Before I tackle my trip to India I thought I’d catch up
on a fun getaway to San Francisco with my Mom and sister in February. Despite a four hour flight delay, I was
happy to get this shot of the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, and the
city just before landing.
San Fran’s City Hall
While visiting the gorgeous domed building we were
entertained by some people attempting a new record for longest tin can
telephone.
Imitating the strangely knobby sycamore trees.
Getting into the craft beer scene and loving the
flights of taster beers, in this case at the Thirsty Bear.
Wine tour through Sonoma Valley on a cloudy/rainy
day. We had the mini-bus all to
ourselves and even got a bottle of champagne to split at the end!
Took a very windy boat ride back to San Fran at the end
of tour to avoid rush hour traffic into the city. Gorgeous views, funny signs, and lots of
laughs as we tried to stay upright in the gale force winds.
Wandering around Fisherman’s wharf in search of dinner
after the rain
Returning to the Embarcadero the next day for Kiran to
get her fill of oysters.
Alcatraz, aka “The Rock”. Former military garrison, military prison and
legendary federal penitentiary now managed by the National Park Service.
Looking
back towards San Fran on a bright crisp February day.
A much more relaxed boat ride than the day before on
our way to Alcatraz.
Guard tower
Sample cell in the isolation D-block.
I got “thrown in the hole” to see what misbehaving
prisoners had to experience. This shot
is just before they close the door leaving you in total darkness.
Our best gangster faces.
Outlines of all the knives in the kitchen to easily
spot if one if missing
I was fascinated by the escape attempts. Alcatraz is 2.4 km offshore from San
Francisco. But it’s a dangerous swim in
cold water and against strong currents to reach land. Over almost 30 years there were
14 escape attempts made by 36 prisoners.
None were known to be have been successful; 6 were shot and killed
during their escape and 5 remain officially listed as “missing and presumed
drowned”. Only one known successful swim
was made by John Paul Scott, who was found clinging to rocks near the Golden
Gate Bridge in Dec. 1962, too exhausted to even pull himself out of the water.
Another daring escape attempt (and my favourite) was
the one by Morris and the Anglin brothers in June 1962. They created dummy
heads made with soap, toilet paper and real hair, and left them in their beds
to fool prison guards. They escaped
through enlarged air vents in their cells dug out with spoons over a year to
reach a ventilator shaft to the roof.
They climbed down from the roof, over the prison fence, and assembled a
raft made of prison raincoats and contact cement. They were never seen again and are presumed
dead….
Close-up of the dummy head and enlarged air vent
The only residents these days at Alcatraz are a large
variety of sea birds as well as an impressive collection of flora in the
garden.
On our last day in San Fran we rented bikes to tour the
Golden Gate Park and hitched a ride on a street car to check out the famously
steep streets.
Went from the far end of the park all the way to the ocean.
I hope everyone’s e-brake is working…
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