Where is Jack, Day 80

Hoorah, Nancy got up this morning and took me for a long walk around the bay. Then, she said, "You want to go to Sausalito?" Of course I did.

We went and walked around the docks and in the town to see the little shops. People are always very friendly to me. After about an hour, Nancy told me I needed to rest in the truck--I knew why. She wanted to get lunch in the nice little deli-restaurant she had lunch in the last time we were there (not the restaurant with Paul and Betty). Nancy was careful not to get tangled up in the hills where the houses are perched on the terraces. She wonders how any people who live in Sausalito have brakes and transmissions left on their cars.

We decided to try to find our friend Ms. Patricia her stamp for the Golden Gate. We asked several people where to go and they all came up with Marin. So, we wound up in the Marin National Recreation Area where we spoke to a ranger who told us that there is no such thing as a National Park Stamp for the Golden Gate Bridge because it's privately owned--only a stamp for the National Recreation Area--we happened to be in Marin so we used one of their stamps. We tried to call Ms. Patricia, but we couldn't get a signal. The ranger showed Nancy a Golden Gate commemorative coin and she thought Patricia might like that. We got it. We are hoping that maybe Susan will be near the bridge on the city side because when we got back Nancy looked up Golden Gate National Park and there is a park; in fact there are several. She also called Ms. Patricia and she said she was on the city side. Since Susan is taking the ferry, we don't know if she'll be near the bridge It's very confusing. Nancy really wanted to get the stamp for Ms. Patricia, especially since she couldn't get the one for Muir Woods and we left the Grand Canyon area before seeing the canyon. The place where Susan went on the skywalk was an Indian
Reservation and they didn't have stamps, there. It was the west side (Oops, I got side-tracked).

The visitor center at Marin is located in what used to be the chapel for the soldiers at Fort Baker during WII. We also saw many barracks in the hills which are not occupied any longer. Nancy took so many pictures, but we can only show a few. There were things we missed, but we didn't want to get in the midst of commuter traffic so we went away satisfied with what we saw.

The next few pictures, I'll try to give you an idea of the terrain we went through and were in while exploring, today. One could probably spend a month looking around this area, but we've run out of time because tomorrow we're going to lunch with Paul and Betty, and Susie is coming on Friday. Oh, well, we've had a good time, anyway. Oh, wait, Nancy says we can do our own exploring while Susie is in San Francisco.

This made us think of Keely. There was a place to go horseback riding.

I loved all the smells around here. Nancy said it reminded her of the fields of clover in South Dakota. Between that and the aroma of the sea, we were in heaven. I think someone I know was here before me. Hmmm...

There was a lot of road construction going on. We managed to fit into a few of the pull offs to take pictures, but the one that Nancy had her heart set on was not to be. They had flag men on either side of it to channel traffic into one lane each way. When we approached the point, we were waved on and weren't allowed to stop. Nancy couldn't stop to ask if there was somewhere else to park because her phone rang at that very moment. So what we got are not the famous pictures you see on postcards, but we can still say we saw the Golden Gate. When we moved to Atlanta, my brother Michael was only 5 years old. When we got to the Verazano Bridge in NY, he yelled in his NY accent, "Dad, Dad, da Golden Gate!" Nancy and Rich always laughed about that.

We think this is Alcatraz, but we're not sure. Maybe one of our readers knows though the pictures are hard to see when they are small. I think you can click on them to enlarge them or I think the control or command key and the plus sign will do it--thought I think they don't come out as clear.

We took a ride to Marin Beach. We saw many surfers and a group of kids having a blast playing touch football. We stood on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific and enjoyed the beautiful weather that we had the good fortune to encounter.

Phew, Nancy sure took a lot of pictures and it was hard to choose which ones to show. We're getting hungry so we'll have to get in the truck, again. Nancy doesn't want to leave a lot of food in the trailer when we go to Monterey with Susie.

Then, comes the fun, we'll go for a walk along the bay.

Ms. Patricia just called Nancy and she's happy with the stamp that she got. So, that's a load off Nancy's mind even though we may get another chance to go up there. Then, again, as she said to Ms. Patricia, 4th of July weekend might not be the best weekend to go.

Well, we're off. Hope everyone has a nice evening.

Well, I thought the adventures were over for the day, but OH, NO. Nancy decided to try to see San Quentin up close. Well we got right to the gate. It's strange, you approach it from a very narrow residential street with signs that say, "Slow Children Playing". 

From there we decided to find a different place to walk and went over the San Raphael Bridge. We got sort of turned around and went over in Port Richardson (which we heard, from Suzanne, is not the place to be). We put the campground in the GPS, but seemed to be just getting further away. It, then, dawned on Nancy that she had "No Tolls" as one of the navigation options. She changed that, and we righted ourselves and came back over the bridge, paying the toll on the way back (tolls are only one way on the bridges). Driving home was miserable because we were headed directly west and the sun was blinding us. That doesn't seem to stop the crazy drivers around here. Suzanne said that she has noticed that they have gotten worse over the past couple of years.

When we got back, we found a new trail and took a long walk. It tired me out, but I was glad to get out of the truck (so was Nancy, the explorer). She got us on a hill so narrow and steep that I put my head down and hid!

We got back and she went to take a shower so that we're all set to go after my walk in the morning. We're not used to a schedule and I can't say that we like it. Tomorrow to find the airport and then to Fremont, and Friday to pick Susie up and on to Monterey. Nancy has to look up the hotel on the computer--the Bay Park, I think.

Sure wish we had the camera with us, today. There is water EVERYWHERE around here. If it weren't for Nancy's other kids living in Atlanta and the crazy drivers and too many people, she said she'd move here. Of course, you have to have a million dollars for a little condo as big as the trailer--that might factor in!

Where is Jack, Day 79?

We've been laying low for a few days. Today, Nancy thinks her neck is taking a turn for the better. I have tried to be very good. I don't pull her at all when she walks me, and I am very quiet in the trailer.
I just want her to get better. Maybe it's a good thing we got stuck in this park.

I am bored though, and wish I could go out and play ball.

Well, if I can't go out, maybe I could have a cookie.

Thanks, that was a really special treat.

We won't continue our travels until the day after, tomorrow, when we will take Paul and Betty to lunch and see where the airport is so we can pick Susan up on Friday. Yippee!!!

Nancy said, if she's feeling really good, tomorrow, we'll go down and walk by the docks in Sausilito. I will love that.

Where is Jack, Day 76?

Nancy and I set out, this morning, to find the ferry on Sausalito Island. We found it and were there an hour and a half before Paul and Betty which was good because we got to see another part of the town that we didn't see before. These are just random shots as we walked around waiting for the ferry to arrive.

Flowers are visible all over the village.

Sidewalk Garden

We tried to get a picture of the bridge and city, but it was too foggy. Here's our best effort:

When Paul and Betty landed, we sat and talked for a little while (Nancy had a confrontation with a man and his pit bull, but she was in the right). You know, I can't remember whether this happened before or after lunch. I'm trying to hurry here.

We were lucky to get a parking space right at the ferry and we found a bench right at the end of the ramp after we finished some exploring. It was very pleasant weather, so waiting was delightful. We saw Paul and Betty as soon as they got off. They were pretty much on time--11:10 a.m. Then, it was time for me to wait in the truck. :-( I put up a fuss for a few minutes, but then I lay down and went to sleep. I really wanted to go to lunch with them.

Betty is a lovely person--Nancy said she liked her the moment she met her. I liked her, too, because she let me know that she liked me. She gets a kick out of Uncle Paul's sense of humor.

Paul took us to lunch (Nancy had eggs benedict (brunch)). Their meals weren't so great, but Nancy's was very good. They topped it off with apple pie. Nancy had hers a'la mode. Delicious. They all sat and chatted until 1:30 in the restaurant, and then headed back to the ferry. Nancy got me out of the truck so I could spend time with everyone.

Before we knew it, the ferry was at the dock to pick them up. Nancy said she's going to take them both out to lunch one day next week as she'd like to see them, again. She'll drive to Fremont to pick them up.

After leaving Sausalito, Nancy decided to try to find Muir Woods, again. She came away feeling that she's seen much prettier places and without so many people!! On the way up, she tried to get a picture of Sausalito, below, but again, the pix didn't turn out too well. You might be able to see just a little of the landscape.

I'm  going to say goodnight, now so Nancy can rest. She really needs a heating pad, but doesn't have the energy to find a drug store. Do you think anyone would notice if I drove?

Where is Jack, Day 75?

When we woke up this morning, Nancy's neck was hurting worse than ever, and much stiffer. She couldn't turn at all. She took me for a walk, then came back and went to stand in the hot shower after taking some Aleve. She decided it wasn't going to feel any better staying at the trailer, so we went to Sausalito. It's only about 7 miles from here, but the highways are terrible. Nancy isn't afraid to drive anywhere, but the people around here will not give you any room to get on and off. We noticed, as we were driving, the cars are all small--no SUVs, no pick ups other than the few business trucks that we saw.

Well, we walked around and it's a really neat place. We walked down by the docks. That was our favorite part.

As if we need a reminder.

We ran into a group of lazy tourists. We've never seen this before.

Birds and flowers:

Then, we walked up to the town past the shops. The first road we went up, which was the wrong road, was the steepest hill we've ever been on (not counting the mountains) and so narrow. After driving around for a while, we got back to the town. Nancy took so many pictures, it's difficult to pick a few that we like. The houses are all terraced on the hills. The roads are very narrow and windy to get up to them--no wonder they all have small cars.

Look how steep this road is, and it isn't nearly as steep as the road we first went up.

These are views from the houses higher up on the terraces. So pretty.

Nancy put me in the truck so she could grab a sandwich. She found a little deli-restaurant, and the food was delicious, she said.

She came back to get me out of the truck and we walked some more. There are cute little shops and restaurants.

She took so many pictures--nothing can do the scenery justice, though.

Some of the homes on the higher terraces were covered in fog. When we rode up there, it was a little hairy. The truck's hood is so high that Nancy can't see the road in front of her--add fog to that... At one point when we were going up a very steep point (I was plastered against the back seat), I heard her say under her breath, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." I also heard her sigh of relief when we found our way down!

On the way home, Nancy saw a car wash. Everything is more expensive here. It cost $20 for the car wash, and even after telling Nancy they would get it spic and span when she asked about the sap, they couldn't get it off (it's been washed several times). The truck was run through the wash--it's cleaner, but Nancy doesn't think it will ever be the same. The guy was telling her the sap will damage the paint--she said, "Then wash it off--that's what I'm here for." He said the wash couldn't do it, but for $200..."

We were going to go to Muir Woods, but there was only a shuttle that would take us there, and no, dogs aren't allowed.

Tomorrow, we are meeting Uncle Paul and his friend, Betty, in Sausalito by the ferry. We will have to get there early because we didn't see the ferry dock and Uncle Paul doesn't want to walk up to the town. He has to be back on the ferry sometime after 2 p.m. The only restaurant that's near the water that Nancy saw is the Spinnaker, and it's a pretty pricey restaurant, but it's supposed to have good views of the city and the bridge.

Well, it's time for our evening walk, and I'm anxious to go. We'll probably have more pictures, tomorrow.