TUESDAY, AUGUST 4

TUESDAY, AUGUST 4:

      Another fantastic day! Yesterday we concentrated on an initial exploration of the Embarcadero/wharf area on the northeast side of the city. Today we focused our attention on the northwest – the area of the Golden Gate Bridge (GGB).

       We took the bus in today. We had originally intended to transfer to another bus and go downtown again once we reached Golden Gate Bridge Plaza, at the south end of the bridge, where we thought we'd just spend an hour or two. But we ended up spending the entire day here – there was so much to see. Now we see why there was such a traffic snarl last Saturday when we were trying to make our way across the GGB – everyone was wanting to get off here. With good reason!

       Spent a good while just on the plaza, where we had fabulous close-up views of the GGB,

                                                          

 

as well as Alcatraz, even though a little overcast this morning.

 

                                                          

Just savored the experience, being right under the shadow of this most famous of all San Francisco landmarks. We took some time to read some of the history, explanations, etc.

      Then hiked down a steep incline, following signs which indicated we'd see a historic fort below. Enjoyed more bridge views.

                                                                          

This is all part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which extends into the headlands of Marin county and also includes the Presidio, which was just adjacent to where we were. There are biking trails around here, which we might try another day.

 

   The meandering trail eventually did lead us to the fort, directly under the GGB.

 

                                                     

 

 

      We had envisioned a small, incidental place where we'd spend a casual 30 minutes. Not quite! Fort Point is in impressive historic site! After California became a state in 1850, the U.S. Army & Navy recommended a series of fortifications to secure San Francisco Bay, both from foreign threats and the looming threat of Civil War at home. So work was begun on this fort in 1853, and the site was chosen to defend the maximum amount of harbor area. The design and construction were typical of east coast forts at the time, its seven-foot-thick walls and multi-tiered casements thought to be able to withstand the fiercest cannon fire (a few years later, attacks on Ft.Sumter with rifled artillery challenged the effectiveness of these masonry walls). 

 

                                                   

 

 

                                                  

 

 

 It contained 102 cannons.

 

                                                               

 

  One Army general declared that it was “the key to the whole Pacific Coast.” 

 

      We spent at least a couple of hours here, exploring this classic piece of military architecture, climbing to its highest points to get spectacular views. And by now all of the clouds had cleared, treating us to warm sunshine, which we really relished when we came out of those chilly thick-walled brick-enclosed interior rooms!

 

     

 

  

      We also viewed a couple of films here, one presenting the history of the Fort Point, the other the making of the GGB, declared by many as the Bridge that Couldn't be Built.  Totally absorbing. One interesting thing we learned was the naming of the Golden Gate: the bay had been called that for decades, if not centuries, even with the Spanish, as it recalled the Greek golden gates opening the way to a precious treasure. That's how the bay, linking the sea to the northern California interior, was perceived. Another interesting sidenote was that in the late 1920's, there was a movement to preserve the more or less abandoned fort for its outstanding military architecture, but funds weren't available. In the 30's, when plans for the GGB were being made and called for the fort's removal, Chief Engineer Joseph Strauss redesigned the bridge to save the fort, declaring that “it should be preserved and restored as a national monument.” 

 

 

      Ascended the uphill trail back to the plaza, looked at another exhibit or two. Particularly amazing was one which was an actual full-scale model of a section of the main cable suspending the bridge. 

 

                                                         

 

 

 

     

      Back home in early evening in time to eat here and make a run to the grocery store.

Spent a total of $6.50 today – for bus fare! (And the return trip home was free, since the change box was broken!) Guess we could give lessons on how to do San Francisco on a budget!