Day 19

Having an extra hour this morning because of the clock changes made a huge difference. We were up fairly early, and enjoyed a slow breakfast before setting off. We made our way along the windy roads, back towards Leggett. Here, we came off scenic Highway 101, and onto the more scenic highway 1. Right at this junction was the Chandelier Tree. Thousands of years old, a tunnel had been carved out of the base just about big enough to drive through, and the small park the tree was in were able to make a tidy profit charging $5 a car to drive in and through the tree. It was quite a bizarre experience to be inside the tree, knowing it had been here for so long. The tree drive-thru was the entrance to the parks gift shop carpark, so dodging the cars was the excitement after the tree. We headed out the park and back towards the coast. This antics road started out with a 30 mile drive along REALLY windy roads, through a forest. We were both very glad we hadn't done this last night, in the dark and tired out could have been very hairy. In the daylight it was great fun!

Finally we arrived back at the coast, where the bends were even more treacherous as the view was breath taking. A haze filled the air, clearly wet. This is where we had planned to camp for the night and would have been something special.
After passing Fort Bragg (home to the US Special Forces - not that there was any sign of them!) we stopped for lunch, hoping to find a beach to walk along after we'd eaten. After driving around a small town (name unknown) for a while we found a state park - but no beach access. The waves crashing into the rocks left no opportunity for a beach but was fantastic to watch. With extra large waves occasional washing over the rocks, and a flock of interesting birds which seemed to follow the same pattern flying low over along a breaking wave to look out fish caught unaware. We headed on, passing lots of others with picnics in hand. We struggled a little to get back to the highway, and when we finally managed it the first thing we spotted was a beach off under the highway bridge. Typical luck, we turned around and parked up, paddling in the water and walking along the beach. We were actually walking up a river, from where the river joined the ocean. The water was refreshing on our feet, and the large pacific waves came up the river as well, making Clare run for shore as the waves got larger. The sand underfoot sank as the water came in, making it even more likely with each wave that rolled up jeans would get wet.

Back in the car with clothes drying, we headed back on and soon the road once again headed inland towards Highway 101. Now we were in countryside California, with muted natural colours and large green trees on rolling hills filling the landscape. We'd arrived back into fruit growing land, and soon spotted a roadside fruit stand. We stopped for a snack, and continued on. We were hoping to arrive in San Francisco before 6pm, so that we could do an Alcatraz night tour. We had also heard about a micro brewery en route, which would be a good (short) break from the drive. We spotted the brewery and parked up. Walking from the car to the brewery doors, there was a scuttling in the bushes. A small mouse was wandering around, with no cares in the world... especially not for us mere humans. A worrying sign. We walked through the door, and this place was busy! There was only a few spots left at the tasting bar, and a group of about 10 teenagers sat at a table to the side, obviously having placed an order judging on the number of tasters being poured behind the bar. We approached, and stood at a gap at the end of the bar. Eventually, one of the bar staff came over to ask what we wanted. After a lot of fuss and hassle, she slammed a "menu" down on the bar and stormed away. No introduction, no explanation of the hideously layed out menu, no help at all. Clearly we were out of Canada, customer service was a far off dream. Disgusted with the service and having no idea how to taste some of their beers instead of buying full pints - we left. Disappointing.

Back on the road we discovered we were only 100 miles from San Francisco, and decided to get the camera set up again on the roof to record our entry over the Golden Gate Bridge. We had a few technical hitches but managed to get the camera set up on the roof again. The sun was going down and the sky was a glorious golden red colour. Fingers crossed we would make the bridge soon, while the light was still perfect.

Unfortunately, the traffic then built up and soon it was dark. Doh! Still, when we arrived the bridge was lit up - hopefully it would still come out on the photos. We drove into the city, not really knowing where we were going. We'd partially researched some places to stay, finding a Super 8 in an area of the city called Fishermans Wharf. While it was too late to get to Alcatraz tonight, the ferry left from Fishermans Wharf, and staying here would make it easier to get down and buy a ticket tomorrow. What we hadn't done is work out where in the relatively large area Fishermans Wharf the motel actually was, and ended up driving round for over an hour looking for it, before finally finding an open wifi network to google it. The city was busy, with plenty of cars and loads of people wandering around - this translated to the hotels being pretty packed out. We could only get a deluxe room rather than our normal cheapo room. Settled into the room, we headed out to buy some wine and ordered a pizza. After a hard day travelling it was good to relax out, ready for a full day of exploring tomorrow.