San Francisco is a big, famous city. Everyone vacations there, and everyone knows what to see while they’re there. Well… almost everyone. When we first arrived we didn’t really know what to do. Going over the bridge from Oakland we got our first taste of the busy city—six lanes of bumper-to-bumper California traffic. It was a big change compared to the lonely highways we’d been driving. We drove through the city, along streets and avenues, looking at parks that we couldn’t go to because there wasn’t any parking. It got frustrating.
We finally got out the gps and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge because we knew that would be fun. We grabbed our cameras and followed a little footpath through some trees... and there it was. We smiled, glad to be out of the car, and walked out on the bridge. Before we got even 1/8th of the way out the wind became quite noticeable. I was wearing a skirt. So I have my camera in one hand, I’m texting and holding my skirt with the other, and all the while I’m getting run over by cyclists. It was about this time that we realized all the pedestrians were on the other side of the bridge. This was the first time we made it obvious that we were tourists. By then we were a good 1/3rd of the way out on the bridge and the wind was even crazier, it was blowing our shirts now too. We were laughing at ourselves for being on the wrong side, for wearing inappropriate clothing, and for being such awesome tourists. We never made it across the bridge, but that was okay because we had an awesome experience. Things learned: the wind on the Golden Gate bridge is strong enough to leave you naked—wear pants and a belt, no skirts or scarves for sure. And watch for pedestrian signs too.
After the bridge we wandered some more, got the oil changed, and started to look for something else to do. We decided to pay tribute to the Decemberists by visiting the places from their song Grace Cathedral Hill. Getting there was interesting… it’s a one of those streets you would see in the movies. You know, the kind that goes straight uphill. Scary! But Steph is an awesome driver, so we were fine. No one honked, or yelled, or got run over. Good job Stephanie. The cathedral was beautiful, and we took tons of pictures. We took our iPods with us, listening to the song over and over as we walked around. In my opinion, it was the best part of the day. The Hyde Street Pier was closed, but we were still able to sneak a photo and listen to the song again.
The next day we began our drive up California 1. The Decemberists also have a song about CA-1 so of course we listened to it a lot too. Again we found ourselves saying, “This is the best part yet!” The road winds along the shore, occasionally dipping inland over hills and pastures. The air smells salty and fresh. At every curve there is another spectacular view—Giant boulders sitting in the shallows with waves crashing against them, sending sea spray high into the air, and fields of flowers that suddenly turn into cliffs. It was very beautiful. We stopped often to take pictures, and took some out the window as well. That night we camped at Patrick’s Point State park, in the southern part of the Redwoods, and played along the shore while the sun sunk below the horizon. Stephanie saw a seal, I got attacked by a wave, and we both froze our butts off. It was a really good day. Oh, except for the cost. Its $27.50 to camp anywhere in California and we had to pay for our showers too. : /
The next day we waved farewell to California and headed up the coast of Oregon. For breakfast we had delicious Chai Spiced Tea from a gas station where we bummed hot water. The drive was similar to the California coast, and just as amazing. We stopped at the Sea Lion Caves, only to discover they wanted 11 bucks to walk down the trail. We politely declined and kept driving. Two seconds down the road there was a pull-off where we saw, smelled, and photographed the sea lions for free. It was a triumphant moment. We drove for about 9 hours that day, through picturesque coastal towns, and eventually drove inland to one of our main destinations—Portland.
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If you passed Manzanita (which you probably did even if you didn't notice) you passed where we honeymooned!
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