This post is about Alcatraz Island. So if you were hoping that I was writing about the wrestler/actor Dwayne Johnson who happens to also have the same nickname, you will be very disappointed. While my mom was visiting us a couple weeks ago we toured Alcatraz in San Francisco. This was something I'd wanted to do for a long time, so I was really excited. And since I like to have a soundtrack to my life, here's what's playing in my head right now:
I love the dog drinking out of the water fountain. And the abundance of mustaches.
We took a ferry from Pier 33 (about 20 minutes) and when we arrived to the island it definitely felt a little creepy. We were free to roam the island on our own so for most of our exploring there were very few people around us (the exception was the cell house). This, combined with the cold, wind, and fog made it seem pretty eerie.
The audio tour of the cell house was really good and much preferred over a guide with a canned speech. It was told by the actual guards and prisoners who experienced the prison firsthand and guided listeners around the cell house, explaining what each area was used for and also the stories of events that happened in each area.
Between B and C blocks
Shower room
Solitary confinement cell
Regular 5x9 cell
The cafeteria
When we finished the cell house tour, we walked around the grounds and saw several different buildings including the morgue and the residential apartments (where the workers' families lived). I thought the view of the city from the island was really cool. There are night tours of Alcatraz and if we ever go back, that is what we'll do. I bet the view of the city is really amazing then, and can you imagine how scary it would feel after the sun sets?!
We just wrapped up a great week with my mom who came to visit. It was a busy week so here's the quick highlights. In San Francisco we biked the Golden Gate Bridge (into Sausalito where
we also biked around and shopped), visited Pier 39 and Fisherman's
Wharf, and also toured Alcatraz (we'll be back in a bit with more
on that!).
We spent a day in the Napa/Sonoma area tasting wine and olive oils. The following picture is taken at Clos Pegase winery in Calistoga.
We also toured the Winchester Mystery House (really lame), saw The Help at the movies (really good), did some shopping, and spent a lot of time playing with Hazel. Here's a taste of these two love birds together:
My favorite thing we did was have tea at this adorable Victorian tea room. Along with our tea we had scones, tea sandwiches, and pastries. So cute (and delicious)!
So that was the trip in a nutshell! We had a great time and can't wait until our next visit.
And movies, too. Read on and you'll see what I mean. This weekend we set out for another camping adventure. We stayed in Sonoma County's Austin Creek State Recreation Area. That wasn't our intended camping location, however. Allow me to start at the beginning...
We first had reservations to stay at a campground just south of Austin Creek. We headed out early on Friday afternoon in an attempt to avoid the bay area traffic. Insert the wah-wah sound here. We are learning that it really doesn't matter what time you travel around here; Interstate driving is always sucky (yeah, that's about the best adjective I could find to describe it). So here's a picture to put to how the drive felt:
It took us almost 4 hours to get to our first destination (a trip we intended to do in under 2). But the traffic wasn't the only thing to blame. We actually missed our exit and managed to take the Bay Bridge into San Francisco, adding time and a toll to our trip that we really didn't want. The only good part about the unexpected detour was our ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. Any time I'm in San Francisco or think about the Golden Gate Bridge the Full House theme song starts playing in my head (you've seen this before in this post). And so I couldn't help pulling out my phone and playing the song from You Tube as we crossed over into Sausalito.
Oddly enough, our 4 hour trip seemed more grueling than the 40 hour drive from Panama City Beach to San Jose. Anyway, when we got to the campground where we had a reservation, we decided there was no way we could stay there. In fact, we peeled out of their parking lot so quickly that I didn't even have time to snap a photo. Picture an entire RV park of Cousin Eddie's. Then visualize our "campsite" being just an extension of the playground full of Cousin Eddie's offspring. So off we were to find another location.
Thankfully we found Austin Creek State Recreation Area about 15 miles north. This place had the campy feel we were looking for (read: no Cousin Eddies or even an RV in sight). Plus it was tucked in a redwood grove. We did all of our normal camping things: hiked around, built a fire, played cards, etc...
Among the Redwoods
The next day we headed to the town of Guerneville and walked around and down to the Russian River. We also went to the Sonoma Coast State Beach and Goat Rock Beach, where the final scene of one of my favorite movies, The Goonies, was filmed. It was a normal foggy day on the Pacific coast, so it was just like in the movie. It had me breaking out all kinds of Goonies one liners like "Goonies never say die" and "Heeey, You Guuuys!!" and "Rocky... Roooad?" The rocks along the coast were really amazing and while I kept expecting to see the pirate ship sail out from behind them, sadly, it never happened.
Our Pic
Movie Scene
Our Pic
Movie Scene
My favorite love seen ever in a movie.
We spent Sunday again at Niles Park. Hazel enjoyed the lake and we laid on our blanket and read. We came home and watched another great episode of Entourage. There are only 6 left until the series ends. That will be a very sad day.
Cousin Eddie, Goonie, and Entourage images found here, here, here, and here.
