A whirlwind tour of San Francisco and around the Marin Headlands…
We always look forward to the trip we internally call “SF Tour”. It’s close by, there’s lots to see and do, and the kids are always really engaged. We decided to shake things up this year, and go to San Francisco and the Marin Headlands in January. It’s been a wetter winter than we’ve become accustomed to, so we’ve come to appreciate the sunshine on the past couple trips.
Our first stop was Lombard Street. We drove down, then hiked back up for a little more personal experience. The only disappointment was we didn’t see any parrots! Normally, we would then head down to Fort Point, but unfortunately the government shutdown took that opportunity from us this year. We replaced it by visiting the “Wave Organ” (better to visit during high tide, apparently), and spending a little more time at the Palace of Fine Arts. The highlight there was a busking accordionist who shared his bird seed with us. We spent a good half hour feeding the pigeons and enjoying walking around the pond and structures.
Walking on the Golden Gate Bridge is always an adventure, with thousands of tourists, and thousands of cars just a few feet away. But it’s such a unique experience, and it never really gets old. We waved at the cars and trucks, and cheered for every honk we got.
Our experience at The Marine Mammal Center was different this time. We were a little early to see elephant seals, and they were doing some work on the main pens. So part of our tour included a look at some of the back side pens, which we’d never had access to before. Silently, we crept along the wall, and peeked in on a few sea lions pups.
Finally, we ended our day above the Golden Gate at Battery Spencer. The traffic pattern on Conzelman Road has been re-configured to allow for more parking, so our walk was much shorter. We scrambled around among the ruins, jumped from building to building, and enjoyed the views from the headlands. As the sun disappeared behind the clouds, the temperatures dropped 10 degrees, and we were ready to head home.
We’ve been grateful for the rain, and the snow that we hope is piling up in the Sierras for next month’s sledding trip. Also grateful for wonderful chaperones, and several who continue to support us financially.
We trust you are well, and appreciate you following along with us as we adventure this year! Check out the video below if you have a minute–there’s a fun ukulele song in it that we love.
PS: T-shirt order time is upon us! Watch your inbox for this year’s amazing design, and your opportunity to order.
Talk to you soon!
You know the video is always fun!