San Francisco's Uniqueness Will Steal Your Heart

Four years ago, we were driving towards San Francisco on a bright sunny day. We approached the Golden Gate Bridge with the hope of enjoying a clear view of the famous bridge, bay, and city.

Unfortunately, as we approached the iconic bridge, a huge cloud of fog engulfed it. After failing to find any parking on the other side, our "spur of the moment" plan to see a bit of San Francisco was a bust.

This time though, we actually developed a plan!

After finishing the northern portion of California's Pacific Coast Highway,  we had to decide whether to drive around San Francisco or through it. Doug found an "urban" campground on the northern side of the bay that was located just a short distance from the ferry. That ferry could quickly and easily take us right into the heart of downtown San Francisco. Although the RV park was a bit on the pricey side, it would be worth the cost to not have to drive the Baby Beest into downtown and try to find (and pay for) parking for the next two days. We could finally say ...

San Francisco, here we come! 

After getting parked in our campsite, we walked to the ferry on a sunny Sunday afternoon, excited to finally be able to visit "the City by the Bay". We soon found out that our "well thought out plan" had a slight flaw. Surrounded by a multitude of people also wanting to take the ferry downtown, we realized that the city was much busier than normal. Not only was it a long weekend commemorating Indigenous Peoples' Day, but the Navy's Blue Angels were performing over the San Francisco harbor that afternoon as well.

Live and learn ...

and just join in with the enthusiastic crowds on Pier 39!

 As anticipated, these skilled aerial acrobatics presented a very memorable "welcome to San Francisco" performance for us. After the air show, we walked further into town  in order to escape the crowds along the waterfront. We soon realized that ... 

... with its colorful and iconic architecture,

... its narrow and steep streets, 

... its vibrant neighborhoods,

... and its innovative forms of transportation,

San Francisco's uniqueness will steal your heart.

With that realization, our two day plan quickly turned into a five day visit. Using the iOverlander app, Doug found a marina parking area in Salsalito that allowed us to stay for three days after our "urban" campground stay. It, too, was just a short walk to the ferry, so we enjoyed five days of fun in the city followed by a ferry ride across the bay to our quiet resting place for the night.

Unique San Francisco Experiences

My preconceived notion that San Francisco would be just like any other large metropolitan area was happily proven wrong the minute we stepped off the ferry at the Port of San Francisco. Located on a peninsula, the actual city is only seven miles long and seven miles wide giving it a very "cozy" feel. Because of that, it is fairly easy to visit the many diverse neighborhoods in the city.  Some of our favorite unique experiences included ...

"Self-Driving" Waymo Cars

Doug was the first to notice these futuristic-looking cars on the street. Waymo (formally known as Google Self-Driving Car Project) offers its "robo-taxi" service in the downtown areas of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. It operates similarly to Uber ... minus the driver.

After downloading the app, Doug talked me into taking a ride to a brewery/restaurant across town ... promise me lunch and I'll try just about anything once. We found our car on the designated corner with Doug's initials flashing on its roof controls. Doug unlocked the car through the app on his phone, and as we climbed in, a calm voice greeted us with a "Welcome, Doug". 

Soothing music played on the stereo as we buckled our seat belts, and our Waymo car took off. We could watch our progress on the GPS screen as well as see any cars or pedestrians who might be near us on the roadways. There were no fast accelerations, crazy lane changes, or sudden stops ... just a calm, smooth ride.

 After dropping us off, it proceeded to join its "buddies" as they waited for their next run. The fare ended up being about $13 ... with no need to tip the driver. All in all a very fun way to travel short distances around the city. 

Free City Tour

This popular tour company offers tours in many cities around the world. With wonderful experiences while in Medellin and Cartagena, Colombia, I decided to try the San Francisco tour. Once again, our guide, who relies on tips, was knowledgeable and personable. His stories educated us on the city's colorful history as we walked around the shopping, financial, and international neighborhoods. 

Our visit to Chinatown gave us a better appreciation of the struggles and accomplishments of Asian immigrants. And our tour guide's "special connections" got us into the Chinese Fortune Cookie Factory where we were able to try some cookies fresh off the assembly line. Fun fact ... the "Chinese" Fortune Cookie was actually invented in San Francisco in the 1890s!

As we walked through the downtown area, he showed us one of San Francisco's best kept secrets ... its "Privately Owned Public Open Spaces". These tranquil plazas, terraces, atriums, and small parks are developed and maintained by private companies but can be accessed and used by the general public. They're a great place to escape the busy city and enjoy some quiet nature for a bit.

Fisherman's Wharf

Every visit to San Francisco has to include a stroll along Fisherman's Wharf. Shops of all sorts line the waterfront and offer souvenirs of all kinds.

Of course, our favorite type of souvenir is the edible type

... so Boudin's Sourdough bread, clam chowder,

... and Ghirardelli's chocolates found their way back to our van.

Chinatown

San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest and largest community of Chinese outside of Asia. As we walked through The Dragon's Gate, a colorful and active neighborhood greeted us.

Everywhere we looked, the artistic details delighted the senses.

Colorful flags, banners, and lanterns decorated the streets as shopkeepers invited visitors to check out their wares.

From freshly made Chinese Fortune Cookies

... to tasty Asian food of all types, it's easy to see why Chinatown is one of San Francisco's most popular tourist destinations.

Walk Across the Golden Gate Bridge

Parked on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, we donned our down jackets and took a stroll across the famous 1.5 mile long bridge one afternoon. While it was sunny and mild at our parking spot, the winds and fog over the bridge can quickly drop the temps. 

That's a long way down ...

 The bridge that finally connected San Francisco with the northern part of the state was constructed during the Great Depression and completed in just four years in 1937. Originally, the Navy decided that it should be painted black and gold, but one of the architects convinced the "powers that be" that the bright "International Orange" color would be more impressive during the frequent gray foggy days,

 ... and we would have to agree!

A Visit to Alcatraz

The most infamous tourist attraction still stands tall in the San Francisco harbor. Alcatraz served as a maximum security prison from 1934 to 1963.

It was briefly occupied by Native Americans before the National Park Service took operation of the site in 1972. 

After arriving on the island by ferry, a self-guided audio tour narrated the history of the prison and its inmates as we walked past cells that housed some of the nation's most troublesome and disobedient criminals. 

City and Neighborhood Walks

Fisherman's Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz may be San Francisco's most popular tourist attractions, but we found that just walking around the city and through its unique neighborhoods was the most enjoyable. With the highest ratio of coffee shops to people in the United States, Doug found it relatively easy to get caffeinated up in preparation for our five+ miles of daily walking.

The unique architecture, from neighborhood churches

... to small but oh-so-cute multi-million dollar homes, made for interesting walks. Venturing to the top of one of the city's 48 hills provided breath-taking views of the city and waterfront.

During our five day visit, we began to understand how the uniqueness of San Francisco can (almost) steal one's heart ... if one can afford the city's higher prices. As for us, it was time to continue our southern journey down the "Big Sur" section of the Pacific Coast Highway.

This time as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, we were grateful for the clear blue skies,

... and for being able to experience all that makes San Francisco unique.

Moseying Down The Coast of Oregon and Northern California

Oh to mosey down the epic trail of life...

After visiting Lassen Volcanic National Park, we were faced with two

"first-world, full-time traveler's problems".

#1 What to do in the four weeks before our next planned "event" in southern California?

and more importantly ...

#2 How to get an important package that we needed sent to us by the US Postal Service?

Our solution came in the form of an RVing friend who we last met up with four years ago. Eggy and her adorable dog, Lil' Dude, now live on the coast of central Oregon. After I reached out to her, she enthusiastically agreed to be our "mail delivery service", so we headed to the Oregon Coast where ... when the fog, rain, and wind stays away,

 

... the coastal beauty will certainly convince any traveler to hang around for a bit.

Happily, this visit in Newport, Oregon set our course of travel for the following weeks when we decided to mosey down the coast of Oregon and continue south in order to check out the "new to us" northern California coast.

Highway 101 runs the length of Oregon's Pacific Ocean coastline and continues down into California. While we had driven the Oregon portion in 2020, the California Coast was uncharted territory for us. But we knew that if California had even half of the ...

rocky cliffs,

serene beaches,

tantalizing tidepools,

stately lighthouses,

and scenic vistas that we found in Oregon, then we could easily fill our days.

Moseying Down the Oregon Coast

we found...

Sweet dining and boondocking spots like this one just south of Port Orford,

... morning mocha and an impromptu sing-a-long at one of the many cozy coffee shops that line the Oregon Coast,

... a wide variety of beachscapes from sand dunes to rocky cliffs,

... "hidden gems" that can only be reached by the (hopefully) secure ropes that some thoughtful locals had installed,

... seaside art that was created from the garbage that was collected from Pacific Coast beaches,

... the "stars" of the tide pool,

... spectacular rock formations,

... and colorful sunsets from one of our favorite campgrounds, Harris Beach State Park.

Leaving Oregon, we followed the road ...

Down the Northern California Coast

and found...

... similar seascape with a bit more of a "surfer dude" vibe,

... groves of gentle giants, commonly known as the California redwoods, 

... monstrous waves that lulled us to sleep at Gold Bluff State Park,

... and a hike through Fern Canyon that gave us an overdose of "lush",

... while testing my balance-beam skills (or lack of them). Yes, my boots were soaked by the end.

A drive through the scenic Avenue of the Giants

... led to numerous hiking trails perfect for wandering through the majestic redwood groves.

Continuing on, the narrow, twisty road took us over the coastal mountains and back to the coast. We had reached the beginning of California State Route 1 ... the north-south road that runs most of the way down the California coast and has been dubbed "the ultimate California road-trip".

The ocean views were amazing, but the "stay in your lane or you'll go over the edge" roads were a bit nerve-wrecking at times.

Memorable stops down this section included ...

Glass Beach,

Oh, the fun crafts I could make

if only I had a smidgen of artistic talent!

Point Cabrillo Lighthouse,

and the Port Arena Lighthouse.

We certainly found some beautiful vistas along this stretch Highway 1

... as well as delicate coastal flora,

... but having to drive through portions where fog suddenly overtakes the roadway, made this section of our coastal drive a bit too "white knuckle" for me.

 I was ok with driving back inland to spend a few days in the cute town of Santa Rosa. Lucy welcomed us to town, and I soon learned that Charles Schultz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip spent most of his adult life here. 

 As a lifelong fan of  his "Peanuts" comic strip, I was very excited to visit his studio that has been converted into a whimsical museum. The walls were filled with some of his most endearing characters and comics.

 Doug came to Santa Rosa with one mission in mind, and that was to visit Russian River Brewing. He added one of their "campaign" coasters to his collection and decided that his vote is going to Pliny the Elder ... their signature hazy IPA.

And we both decided that reconnecting with friends and taking time to enjoy the beauty of the Oregon and northern California coasts get our vote for a great way to spend a couple of weeks. 

We were quite successful at solving our "first-world, full-time traveler's problems" this time around!

Next up:

We ask the age-old question ...

Is it really possible to leave your heart in San Francisco?