TRAVELOGUE NO. 3
PACIFIC COASTAL CRUISE LOS ANGELES TO VANCOUVER
MONDAY, 10, 2010 – Sausalito and Muir Woods out of San Francisco
As we sailed north out of Santa Barbara, the Captain told us the winds were in excess of 40-50 knots. Believe me, it was a rocky night for sure. We were told that Sapphire Princess would slow down and pick up our pilot to go into San Francisco Bay around 7:00 in the morning. We were up early and did not want to miss the beautiful sight of sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.
The weather could not have been more perfect, other than it being a bit cool up on deck with the winds blowing against us, it was a perfect morning. The clouds above us stayed away, so we had a bit of sunshine shining down on us. As we approached the harbor, we passed by The Cliff House Restaurant and Seal Rock which are perched out on a bluff south of Golden Gate Park. I was lucky enough to go to The Cliff House when I was a teenager back in the 1960’s, and I remember the view as being spectacular. On the left side of the ship as we entered the bay we passed by a lighthouse which greeted us with its shining beacon every ten seconds or so. The Golden Gate Bridge was in complete view to us and most of the passengers (I think) were either standing out on their balconies or up on deck with the rest of us to enjoy the magnificent structure we were gliding under her at about 7:45 a.m. We had a mere 38 feet clearance above the funnel of the ship when we passed under her about a mile south of Alcatraz Island. The ship’s horn blew as we passed under and couples kissed each other in true tradition of sailing under the bridge. The Captain very delicately brought us in to Pier 27 just slightly east of Pier 39 without even touching the wooden dock on either side of the Sapphire Princess.
Our tour today was of Sausalito and the Muir Woods. We chose this because neither of us could ever remember being there before. We were gathered in a group down in the Princess Theater and then walked out to the gangway where we walked through a barren metal terminal building and over to our motor coaches. Ours was a 44 passenger coach with a tour conductor, Dave and our driver, Vince. Once everyone was on board and comfortable, we headed through the Embarcadero and past Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square and the Presidio on to the Golden Gate Bridge. Just after we came to the far edge of the bridge, we pulled into one of the viewing parking lots to get some pictures. By this time, the clouds had come in and were threatening rain above us. Just as we got off the coach, the rain began to sprinkle and those of us with umbrellas promptly opened them. Jim and I first walked to an oval granite area where a bronze figure of The Lone Sailor was proudly standing facing the Bridge with the American and California flags proudly flying behind him on a white flag pole. As we turned around to see the view the Lone Sailor had, we immediately saw the magnificent red/orange painted Golden Gate Bridge. Though it was raining and the clouds were lowering closer to the ground as if in a fog, we were still able to take a few nice pictures of the Bridge and see the full expansion of it. Both sides of the Bridge were full of commuters on their way to work to start their day. The Golden Gate Bridge is a toll bridge, but you only pay a toll as you return back into San Francisco.
Our tour then continued north and then took off on the very winding road to the Muir Woods. It was pouring rain at this point. We climbed up a hill and then very carefully, Vince drove down the other side being careful to pull over in the turn outs so the cars backed up behind us could pass by safely. As we drove further and further down into the canyon, the trees became denser and the undercover foliage became thick with gorgeous ferns and wild flowers. We saw a few redwood trees but not many before we got to the National Park. The Muir Woods were purchased by William and Elizabeth Kent, who bought the land to preserve and protect one of the last stands of uncut redwoods in this area. To ensure the permanent protection of the area, they donated 295 acres to the federal government; and in 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the area a national monument. At Mr. Kent’s request, the area was named for the conservationist John Muir. John Muir wrote Mr. Kent a letter thanking him for the gift to the government and for naming it after him and said “This is the best tree-lover’s monument that could possibly be found in all of the forests in the world.” What is ironic about that statement is that at the front entrance to The Muir Woods, there is a plaque designating a specific area for demonstrations under the First Amendment. Who would protest such a thing?
As we walked along the heavy wooden planks that marked the trail, the rain began to gently mist above us. We were somewhat protected by the canopy of the trees above; but we did pull out the umbrella as the rain began to fall harder. Both Jim and I commented to ourselves that this was the first time in years that we were consciously “walking in the rain”…and a beautiful walk it was. The wooden planked walkway is lined with redwood railings so as to keep you on the path. You are not allowed to venture off on your own. We crossed over a gently babbling brook on Bridge No. 1 and then continued through the forest. The rays of sun would gently come through the trees every once in awhile; but most of the time, it was dark because of the clouds and the rain. The forest floor was thick with luscious ferns and a small ground cover called redwood sorrel that has leaves that almost look like clover and delicate pink flowers about the size of a quarter. If you stopped and just took a deep breath, you could not help smell the freshness of the rain on the redwoods. It was completely relaxing for both of us. There was no agenda for us and no group to keep up with – which enabled me to stop and take pictures whenever I wanted. The groves of redwoods were magnificent as they seemed to reach to the sky.
The shade loving undergrowth thrives under the redwood canopy above. Besides the ground cover, there were a couple of other wild flowers growing on the forest floor.
The redwoods love the rain and soak up every bit they can then release it when it is necessary for the environment. The tallest of the redwoods stands 252 feet in the air and is over 14 feet wide. Many of these trees were 1,000 years old or more; but the majority of them are about 500 to 800 years old. As we walked along the path to Bridge No. 2, the rain began falling harder and we quickened our pace so we didn’t get totally soaked. But, I still had to stop and take pictures all along the way. There was a nice gift shop near the entrance of the park along with a coffee counter where the majority of our other passengers were crowded around getting a bite to eat and something warm to drink.
As we left the Muir Woods, we headed southwest and through a valley here a very famous Zen farm is located. You can go there and “work” in exchange for your lodging or a reduced rate. The brand name of their natural vegetables and bakery goods is Green Gulch. Dave told us these items are sold all over the state – and one of the most famous supporters of the Zen Center is former California Governor, Jerry Brown.
We continued out the windy road; but the clouds seemed to be stalling, and the rain subsided. I cannot even begin to imagine driving either of these roads in the thick, San Francisco fog! In fact, Dave said there are several cars at the bottom of the gulch that didn’t make it.
Our afternoon continued by arriving in the quaint seaside town of Sausalito. With its many sidewalk cafés and homes built on the side of the hill, the view of San Francisco was spectacular. We walked down the street about two blocks to the Yee Chee Park, where there were hanging baskets full of blooming flowers above us on the lamp posts. We walked out to the edge of the concrete sea wall where we were joined by several birds looking for scraps of food. After that, we headed back along the other side of the street where we passed a park with a monument of elephants on either side of the steps going up to a large oval fountain. This was given to the City of Sausalito by its sister city in Chile. We’re not quite sure what the significance of the elephants is – but – whatever…The rain began to fall once again just before we were supposed to get back on the coach and head back to the ship. By the time we reached San Francisco and the pier, it was raining again. Several people got off the coach and went on to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf to enjoy a little more shopping and some yummy clam chowder. We opted to head back to the ship to get out of our wet clothes.
Late in the afternoon before we left port, Jim noticed a double rainbow gracing us outside off of our balcony on the port (left) side of the ship. This rainbow literally started from right beside the ship and made a full circle above us over towards The Bay Bridge. Then, magically, another rainbow appeared almost shadowing the first all around. We could hear many passengers telling their friends and family to go out and see the rainbow. It was a perfect end to a perfect day.
We left San Francisco and sailed out past Alcatraz Island and lighthouse and again under The Golden Gate Bridge and headed north into very rough seas. The Captain said the swells “might” be a little rough during the night. And so it was! We passed the lighthouse at Point Reyes and continued on our way.
We enjoyed dinner at Table 55 in the International Dining Room with our six other table companions. I had some delicious pasta with a red lobster sauce for my appetizer while Jim enjoyed French Onion Soup. We both had veal scaloppini cordon bleu as our main course.
Tomorrow we have a “day at sea” and will be enjoying “The Ultimate Ship Tour” – something special I purchased for Jim and me to do. We will actually get to go onto “the bridge”!!
Safe travels!
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