Day 11

As much as we have had a plan for most everything big we’ve done, our day today was everything but ‘planned’ and hinged on a little frustrating. Our dilemma was that we had tickets for a 10:30am tour of Alcatraz. We started out the door thinking we knew where we had planned to have breakfast but ended up really off on the destination. When we finally got there, we saw a line out the door and felt waiting could possible jeopardize our 10:30am tickets to Alcatraz. We needed to opt for quick and ease at IHOP, as it was close to where we were parking our van.

The ferry over to Alcatraz was beautiful. Seeing San Francisco from the bay was perfect for pictures. The sun was trying to come out, which was an improvement from the fog and rain the day before. We all thoroughly enjoyed the audio tour of Alcatraz. It was seemingly narrated from the perspective of a warden who had worked there and had inmates stories ‘salt and peppered’ into it, giving the feel needed to imagine the place when it was up and running.

After Alcatraz, we hoofed it back to retrieve our van and made our original breakfast choice, our lunch spot. It was at a neat little place named ‘Mama’s on Washington’, in North Beach, which was again recommended by my sister Julie. It was quaint and a place I’d for sure return to!! There are a lot of neighborhoods in SF, and would need a few more visits here to really get around the right way! We had decided to leave San Francisco at the end of our full day instead of spending another night, and leaving in the morning. Before leaving the city, we skirted around a bit more, before catching a ride on the famous cable cars. The wait is long but well worth it. I wanted to hang off the side and really ‘look the part’ but the girls wouldn’t let me! We met people from New Zealand, England, France and Scotland…just to name a few!

Getting out of town, with rush hour and trying to get to the Pacific Coast highway, added a little more stress but nothing that the Lord and CA Hwy 1 can’t cure!! Needing to keep the camera accessible, that’s for sure! Got a few hours down the gorgeous, winding road, before stopping at the Quality Hotel, in Marina, CA, to end up in hot tub under the stars as a family! Again I say, thank you God for these memories!!

Posted by: Cheryl