California National Parks of the Sierras - Trip Report - Days 10 through 13
Day 10 - Friday 6/29 – Back to the city
We were up early to pack as today we leave the parks and head back to “civilization.” Blueberry pancakes at the food court, then back to the room to load up for the trip to San Francisco. While loading the car, a Western Tanager flew in to wish us farewell, but was not willing to sit still long enough for a portrait. We headed over to the main building to check out at 8:50. I waited in the car while Lynn went into the check-out. She was chuckling when she walked back to the car. Seems that the tourists in front of her were grilling the lady working the front desk about the waterfalls and why there was no water. The lady gave them the correct answer that some of the falls are fed by snowfall and since this was a light year for snow there just was not much water coming over the falls. The guy then asked how he was supposed to know which years would be better for the waterfalls. Really? You won’t know the answer to that one until the spring to see how much snow actually fell. Sort of like the folks in Grand Teton that expected the moose to show up on cue.
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Here are the reviews for the Lodge at the Falls and the dining places we visited while staying in the valley.
We made one lap around the valley just for one last look before departing about 9:30. We took route 120 back to San Francisco. We were stopped at the entrance station to check that we had a valid entry receipt or pass (we have an America the Beautiful Pass, so no worries, but the moral of the story is that you can be checked. I think this was the first time we had ever been stopped when exiting any park). We also stopped at the Yosemite sign to get our “passport” photo. Nice touch at the sign in that there is a camera stand so that you can get that group photo even if there is no one else there to snap the picture for you (well, as long as your camera has a timer). Then it was on to San Francisco...
The drive back to San Francisco was easy; no issues. We only made a few short stops (McDonalds in Groveland for coffee for Lynn; lunch at the Burger King in Escalon…should have waited until Manteca as there was a Wendy’s; fuel in Burlingame). We saw a lot of birds on the drive: many buzzards, Red Tail Hawk, Swans, Egrets and Great Blue Herons. We also saw some sea gulls well inland on the farm fields. That’s a sight we are used to at home, as we have sea gulls in the farm fields. Since we live near Lake Erie, I always refer to the birds as “lake gulls.” Lynn thought she would build on that, and announced that the birds we saw must be “bay gulls.” “Bagels? Ain’t that what we eat for breakfast?” I guess you had to be there.
We were back at the SFO rental car return about 2:30 and on the BART heading to the Powell Street Station by 2:50. Great transit system, although it was a bit hard to hear the conductor call the stops; just need to pay attention to the signs. We were a little disoriented once we got off the train and were at street level but we quickly got our bearings and found the Hotel Fusion; less than 5 minutes from the station. Check-in was quick and easy so that we were in our room at 3:45.
Note on the BART: since we were not used to the system, it took us a minute to figure out the ticketing kiosk, then it would not accept our credit card, so we went with cash. We bought a round trip ticket for 16 bucks (give or take) but ended up with a fist full of quarters in change (so if you don’t want a lot of change, try to feed the machine close to the exact amount).
We headed out about 4:00 for a walking tour. We went down Market Street to the Ferry Building. We checkout out a few of the street vendors then walked through the shops in the Ferry Building. Lynn had a pastry shop in mind. We found it (Miette’s) and bought dessert, which we’ll save for later. Then it was on along the water front, checking out the dining options as we walked. We did not see anything that really resonated with us, until we reached Boudins. We both like sourdough bread and the aroma was amazing, so we just ate there, in the upstairs restaurant. The service was a little spotty, but overall OK. I wanted to start with the bisque in the petite bread bowl, but they were out of the little bowls (the batch was burnt this morning) so I ended up with the medium bowl. I had also asked for the bisque, but got the clam chowder. No matter, I was starving, so I just ate it (I knew it would be good anyway). When our server came back around I mentioned the mix up (one of the other servers had brought out my soup and Lynn’s salad) and he offered to bring a sample of the bisque, so that was nice I thought. I passed as the larger bowl and chowder was filling and I still had the crab mac-n-cheese to eat. Wow, that was delish! Limited beer selection; no pale ales on the menu, so I had an Anchor Steam; good but not hoppy! Lynn enjoyed her Ruby Red Cosmo. Overall a good meal.
We went tourist after dinner and walked down to Pier 39. I reckon the Reds were in town as there were many folks walking toward the ballpark; most were sporting Giants colors, but there were a few clusters of Cincinnati fans. Nothing of particular note on the Pier 39. Shoot, there weren’t even that many sea lions in the area (Lynn speculated that they may have been out feeding as it was early evening). The street entertainers were in full swing however. Lynn decided that we should take the cable car to Powell Street, so we hoofed it down to Aquatic Park for the Hyde-Powell line. We had a 45 minute wait, but the street singer was entertaining so the wait was not that bad (worth the $5 tip). Once back at the end of the line, we did not see an appealing bar, so we called it an early night and went up to the room.
Day 11 - Saturday 6/30 – Urban Hiking
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Slow morning. I was up at 6:00, but Lynn did not twitch until almost 7:00 and then had coffee before getting ready. We hit the free continental breakfast on the 5th floor. It was puny. Mainly just pastries and cakes. Plus you have to go get your grub and take it back to your room. Oh well, better than nothing.
We were finally on the road at 9:00. Already a huge line at the Power Street cable car, so we walked up the hill and down to the water front, then we turned west toward the Golden Gate. Nice walk. Great weather where we were walking, but the bridge was completely socked in.
We were going slow due to Lynn’s back and eventually turned around as it was bothering her more as the day went on. Our first stop was at the National Parks Visitor Center. The Ranger I spoke with was extremely helpful and provided a wealth of information on the attractions in the region; lots of good information for future trips.
We walked past Fort Mason and onto Chrissy Field. While the near field views were very nice,we never saw the Golden Gate Bridge other then in bits. The fog was amazing and it kept the bridge hidden from view the entire day. There was a fog horn blaring, just like you would expect. It was a windy day and the sailboats were having a ball out on the bay. It was a very enjoyable walk, but we did not make it to the Presidio, so we’ll have to save that for the next time we are in town.
For lunch, Lynn picked Tarentino’s, after checking menus at several other restaurants along our walk. I was starving and would have stopped at any number of other places that we came too, but she wanted something with at least some sort of view. The food was very good, but I ate way too much. I need to either just have the chowder and a bread bowl OR an entrée, just not both! Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was the best that they had; what no hops in this town?
So we were on the road from 9:00 until about 2:00 and covered about 8 miles. After lunch, we went to the Cannery but it was no longer shops as we remembered from our previous trips to the Bay Area, but rather a display area for a local art school. We did look at a few displays (paintings, sculptures, and photos; there were some interesting pieces). Then we went down to Ghirardelli Square, but there was really nothing of interest. The line for the cable car was longer than the day we rode it, so we walked back to the Ferry Building for another pastry. The only other stop we made was at a landscape photography gallery for Rodney Lough, Jr. just across from Pier 39. He had some great shots on display in huge formats. We recognized many of the places from our travels. Then back to Miette’s for dessert. Lynn got a cupcake and I tried a brownie. We just ate on a bench out behind the building and watched a few ships pass by. The pastries were just fair. We then walked up Market Street back to the hotel. We were back in the room about 7:00. The only bad point was that we got fried today. Since it was cool, we were covered, except for our faces. Should have known better (we used SPC 50 everyday in the parks, then forgot in the city…go figure). We did see some new critters today, mostly down along Chrissy Field: Pelicans, kill deer, “bay” gulls and 6 million pigeons. I did track our route on EveryTrail.
Day 12 - Sunday 7/1 – Last Day.
No plan for today. We have all day to look around, since our flight is not until 11:00 PM. The only thing on the schedule is to be on the BART by 8:30 PM. Originally I thought we might head to Golden Gate Park, but Lynn’s back was still bothering her, so we’ll just look around the area of Union Square (galleries, museums, etc.). We really took our time this morning. Hit the continental breakfast, got cleaned up, then checked-out about 10:30. The hotel stored our luggage, so we were very mobile. Not a bad stay at the Hotel Fusion.
We just walked the area. We looked for a couple of specific shops that were of interest to Lynn. We found the Light Opera gallery but it was closed, even though its website said there was Sunday hours (don’t believe everything you read on the web!). We walked by the Marin Lawrence Galley and noted a couple of interesting pieces so in we went for a look around. The interesting pieces were play-on-words by Robert Deyber (for example, there was a painting titled “Cold Call” showing a polar bear walking into a phone booth). We also walked through the art vendor’s set up in Union Square. All-in-all a nice way to spend the morning.
By now it was lunch time so we headed over to Lori’s Diner on Post. Fun place with good burger and decent milkshake. The service was just OK. The place was packed but we were not in a big rush, so no big deal. It is a caricature of 1950’s culture, complete with an Edsel in the dining room (the photos on the walls around the car showing how it was moved into position were interesting as well.
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After lunch we walked to the Comic Art Museum. Small but interesting; good way to spend an hour for the $7 entrance fee. I particularly enjoyed the Mad Magazine gallery. Then a quick pass through the Yerba Buena Gardens. We thought about taking in a movie, but there was nothing showing that we wanted to see (go figure). Since we had exhausted the local attractions within a short walk, but more so because Lynn was tired, we opted to head on to the airport, even though we had hours before our flight. We figured we could spend the time in United Lounge, since we had a set of passes to use.
No issues with the BART to the airport (some maintenance work on the tracks which slowed the trip, but nothing major). We were through check-in and security in no time so we were in the lounge by 4:00. Nice set-up in the lounge with drinks and snacks and wifi. This was the first time we had been in one of these lounges. The passes were a perk from a credit card. Other than the flight being delayed about an hour it was an easy trip home on the red-eye.
Oh well, while we covered the parks in pretty good detail, we really did not get to do as much in San Francisco as I had hoped. I guess we were just worn out after all the activity in the Sierras. But that’s OK, just leaves us with more options for the next trip.
Finally, here are some photos from our short visit in San Francisco.
Day 13 - Monday 7/2 – Home.
Our flight arrived at Cleveland Hopkins about 7:00 AM, a little behind schedule. A friend from work picked us up and took us back to our car (an advantage of working close to the airport as our gang is always trading rides to and from Hopkins; saves a lot in terms of time and parking fees). We were home in no time.
So another great trip and series of outstanding adventures are in the book! Now it is time to start with the photos and notes…and planning the next great excursion!
General notes and final thoughts:
- Weather: We had excellent weather every day. The best was in Sequoia and higher elevations in Yosemite, where it was cooler; 60s and clear. 70-80 in San Francisco, but overcast with fog over the Golden Gate.
- Lodging: Everywhere met or exceeded expectations. Yosemite Lodge was a bonus as we got a newly refurbished room. Wuksachi was also great; nice to stay in a new place in a park. Fusion was adequate but a bit noisy.
- Food: Great meals at the parks. DNC knows what they are doing! This proves that you can have great food inside the National Parks.
- Shuttle buses: The shuttles in Yosemite worked out very well. We never moved the car once we parked at the lodge.
- Rule breakers and rude hikers in the park: I was amazed at the number of folks who were entering closed areas, carry out pine cones, littering and performing other assorted stupid human tricks; c’mon folks, use a little common sense and common courtesy.
- Wildlife: We did well with animal sightings! Lots of birds and small animal sightings, but the big critters were out as well. The bobcat, bears and coyote were the obvious high-points.
- Hiking: Great trails in all the parks and such a variety of natural wonders between Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite. Our hikes took us to caves, through several groves of Sequoias and through some of the most amazing granite formations on the planet. Between the trails in the parks and the urban hiking, we easily put in over 50 miles during the course of the trip.
- Next trip: I think I found enough things to see and do to fill at least another two week trip. I would like to do some hiking in the Mineral King area of Sequoia. The hike to the Bear Paw High Sierra camp sounds like a great trip. Plus we need a few nights along the Tioga Road to explore that area as well. And I still did not get Lynn to the Presidio, so a few more days in San Francisco are needed. I reckon we’ll just have to make another trip or two to cover all the things we missed. Time to start planning!
Skip to: Days 1 and 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7 - Day 8 - Day 9 - Days 10 through 13.
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California 2012 Trip Report Intro Page.
We went there in... 2012.
Travel Timeline.
Trip Report list.
Return to:
California 2012 Trip Report Intro Page.
We went there in... 2012.
Travel Timeline.
Trip Report list.