San Francisco
March 5 --- March 19
To tell you all the truth I got lazy editing my photos and had a guest in the van for a few weeks so the blog was put on the back burner to simmer for a little while.
The last time we all caught up I was leaving Northern California after getting my power steering replaced. I am happy to report that even after putting 1,000+ miles on the van all is well! My plans to travel down HWY-1 were once again disrupted by storm damage and icy conditions. I instead cruised south on HWY-5 to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area!
I tried to go for a little bike ride to the bridge deck but quickly realized that my single-speed bike was not going to make it up the hills (cause my legs could have totally handled it...) After a short .5-mile ride I decided to go for a walk instead :)
The next day I went to the coast just south of San Francisco where to my surprise I found paragliders dotting the coastline.
The wind gusts of 32 mph allowed them to glide endlessly through the sky. The ocean was gorgeous and I can't recommend the west side of San Francisco enough!
The next week or so I spent hanging out in Daly City which is just south of San Fran. I spent a lot of time at libraries, playing basketball, and driving around the hills.
I spent St. Patricks Day biking around downtown and watching the parade that ran down market street. Biking in San Fran is not for the faint of heart, they have some serious hills! I also spent an evening watching the Bucks play the Warriors outside of Chase Stadium. They have a nice sitting area with a huge screen showing the game outside the stadium. It was a neat way to see the basketball game and not pay a dime!
I spent almost 2 weeks parking in the same little spot in Broadmoor. Thank you residents of Broadmoor for not calling the police on me, I had a wonderful stay in your neighborhood!
I went for a few hikes at the San Bruno Mountain State Park which offers gorgeous views of South San Fran and the surrounding areas. Also, a cool view of the airport where I would be heading in a few days to pick up our special guest, Sam!!
The first morning after Sam arrived in San Fran we drove to Twin Peaks with Krispy Kreme to watch the F1 race and enjoy the landscape views of downtown! You can also see the Golden Gate Bridge from the further northern peak which only makes it a better spot to see the best of San Fran.
We continued our day by visiting the Fort Mason Center Farmers' Market where they had lots of pottery and overpriced vintage jackets. We walked along the bay to visit Fishermans Wharf and more specifically to get lunch at Boudin's Bakery. If you need a good food spot while doing all your touristy things in San Fran head to Boudins!! The sandwiches are fantastic and the bread is even better.
We spent the next few days going to the deYoung Museum (highly recommend), eating Phở at Kevin's Noodle House(VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND), and seeing these Painted Ladies on the street.
The last night before we planned to leave the San Fran area for our next planned destination of Big Sur we went for a wonderful sunset walk in the Golden Gate Recreation Area. The views of the bridge and ocean were stunning and we discovered an old bath house on the coast!
The next morning we woke up and headed to the library so Sam could work and I could go get an oil change. Everything seemed fine at this point and we were excited to see the coast and head to Big Sur! We went to lunch (Kevin's noodles again, it is that good) and when we came out it was pouring rain with strong winds... I can't seem to escape my bad weather trend. After visiting 3 gas stations that had all lost power and looking at the flooding reports/road closures along the coast we decided to once again change plans! Our next stop after Big Sur was a house in Palm Desert to spend the week with Sam's family. The weather looked wonderful and it was only a 9-hour drive so we decided to strap in and cruise to warmer weather.
Next time on the blog...
Hanging out in La Quinta, hiking in the desert, my first time on an ATV, and lots more!
Thank you all for reading the blog! Be ready for a few more posts this week to fill in the rest of March!
