San Francisco

I haven't been on a vacation in a really long time. We've been on a few trips, but I haven't been on a full blown vacation from everything in I can't even tell you how long. Here are some pictures from San Francisco. No kids, no schedules, no worries. Well, maybe a few bus & trolley worries and a few weird guy worries. I had a great time, and a HUGE thanks to Mike and Dianne for making this all possible.

On the corner of Haight/Ashbury, just before I got my tattoo & bong.


Dianne at the Aquarium at the Bay. This was really cool, except that the octopus died earlier this week. What are the odds? Must have known we were coming.

Our cruise ship that took us under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz--which means Pelican in Spanish. Just trying to educate.

Almost under the bridge. It was so cold & windy until we turned around then it was nice.


Why are we so happy? We've turned around and the wind is gone & the sun is warm. But the hair damage has been done. Oh and that's the bridge in the background.

That is Alcatraz behind my big head. I hate this picture, but in the interest of showing everything I am putting it in. Be kind.
Can you see Dianne? This is right after our encounter with the "bushman." Somehow we thought he would actually be hiding in the bushes, not hiding behind a branch. Oh well, it got the heart pumping.

Dianne is enjoying a dragon parade in China Town. We were there for the Autumn Moon festival. It celebrates something. I am sure it is something worth celebrating, I just don't know what. China Town is where I purchased the Pokemon cards that have made me a hero. Isn't that a weird souvenir request?

Coit tower. We walked long and hard to get to this place. I am going to write a strongly worded letter to the city of San Francisco about their mass transit system. No buses going up? Really, work with us here. (Note, I am sure the bus 39 must go up because that is what we took to get down, but it never passed us going up and we weren't walking that fast). At least there was an elevator almost to the top of the tower. Dianne didn't appreciate the operator's humor that the elevator only went up one floor. I was afraid I might have to pack her up on my back. But we only had a few stairs to climb. The view of the city was pretty amazing, even on a rainy day.


Curse you, San Francisco Trolley system! In an attempt to lessen our walking, we tried to take the trolley. We were passed by 6 full trolleys in our uphill walking adventure to Lombard Street. Note the tree lined street at the top of the picture. That is the other side of Lombard that we walked in order to get to Coit Tower. It is much steeper in real life. Believe me! Bus 39, where were you?? Yes, this was all in one day.
At the bottom of Lombard Street. It was nice to walk down something for a change.



This photo is for Zack's enjoyment. He is ready to pack his bags and head for this flower wonderland. At the Flower Conservatory we saw the deadly flowers like the Venus Fly Trap. I thought it was cool. Zack didn't like the "mean flower" pictures so they are not included.

The Japanese Gardens. I don't really have much to say. They were pretty. I just felt like they should be included.

You can't go to San Francisco and not get a picture of a trolley. Sadly, this is the best one. The trolley went right past our hotel making it easy to get anywhere. Except of course when we needed to go uphill. (I've got to believe that all the walking toned things up. )