San Francisco, and the beginning of the end

We take a day to explore, as Tony Bennett called it, "The City By The Bay. " and also start for home.

Day Eleven – I Didn’t Leave My Heart in San Francisco, Only My Money.


This was the leisure day, after a lot of traveling, visiting and sightseeing.  The original plans were to go to Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf, but we decided to start on the Wharf.  We took the electric streetcar system, they were all old restored trolleys from various cities now getting new life in San Francisco.

I had been to this area in 1959 and through old movies, thought I knew what was there. I was wrong. Very wrong.  A big pier area with shops, eating places and a couple of street performers. We did see a big seal gathering on floating rafts, really quite a sight.  Pictures were taken with the Golden Gate in the background, and shared with family and friends.  Cell phones were repaired. Postcards were sent to the boys. After a few hours at the wharf, we trolleyed back toward the hotel, stopping early to walk along some of the street vendors along Market Street.  A walk back to the hotel was shorter and flatter than anticipated and dinner was in the room in preparation for the trip home tomorrow morning.

Day Twelve – Take The Long Way Home

After checkout at the Marriott, we had about a four block walk to the Transbay Terminal.  This is the starting point for Greyhound and bus connections to all Amtrak facilities near San Francisco. Memo to Amtrak #3 – The bus driver is not supposed to be playing with his check in device while driving.  He dropped it towards the end of the trip, and I thought for a minute he was going to bend over to pick it up while driving this big-ass bus.  We were dropped off at the Emeryville Amtrak station early and had about an hour wait before boarding the California Zephyr.

The train left on time and after going through the expected industrial sections, opened up with some great views of the Back Bay Area.  The first stop of any length will be in Sacramento.  Since we are in the last room of the last car, the ride is smooth and quiet, and am able to take pictures out the back window.

I think I have finally determined where the term “awe inspiring” comes from.  This stretch through the Sierra Nevada’s from Sacramento to Reno can truly be said as awe inspiring. Lots of tunnels, both long and not so long, and wooded mountains near and far.  Even though we’re at the end of the last car of the train, lots of our fellow riders want to use the windows outside our room to take pictures from.  A note about pictures from inside a train – very often the sun casts reflections on the windows and that can really distract from what could be a keeper of a picture.  It seems to be better out the hallway window than from the windows in the room.

After the spectacular scenery of the Sierra Nevada, and central and eastern California, the state of Nevada is, well, kind of boring.  Started out with mountains, sure, but mountains of a different sort – brown and red hues and back to an abundance of sage.  Now, more into a desert landscape.  All in all, a whole bunch of nothing.