San Francisco, California

While we were stationed at Vandenberg AFB, we took a trip up to San Francisco with another couple (Sydney and Jeff, who are now stationed at F.E. Warren AFB). San Francisco is truly one of the best cities in the United States. For me, it's a toss-up between San Fran and Chicago. Absolutely love both cities. Anyway, we drove up for a short weekend stay. Right before we went, I got a new camera as an early Christmas/birthday present. The whole trip was me playing with my camera and trying to figure out the settings. I think I took 400 pictures in the 2 days we were there. Here are some pictures from our arrival into the city. Home of the San Francisco Giants.



Apparently, North Beach is shaped like Italy. Who knew?



We found our street on the way to the hotel.



We saw a parade of segways from our hotel room. You can rent them and go on guided tours of the city.



While walking down to the pier, we came across the very rare and exotic chair tree.



The first tourist-y thing we did was take a boat out to Alcatraz. We opted for the night tour, which was a really good idea. It was much less crowded and the city lights look amazing at night. Here we are on the boat.


Alcatraz in the setting sun.


The sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge.


Welcome to the Rock.


The tours of Alcatraz are really great because you can get a headset and radio and listen to a narrator talk about the prison and the history. You can pause and fast forward and rewind and go at your own pace. The whole place is kind of creepy at night which adds to the experience. I would highly recommend the night tour, unless you're afraid of the dark or prisons.


Here we are outside with the city in the background.


The next morning we went to Pier 39 and walked around. It was raining but there weren't very many people on the pier which was nice. Here are Justin, Sydney and Jeff in front of the giant Christmas tree on the way to the pier.


Justin on the pier with his muffin.



Me, cold and wet, with the sea lions.



After the pier, went to Lombard Street (the most crooked street in America). Sydney and I got out and walked down the street and took pictures while Justin and Jeff drove around. Here's Justin after he drove down Lombard Street.



After that, we left the city and headed north. Here we are driving over the Golden Gate Bridge in the pouring rain.



Our final stop before heading home was Muir Woods. The park is a few miles north of the city and is home to some of the tallest trees in the world.


You really can't fathom just how tall the redwoods are until you're standing underneath one looking up at the sky.



The rings in the trunk indicate how old the tree is. Some of the trees in the park are older than most buildings in this country.



Here are some of the interesting mushrooms we saw.



One of the paths we walked through the park. Again, the rain kept people away so it was peaceful to be in nature without a bunch of other people wandering around ruining the quiet.



Justin inside a tree. The flash reflected off the rain, creating an interesting (or splotchy) picture.


San Francisco was a great trip. I'd go back to Vandenberg just to be in driving distance of this city. There is so much to do that we missed. Hopefully, we'll get the opportunity to go again.