concerned, we didn't see any bear but we did see deer, chipmunks and lots of birds.

As we left Yosemite we found ourselves comparing it to the other two National Parks that we visited; Joshua Tree and Sequoia. We both agreed that so far Joshua Tree is our favorite with Sequoia coming in second. Yosemite is amazing, but, in our opinion, just not as amazing as the other two we have visited.

We continued north and landed in Sacramento at around 5:30. We chose another KOA as we find them to be very well laid out, extremely clean and secure.

Tomorrow we will head for the last "must see" on our list: The Redwood Forest, fully aware that we will be leaving the warm temperatures and entering the 60 degree zone!



Sent from my iPad

Aprl 27, Sequoia State Park to Midpines (Yosemite)

April 27, Sequoia State Park to Midpines (Yosemite National Park)

We paid our $20. 00 fee and entered Sequoia State Park at around 10:30. We could see snow on the mountains far in the distance but had no idea that before the end of our day in Sequoia we would be walking on that snow. The road through the park is a gradual climb to over 8000 feet. Most of the hiking trails were closed due to snow so since we didn't bring our snowshoes (although we did see one family with theirs) our hiking was limited to a walk up a snow covered trail to see General Sherman' sTree. This giant sequoia tree is estimated to be 2500 years old and has a circumference of 103 feet. In volume of total wood, this is the world's largest tree.

We drove through the Giant Forest, an area where all of the trees aspire to be as tall as General Sherman's Tree which stands at 275 feet. Standing at the base of one of those trees sure made me feel small. There were many scenic pull off sites along the drive and we took advantage of many to take pictures and just gaze at the spectacular views.

We programmed Richard (our GPS voice) to take us towards Yosemite and to a grocery store so that we could replenish our food supplies. We arrived at the Yosemite West/Mariposa KOA at around 6:30 and settled in for the night. Tomorrow we will visit Yosemite.






Sent from my iPad

April 26, Barstow to Three Rivers (Sequoia National Park)

April 26, Barstow to Three Rivers (Sequoia National Park)

Besides being half way between Las Vegas and Los Angeles and being near a ghost town, Barstow has one more claim to fame: outlet shopping. Although neither of us are shoppers we did have a few things on our "need" list and so we spent some time at the Barstow Outlet Mall and the outlet mall in Tulare. Our "need" lists are now empty.

Our goal for the day was to get as close to Sequoia National Park as possible. For the first hour or so, our drive was on more of the Mojave Desert where we saw the testing site for KIA and Hyundai automobiles, Edwards Air Force Base and the Marine Aircraft Test Site. There is definitely a military presence in the desert.

The transition from desert to fertile valley was sudden. It was as if we merely crossed a line and all of a sudden we were seeing grass, trees, rolling hills and farmland. We had entered the San Joaquin Valley. We came across a farm market that sold fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts and dates. Needless to say, we filled a basket with goodies and had lots to munch on for the rest of the drive. We passed acres and acres of apple orchards, orange groves, lemon groves, grapefruit groves and vineyards. Unfortunately, we also passed farms for sale, boarded up buildings and idle factories.

We arrived at Three Rivers Hideaway RV Park at around 6. After dinner we walked to the river, took a couple of pictures and planned our day tomorrow. We will spend most of it in the Sierra Nevadas, Sequoia National Park where I understand the bears have come out of hibernation.

Sent from my iPad

April 25, Joshua Tree to Barstow

Joshua Tree to Barstow

After doing some laundry we headed for the golf course. It was very windy and hot...83 to be exact. We played nine long holes, most being par 5's. It was a fun morning. We had lunch at a local cafe that has a very good reputation. Apparently the owner grew tired of the computer business and bought this small restaurant. Both she and her husband cook and wait on the six tables.

A drive through the Mojave Desert with high winds provided some fascinating scenery as the dust could be seen blowing from miles away. We ended up in Barstow, a town that is half way between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Just outside Barstow we visited an old mining town called Calico Ghost Town. Silver was discovered there in the early 1800's. It is now an authentic Wild West Town where you can imagine its past as you roam the streets.

We settled in to the Barstow/Calico KOA for the night. Tomorrow we head for Sequoia National Forest.


Sent from my iPad

April 24, Salton Sea to Joshua Tree National Park

Salton Sea to Joshua Tree National Park

We woke up early this morning to the pleasant sound of a bird choir. A walk to the beach, a wave to the park host, followed by breakfast started the day. Thanks to the bird choir we hit the road early, heading for Joshua Tree National Park. The area we were passing through this morning is  the "date" centre for California, but unfortunately, due to it being Easter Sunday, the date place I wanted to visit was closed. We did, however enjoy the drive through the very affluent areas of Palm Desert and and Palm Springs.

We got to Joshua Tree National Park at around noon and stopped at the visitor centre for some information and maps of hiking areas. We got a pleasant surprise when we were told that entry to the park was free due to it being National Parks Week in California. The Park is a whopping 790,000 acres, with lots of camping, rock climbing and hiking, all affording fantastic views.

Our first stop was Keys View, a look off area, where on a clear day, looking south, you can see all the way to Mexico. The view to the west is blocked by a wall of cloud which we were told is a result of smog from Los Angeles and industrial areas. From this view we also saw the San Andreas Fault line.

Our next stop was a short hike through Hidden Valley, a place where it is thought cattle rustlers would hide out. It truly looks like the setting of an old western with lots of varieties of cactus, some gorgeous desert flowers, and of course, Joshua trees. We did see some wildlife...some kind of rodent, birds, and lizards but fortunately none of the four varieties of rattle snakes found in the park.

The park ranger also recommended the Barker Damn hike, another loop trail that went up and over and around the many enormous boulders in the park. On this hike we saw petroglyphs and one of the very few areas in this desert park where there is water...a very small desert oasis.

We left the park after four hours of exploring and headed to Twentynine Palms RV Resort. A swim in the indoor pool and a shower was refreshing after the heat and dust of the day at Joshua Tree. After dinner we walked to the adjacent golf course and made plans to play nine holes in the morning.

Life is good!


Sent from my iPad

April 23, San Diego to Salton Sea

San Diego to Salton Sea

We pulled out of Chula Vista KOA at around 10 and headed for the gas station and grocery store. After replenishing our supplies we took Highway 94 east, a highway that skirts the Mexican border. In fact, we saw about 30 Border Control Officers and were stopped at two checkpoints. I even asked one officer if I could take his picture. Jokingly  he said, "for five dollars" and laughed as the shutter clicked. I was intrigued by the amount of security along this route. There were dogs, guards, helicopters, barbed wire fences and a very high metal fence at the point where the road actually touches the Mexican border.

The landscape along here was mountains and rocks...lots of rocks. After turning north the landscape change to more desert like and it was hot. We passed through several small towns where all of a sudden we would see lots of vegetation. As soon as we drove out of the town, the vegetation ended and we saw desert again.

We arrived at Salton Sea at around 5. Salton Sea is actually an inland body of water that was formed when irrigation damns broke due to flooding on the Colorado River. The water flowed for 16 months and this lake was formed...40 miles long and 20 miles wide...the largest body of water in California. It is now very salty and is evaporating quicker than it is being replenished and is therefore shrinking. The lake is full of fish and many birds stop here on their north/south flight. We are 228 feet below sea level here.

I had a great chat with the park host, we walked along the beach and stayed well back of the sagebrush because there is a sign indicating that there are rattlesnakes in there! Tomorrow we will visit Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park.


Sent from my iPad

April 22, San Diego

San Diego

Getting to downtown San Diego using public transportation proved to be very easy. Five dollars gets you a full day pass. A five minute walk to a bus stop, a five minute ride and a transfer to a fast train took us to the Gaslamp Quarter. This district consists primarily of restaurants and small shops. We walked around for about thirty minutes and stumbled upon our favorite ways to see a city; a hop on, hop on bus. The tour was narrated by a very entertaining driver. The bus made twelve different stops around the city and we were free to get off and on at any of those stops all day. We certainly saw a lot of San  Diego and put a lot of miles on our sneakers...Old Town, Little Italy, the Seaport, Coronado Island (with some fabulous beaches), Balboa Park and the Embarcadero (Spanish for fort).

San Diego has a great climate. The average temperature is around 70 degrees. The best thing is that it does not vary much. Unfortunately it has been a bit cool of late...cool being in the high 60's. They get very little rain, 10 inches per year if they are lucky. The Colorado River supplies their water.

San Diego was only developed by the Spanish when they felt threatened by of all people, the Russians! San Diego is a navy town where both the Marine Corps and the Navy Seals are trained. Interestingly enough, the Marine Corps training base is just for men but the General in charge of the base is a woman. There are some big ships in the harbor, including the Midway, an enormous aircraft carrier that is now a museum.

We sat in a coffee shop for a long break before heading to Petco Park for a great ball game between the Padres and the Phillies. The park is fairly new and is extremely well laid out. The concourse is wide with concession stands, washrooms and friendly staff everywhere. Cheap tickets are a mere $10 and so it is a very affordable park. They even give a senior discount to those over 60. We were two of over 33,000 in attendance who chose good seats. The Phillies won...2-0.

We found our way back to our RV park using public transportation and a cab. The KOA Park is gated and so we had to use a security code to get in as it was late....but cool to see the gate slide open after punching in a few numbers. After 13 hours in San Diego we were ready for sleep. Tomorrow was going to be Tijuana day but we are rethinking it as the cab driver told us that the waits to come back to the US are very long...up to four hours! We will see what the morning brings.


Sent from my iPad...sure wish I could share some pictures.

April 21, San Diego

San Diego

The freeways and highways we have driven on in California have been in rather bad shape...lots of bumps, cracks and potholes! It is hard to believe that the state with the most vehicles has highways in such conditions. Needless to say, the pots, dishes and cutlery did lots of rattling as we cruised down the freeway to the famous San Diego Zoo.

We arrived at the zoo with no expectations but had read that it is the most visited zoo in North America. The zoo was awesome! In fact, we spent four hours walking around, enjoying the animals. We watched monkeys groom each other, a polar bear eating carrots, pandas enjoying stalks of bamboo, zillions of birds, elephants, zebras, gazelles, hippos, koalas, a dog and a cheetah who are best friends, a month old giraffe and so much more. Did you know that when a giraffe gives birth she does so standing up. Therefore the baby is dropped six feet! This not only cuts the cord, kick starts the breathing. We ended our day at the zoo by taking the aerial ride across the park. This zoo is for kids of all ages.

We made our way to the Chula Vista KOA which is a classy RV campground, complete with pool, spa, and very friendly staff. It was warm and felt great to eat outside under the canopy. A walk around the park and a couple games of "Bananagrams" completed the day.Tomorrow we will use public transportation to get downtown and take in a ballgame at Petco Park.




Sent from my iPad

April 20, Los Angeles to San Diego

Los Angeles to San Diego

We started calling The Ellen Show at 9 am in the hopes of getting tickets for today's show. Unfortunately we didn't get in, so we drowned our sorrows at McDonald's before leaving for San Diego.

Driving through Los Angeles is four lanes of traffic that seems to be never-ending. However, I guess that is to be expected of a city with a population of over three million people. Eventually we got to the Pacific Coast Highway and were able to drive at a more leisurely pace, even though it was still quite busy. Today's view consisted of beaches and more beaches. We stopped at Huntington Beach, walked on the beach and watched some surfers ride the waves.

We arrived at Santa Fe RV Resort in San Diego at around three. After spending the past three nights without power we were glad to plug in, charge the battery, the iPad, the camera battery and the phone. A load of laundry, a game of pool and dinner cooked in the van completed the day. Tomorrow we're going to the San Diego Zoo.



Sent from my iPad

April 18, San Simeon to Oxnard

San Simeon to Oxnard

This morning it felt like waking up at a campsite in Nova Scotia. It was cool and damp because the fog was in on the beach. However, it quickly retreated and the sun came out as we finished our breakfast at the beach and headed south.

Our first stop was Solvang, an authentic Danish town town founded by immigrants from Denmark 100 years ago. We had coffee and some great pastry at a local coffee shop/bakery before heading to the Santa Ynez Mission, one of 21 missions, built in the early 1800's by the Spanish. The Priests brought native families to the missions to try to "civilize" them and turn them into Christians. Many of these adobe structures are both museum sites and parish churches.

In Santa Barbara we stopped at the Mission Santa Barbara which overlooks the city and the ocean. It was all but flattened by the 1812 earthquake. A tidal wave in that same year swept away most of the town. Santa Barbara is a very wealthy looking town where most of the buildings reflect a Spanish style.

From Santa Barbara we drove along the coast to Ventura where we stopped at the marina to look at the ocean and the fishing and pleasure boats at the dock. We ate dinner at a small fish restaurant on the dock.

At Oxnard we got to gaze out at the Channel Islands. Although we didn't see any, we were told that whales frequently travel the coast between the shore and the islands. After a trip to the Public Library to get online for a few minutes we stopped at Starbucks for tea and the it was off to bed. Today was a bust day. Tomorrow, LA.



Sent from my iPad

April 19, Oxnard to Los Angeles

Oxnard to Los Angeles

We are very fortunate to be staying in a friend's driveway...a friend who wanted to show us around LA. The three of us left (in her vehicle)  at around 9 and decided to stop at the Presidential Library of Ronald Reagan. Although I was a bit apprehensive, I was very pleasantly surprised. It was the first time I had ever been to a Presidential Library and am now grateful for the experience. The library contains artifacts, speeches, diaries, film footage, and many personal items from the two terms that Reagan served as president. There was even the suit, with bullet hole and blood stains, that he wore when he was shot.

Reagan's personal story is quite intriguing and although I didn't agree with some of his policies, I have to admit that he was a remarkable man who achieved a lot both during his terms as Governor of California and as President of true United States. The most fascinating part for me was to experience the history of the world during his presidency...everything from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Iran Contra Scandal. The library is indeed a history museum!

Also in this library is Air force One...the actual plane that Presidents used to travel. When the plane was retired it was added to the collection and open for the public to walk through. You can imagine how enormous the building has to be to house an airplane!

The final stop on the tour was the gravesite of Ronald Reagan. Reagan announced in 1994 that he had Alzheimer's. He shared his illness with the world to bring to the forefront the reality of this disease. His wife Nancy took care of him until he died. Included in the library is a letter that Nancy wrote to then President Bush, encouraging him to promote stem cell research.

We left the Presidential library after spending three hours there.

The rest of the day was a decidedly different experience as we headed to Hollywood. We managed to find a place to park, which I understand is nothing short of a miracle in this city, and started walking with heads down as we were on Hollywood Boulevard, reading the names of the stars in the sidewalk. A tour of Hollywood in an open top van gave us a good look at the Hollywood sign, Sunset Boulevard, Rodeo Drive and many houses belonging to the rich and famous including Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, and many, many more.

We drove back to Oxnard via the Pacific Coast Highway and got to see more fabulous homes as well as the Malibu Pier, some sites where "shoots" often take place and some restaurants frequented by Hollywood stars.

After a 12 hour day we were ready for a good night's sleep when we arrived back at the camper. What a fun day!

April 17 Carmel Valley to San Simion

I forgot to mention in yesterday's entry that as we entered downtown Monterey, we came upon a rally...it was a political rally, a Tea Party rally to be exact. We could clearly hear the speaker slamming the government. We knew it was a Tea Party rally because that's what their t shirts said.

This morning we left Carmel Valley at around 10 and headed for Hearst Castle. Since highway 1 is closed due to "slides" we had to find an alternate route. We chose the road less traveled and drove through cattle country and wine country. At times the road was one lane, and the turns were hairpin but the scenery was spectacular.

We arrived at Hearst Castle, which is high on a mountain top overlooking the Pacific Ocean, just in time for our tour. William Randolph Hurst donated this castle and the surrounding land to the State of California so that many could enjoy it. It is now a State Park. Hurst was an extremely wealthy man who not only inherited a fortune but made a fortune. His father's money came from silver and Randolph increased the family fortune in the newspaper business.

After a European tour with his mother when he was ten years old, Randolph became obsessed with antiquities and so began his life long hobby of collecting works of art from around the world. The castle contains works that are as old as any you would find in the great capitals of Europe. Marble statues, ornate ceiling tiles, gold leaf, tapestries, and even an Egyptian statue from 400 AD are just some of the wonderful pieces we saw on our tour.

During it's day the castle had many famous visitors. Mr. Hurst entertained movie stars, industrialists, athletes and the political elite in his "camp hill". As we walked through the dining room and through the guest houses we could almost  hear the sounds of the guests as they left the dining room after dinner and sauntered towards the movie theatre where the evening's entertainment always included a movie. Hurst owned movie studios as well as newspapers. Our tour also included a visit to both the outdoor and indoor pools which looked more like Roman baths than swimming pools.

After three hours at Hurst Castle we made our way to San Simeon State Park where we will stay for the night. There is no power hookup here, but this vehicle has a generator, just in case we need it. We love this RV...stovetop, fridge, microwave, stereo and even a television...all in 19 feet!




Sent from my iPad

April 16, Oakland to Carmel Valley

After breakfast at our hotel in Oakland we got a cab to take us to Apollo RV where we picked up our 19ft RV.  Due to the one hour, detailed  orientation  we left there feeling very confident and thrilled to be on the road. With help of a GPS, navigating out of San Leandro was easy. We headed for the well known scenic route down the coast known as highway 1.  It was easy to tell we were close to Highway 1 when we saw the patches of fog. In spite of the fog, the weather was much warmer than it has been.

Highway 1 led us to scenic Monterey and the very popular 17Mile Drive which begins at Pacific Grove, winds along beaches, through forests and the famous Pebble Beach area. Amongst the spectacular scenery are some of the most expensive homes in California. We stopped a couple of times to admire the scenery and to browse in the shops at Pebble Beach and to take a few pictures.

We had planned to spend the night at Big Sur but Highway 1 near Big Sur is closed due to a mudslide. Our final stop for the day was Carmel By the River RV Park where we settled in for the night.


Sent from my iPad

April 15, Oakland

We met a woman from Oakland while on the Castro walking tour who told us that Oakland was not safe and that we should "never walk" while in Oakland. As you can imagine she had us just a little paranoid as we headed to the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station three blocks from our hotel, to catch the train to Oakland. We knew that we were very safe on the San Francisco side but had no idea what awaited us on the Oakland side.

Needless to say, when we reached our stop in Oakland, we were not mugged, or approached by anyone! We very easily found a cab that took us the 1.5 miles to our hotel. We chose this hotel because it is within walking distance to the Oakland Coliseum, home of the Oakland Athletics. Both the cab driver and the hotel staff told us that it is perfectly safe to walk to the ballpark and walk we did!

The Oakland Coliseum is an old park in a rather run down area of the city, but that didn't take anything away from the great atmosphere inside the park. We had excellent seats, the pitching was great, but unfortunately the home team lost in extra innings. We walked back to our hotel...safe and sound.

April 14, San Francisco

In order to catch the 9:10 ferry to Alcatraz we left the hotel at 7:30. We had decided to walk the 1.5 miles to Pier 33 so that we could experience yet another view of San Francisco. We are urban hikers. The ferry ride was short but afforded a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city. We were again dressed in layers as it was chilly in the harbor and on the island.

Alcatrez was originally built to be a fort in the late 1850's. It was later a military prison until it was decommissioned in 1907. In 1934 it opened as a federal penitentiary where some notorious gangsters, bank robbers and murderers did time, among them Al Capone and Robert Stroud, "The Birdman of Alcatraz". The prison is now a National Park and a natural habitat for thousands of sea birds. The fascinating tour of the island was self guided.

We saw individual cells, solitary confinement, the recreation field, the prisoner's dining hall, the library and the holes in the wall where three prisoners chipped away for over a year to make the hole big enough for an escape. Although they did escape it is not known what happened to them. Some say they got to South America while most believe they perished in the cold current in San Francisco Bay. Outside the walls of the prison there were many birds nesting and lots of flowers making for a very peaceful setting. We stayed on the island for over three hours and thoroughly enjoyed Alcatraz.

April 13 San Francisco

This morning the forecast indicated that we might experience showers and that dressing in layers would be a good idea. Feeling bulky, yet warm we set out to catch a bus to the Presidio and The Golden Gate Bridge. The 30 minute bus ride took us through Japan Town, past the University of San Francisco through the Laurel Heights District to Presidio National Historic Park.

By the time we got to the Bridge, the clouds were gone and the sun was out. It was, however, windy on the bridge but that is of course, the norm. The walk across is about 1.6 miles of spectacular views. I am surprised that I didn't bump into people as it was hard to look where I was going with the incredible view of the Pacific on one side and the city of San Francisco on the other.

We felt like locals as we easily navigated the bus system back to Union Square where we looked for and found the Boudin Bakery Cafe for a very fresh sandwich and a hot bowl of soup. After lunch we joined the other tourists and the locals who spend time sitting on the grass and benches on the square and just watch the world go by.

Although we are not "shoppers" we did walk through Macy's and the Levi's store. With no purchases in hand we walked back to our hotel and labeled the day a resounding success.


Sent from my iPad

April 12 San Francisco

Although we could have taken the bus, we chose to walk an hour to get to the Castro District where we met a walking tour. The city, through the Public Library system, offers tours of various locations throughout the city. The tour group included four from France, one from Italy, one from Germany, two Americans and six Canadians.

Our tour guide told us the history of the district, and pointed out places of interest, including many very expensive Victorian homes. A very nice, but relatively modest home now sells for over one million dollars. The Castro has become a very trendy place to live. Although it is still considered the gay capital of the USA, the population of the Castro is aging and changing so that now, rather than all, only 75per cent of homes are gay owned. The Castro became well known in the 60's and 70's as the place where people campaigned and fought for gay rights. Harvey Milk lived here, served as a district supervisor and was shot, along with Mayor Moscone in 1978. A park is named after Harvey, along with several shops and most notably an elementary school that focuses on civil rights education.

  After lunch at a restaurant where the locals eat, we chose the bus as our mode of transport back to our hotel. After a two hour rest, we set out on foot again,this time for A T & T Park where the World Series winning San Francisco Giants played their arch rivals the LA Dodgers. It was a great game with the Dodgers going ahead 3 - 0, before the Giants came alive and won the game 4 - 3. It was very cold and windy at A T & T Park tonight...a mere 45 American degrees! Even so, it was a treat to experience this famous ballpark; to see the boats in McCovey Cove and sit amongst the fanatic Giants fans as they chanted and cheered for their team. Thankfully the ride home was warm. The bus driver had the heaters on full blast.

April 11 San Francisco

Up early for coffee and muffins in the lobby of our quaint hotel, The Grant. Although cool this morning (about 50 American) it looks like it will be a nice day. We thought we were going to take a "hop on, hop off" bus tour but after waiting almost an hour at the stop and no tour bus came, we decided to walk. We discovered that San Francisco is easy to see on foot as long as you don't mind very steep hills.

Our first stop was the 210 foot tall Coit Tower, built with money left to the city by philanthropist Lillie Coit. The tower is in the shape of a fire hose nozzle because Lilly so admired the firefighters who fought the 1906 earthquake fires. The views from the top of the tower are spectacular.

A walk down Telegraph Hill led us to the Piers where we found Sally's Famous Fish, a take out that specializes in fresh haddock "fishwiches" prepared before your eyes. It was by far the freshest haddock I have ever tasted! After lunch we set out on foot again and ended up at the Ghirardeli Chocolate factory where we forced ourselves (because of the rave reviews) to try their very special hot fudge sundae...yum!

Needing to walk off all that food we decided to tackle the steepest street in San Francisco...Hyde Street with a 31.5 per cent grade. On the way up we stopped to watch cars navigating the "crookedest street in the world, Lombard Street. Its eight switchbacks were installed to reduce the steep grade from 27 per cent to 16 per cent.

Walking all the way to Civic Centre we were thrilled to take pictures of each other next to the bust of Harvey Milk at City Hall. We also witnessed a couple of weddings and could hear the council in session behind closed doors.

Walking through the Tenderloin District we noticed many homeless people but were only approached by a few. We did, however see a dead body on the sidewalk with two police officers standing near her. It was a shocking sight but no one around us seemed shocked! People were just going about their business.

On our walk back to the hotel we stopped at a small market and bought a few items for our fridge. With sore feet and tired eyes we ended our first full day of exploring the streets of San Francisco.



Sent from my iPad

April 10 San Francisco

Up at 3:30 this morning. Flight at 6:30 on time. Flight at 10:00 in Toronto on time. Long flight but watched "Incindes" and two episodes of "Raising Hope."

We arrived at Grant Hotel, checked in and headed down the street to catch the cable car. The cable car stops in the middle of the intersection to pick up and let people off. We walked around the extremely touristy Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. Ate a freshly prepared shrimp crepe and watched the sea lions fight for space on the docks.

Got to ride the cable car "hanging on" on the way back from the wharf.
Exhausted, we returned to the hotel and worked at staying awake. As I write this and keep one eye on the ball game on tv, I see that although it is 7 pm here, my internal clock tells me that I have been awake for 18 hours. I will soon be ready to just give in and fall asleep. San Francisco will be explored further tomorrow, possibly using a "hop on hop off" bus so that we can see all the highlights in one day.

Off to California on April 10!