Trip to San Francisco

On Sunday morning we were treated to a nice brunch and then we sadly packed the car to leave the Estate and head up the coast! We chose to drive the longer route so that we could enjoy what was supposed to be one of the most beautiful drives in America. It was awesome!

We did not get far up "The 1 " before we had to stop and take a few pictures!! Wow, this place was beautiful!

( Click on Any of the Pictures to enlarge them to full size!)

This is an attempt to capture the before and after of a crashing wave.

After a nice 30 min break to take in the scenery, we hopped back in the car and cruised up the coast just a bit more.

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Just another picture perfect spot that

we had to pull over and enjoy for awhile.

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We love how these cliffs just drop

off into the water!

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ACROSS THE RIVER

We traveled on up the 1 until we got to the point that it was closed due to a land slide, so we cut East for a bit through the mountians and ended up crossing this body of water. Michele took pictures out the window of the car while Stephen drove.

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San Francisco

Once we finally made it into the big city, our first task was to locate our hotel. After a quick switch to Michele driving and Stephen navigating we made there with no problem. We checked in and then decided to head to the big tourist spots to see what down town had to offer. We instantly learned of one of San Francisco's largest problems- the lack of parking!! After driving around for about 25 minutes we finally parked in a pay garage under Ghirardelli Square (named for the famous chocolate factory - which is no longer there, but they do have several chocolate stores.)

Once got parked in Ghirardelli Square the first thing we did was get a nice bowl of hot Clam Chowder- one of the things San Franciscio is famous for. Then we stolled around the square for awhile and came upon this band.

They are a Scottish Celtic Band called Silent Planet who had some very good songs, so we sat in the sunshine and listend to them for nearly half an hour.

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After picking up a new CD from the band, we walked down to Pier 39- one of the best known tourist spots in the area. First we hopped the trolley for a quick photo shoot, then stopped by a salt water taffy store for a few treats . The bottom two pictures are Alcatraz Island on the left and the Sea Lions on the right.

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Palace of Fine Arts

After watching the 2 sea lions, we retreated for a cup of hot apple cider (it was exciting that we were cold enough to drink it!) Then we headed back to the car to hit the next tourist spot of San Francisco- the Palace of Fine Arts

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Lombard Street

"The Crookedest Street in the World"

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After leaving the Palace of Fine Arts, we headed to another San Francisco landmark- Lombard Street. It is basically a quarter mile hill with a one way road that just curves back and forth. Stephen drove while Michele was able to shoot pictures out the window.

Back to the Hotel
After sitting in traffic for about half an hour to do the little drive, we decided that it was time to grab some dinner and head back to the hotel to turn in for the evening. We were pleasently surprised to have a nice bay view (kinda) from out of room.

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NEXT STOP NAPA VALLEY

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