October 2008
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Monteray Bay – San Francisco – Golden Gate – Alcatraz – Fort Point – Napa Valley

October 4th, 2008 |

Author: Stefan

MONTERAY BAY – SAN FRANCISCO –

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE – ALCATRAZ – FORT POINT – PRESIDIO – NAPA VALLEY

From Yosemite it was pretty straight forward west on the highway to reach the coast again. I decided that I wanted to visit the famous (for me at least) Monterey Bay Aquarium. This was a HUGE disappointment. It was PACKED with people and it was not very big as I had imagined.
If you would like to visit this aquarium I would suggest to go mid-week!

I spent the night in a hotel in Monterey, and I actually went out for a couple of drinks and shaking the hairy ones (the legs that is) at a nightclub and met some cool people to chat to…

The morning after was really nice, I went down to the beach and just sat there watching the waves coming in, people running by, playing with their dogs and in the distance I could hear seagulls screaming along with the harbour seals.

I loved that hour or so I spent there!

It was time to move on, I had reservations for two night at a hotel in downtown San Francisco so, up up and away!!

The drive into San Fran was gorgeous, the architecture is amazing and all the small shops and the diversity of the origin of all the people living there, make San Fran to one of the few cities that I enjoyed and loved from the very beginning.

I found the hotel without any problems and was checked in fairly soon. I went for a small walk in the surrounding area and found a nice place to get some good food.

The last couple of days I had felt something growing in my throat but after calling a doctor around town, and they letting me know that a visit would cost me $300 I just laughed at them and hung up the phone.

After a good night sleep, I was set to become a inmate for the day of Alcatraz Island!
Before departing to the Rock, I walked around downtown San Fran, Fishermans Wharf and few of the “must see’s”. I found some old maritime park with some old bargeboats and such, it was interesting to see and having a look at those cars from the 30s and 40s they were carrying.

I alsmost missed the ferry to Alcatraz, it was a HUGE line ups, but luckily I had pre-ordered and I going go on the red-carpet to an empty window to collect my tickets. I must say that the interpretation audiotour thay have made out there are fenomenal! Very well done, and you can really FEEL the history when you go there… The tour guided you personally through a headset and an ipod type of device and your tour was not taken the same way as everyone else… So you didn’t move with the crowd, you went your own little way, still covering all the same as everyone else, which was pretty cool!

After spending yet another night at the hotel, I went to see Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Point and Presidio before I continued my trip north by driving over the so famous red bridge.

I turned inland a little bit so I could enjoy a tour of Napa Valley at Robert Moldavi winery. See the pics and the movieclip about my reflections about this.

I drove for a lot of hours and I didn’t find a campground until late that night… I did however totally deckout that night… I woke up, I kid you not, 14(!!)hours later in the middle of a giant Redwood forest!

Next stop was the coast with Redwood National Forest and Park…

YouTube clips from this part of the trip includes:

Monterey Aquarium

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=wAr3c1TGZOg

Monterey Bay Beach

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=BVI0KeE3WNg

Santa Cruz – views along the Pacific Coast Highway

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=0-7qYLkkM8g

Entering San Francisco

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=dOVhEaygkqE

Inside Alcatraz

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=H04LQVBLPSQ