I'm a little late on this post.....as it actually happened mid-September as a quick weekend trip. You know me, rule #1 of travelling is go where the deals are. So when $15 dollar (each way) flights popped up to Oakland, how could we say no?? And when the hotel is free, you have to go.
Upon arriving, we quickly got the rental car, and headed to our first stop, which was Muir Woods. Only 2 species of Redwoods remain in the United States - both in California. This smaller Redwood National Park is just north of San Francisco and seems like it's very distant from the big cities. Very quiet, relaxing and very calming. The Redwoods here are pretty "young" with most of them being only 800 years old, with some approaching 1000.
Right away, your anxiety calms and you breathe in the fresh air and just walk around and enjoy being there
We then headed for an ocean view overlook just a few miles away
Several of these bunkers remain from WW2
Our rental car was a pretty sweet ride - we got lucky. There weren't very many cars to pick from - 3 actually. It was this, an Altima and a pickup truck!
We then checked in to our hotel, which was in Jack London Square in Oakland, it was called the Waterfront - and literally was on the water.
We were upgraded to a "suite" which just meant it was bigger and had floor to ceiling windows all over
Although our room didn't face the water, this was our view of the shopping square
The next morning we headed out early to Alcatraz - as we've never been
We were there very early in the morning and it was so strange to see Pier 39 with nobody there!
As we left on the ferry, Coit Tower was just staring at us...asking us to come visit.....we'll see
Where the prison clothes were handed out
This was the basic cell. See the small vent under the sink? Remember that.....
One of the few attempts to escape, involved a few inmates making heads of themselves with soap they saved over a long period of time. Three bank robbers spent months planning the escape.
They used spoons to dig out a small hole behind the vent and found a drainage pipe they were able to climb up. They were never found.
This was one of the few places they could go outside for some rec time
Remember Coit Tower? Well, sure, why not. It was close and we'd only been there years and years before but we drove to it. This time, we walked the 380 steps up to it. The steps go through the side yards of the many apartments and houses in the area. These people use the steps daily to get to their houses. Most of the people live on the steep hillside and landscape what they can to be a beautiful oasis in the middle of the big city. It's quiet too, other than your puffing and huffing as you say "are we there yet?"
You can go up the tower, steps again, but we had enough steps for one day
This was a geocache - one of the many murals inside the tower.
Going back down was so much easier! And fast! About half the time
By this time, it was early afternoon and Pier 39 was looking more like you'd expect
If you couldn't find a magnet in this store, then you weren't looking hard enough
This funny sign was at several cash registers to help tourists figure out the money!
Very yummy sourdough breads being made at Boudin
To finish out the day, time to ride the cable car
I wonder if this is any good?
The next day we headed to Angel Island, as we've never been. Coastal Miwok Native Americans once inhabited the island about 2000 yeas ago, and for almost 100 years from the Civil War to the Cold War, the Federal Government took control of the island for military bases, a quarantine station and an immigration station. No cars are allowed, so you can walk the 5 mile perimeter road, take a tram, or ride bikes. There are also lots of hiking trails. We opted for the bike option.
In the late 1800's, the island was used as a quarantine station where a large hospital was built and ships from foreign ports could be fumigated and passengers and crew suspected of carrying diseases were kept in isolation.
During the early 1900's, the island was then used as an Immigration Station and processed about 1 million immigrants coming to the United States. Any Chinese immigrants however, were not allowed to be processed and instead, were detained anywhere from 90 days to 2 years, while their applications were "considered".
During the Civil War, the island was used as an Army base to protect the San Francisco Bay. During WW1, the island was a place where returning troops were processed. During the Cold War, the Army built several Nike Missile Bases.
Passing Alcatraz
The views from the island road were amazing
Rock crusher for building the roads
One of the two beaches on the island
This is what's left of the very large hospital
Back at the hotel, the square has a small shack that Jack London (a famous writer) lived in
Here's our hotel - our room was right above the two awnings
Marissa & Matt have been going to Fish Lake for family reunions and camping for years, ever since even before they were married. This past summer was no different, except that Covid came and visited and Matt's parents and other siblings and their family either got Covid while there (his parents) or got Covid and were not able to come (his siblings). This caused some of their cabin reservations to go unused, and no refunds were given. A credit however, was issued, and it had to be used by the end of the season. Matt's parents didn't want to make the drive from Kansas City again, so we got to go with Marissa & Matt instead! Meghan and Corey and family came too. We'd never been to Fish Lake, and M & M had never been in the fall. After this visit in the Fall, they decided this was the only time to go to Fish Lake. It was amazing. Extraordinary. Unreal fall colors.
We were also amazed. Every time you looked around, went for a walk, drive or just looked at the lake, it was different.
Fish Lake is a high alpine lake at around 9000 feet in elevation and is near Capital Reef National Park. It's just less than a 3 hour drive from us. The lake is much bigger than we had imagined. It's 6 miles long and 1 mile wide. As you might guess from the name, Fish Lake is full of all kinds of different fish, and is a fishing lake - not a jet ski or water ski lake. Fish Lake is the largest naturally formed mountain lake in Utah. One side of the lake is surrounded by steep volcanic mountains, some as high as 1000 feet. The lake is deep - 127 feet at it's deepest point, and has very clear and cold, water. The lake is not susceptible to drought - it's fed by natural springs and several mountain creeks. Driving to Fish Lake, we passed three reservoirs - all were dry due to the drought. Fish Lake however, holding steady with no visible sign of a drought.
We thought there might be some color changing in the trees and bushes, but we were unprepared for what we saw and experienced. Words and photos don't even come close to the relaxing, stress-reducing and wonderful sights, smells and feelings we experienced.
We arrived just after sunset, so we got a few glimpses of the lake, but didn't see much else
The next morning though, we were treated with beauty
This was the view from our cabin. Notice all the trees changing colors on the mountains on the other side of the lake too
We walked out of the cabin, and went for a little walk
This is the "old lodge" and it's huge. Matt's relatives, several generations ago, helped build it. Since we went during the "off" season, it wasn't open, but it's still used for dining and entertainment and a small store
We went for a drive and about 10 minutes down the road, was one of Marissa's favorite places to view - Zedd's Meadow. It's a grassy meadow between two small mountains with a stream that zig-zags through it. It was beautiful!
VIDEO:
Not sure what's happening here
Finally, here is a video Marissa made using footage from their drone to get some photos and videos you just can't believe are real.
Video copyright M&M Enterprises
We had a very short, but totally worth it weekend trip to Fish Lake. Our only regret? That Jacob & Aubrey and Hannah & Noah didn't get to come. Next year!!!!!
