Now THAT'S a crooked road!

Originally posted on MySpace on April 15, 2008.

I had a fun, productive day. First of all, the weather was awesome...sunshine and cool temperatures. In other words, perfect! I left my motel in Santa Rosa, CA early...I had a ferry to catch, and I didn't want to be late. I drove about an hour south, and crossed the Golden Gate bridge into San Francisco. For once, I didn't get lost. The highway turned into my destination... Lombard Street. Initially, I was presented with a huge hill to climb...the steepest street I've ever been on. It was a bit scary. As I crested the hill, the next cross street was filled with Japanese tourists. I had unexpectedly reached my thrill of the day...negotiate the Lombard St crooked road. I let the car in front of me get a little ahead, then held my breath as I took my turn. After all the winding roads from yesterday, I had to admit this was even MORE challenging. I took it VERY slow...I'm not sure something as big as a Suburban could make it. Before I knew it, it was over. I kind of wished I had gotten a photo of the street before I went down, but...oh, well.

Again, without getting lost...another minor miracle...I found a parking garage at the waterfront. I had about an hour to kill, so I walked around the area, taking photos. I heard the sea lions before I saw them. Evidently, sea lions park themselves on the docks and sun themselves, oblivious to the gawking tourists. I boarded the Park Service Alcatraz Island ferry for a short trip to the island penitentiary. Upon arrival, we were handed audio players to provide commentary while touring the facility. It was extremely interesting, especially for someone like me who has never been to Alcatraz.

After taking the ferry back to the pier, I decided it was time for lunch...I was hungry! I walked to Pier 39, which is chock full of shops and eating places. I had a tasty sandwich...grilled salmon on bannock bread. As I sat on a bench eating my lunch, I did some people watching. A mother was scolding her small daughter about running off while dad stood by sympathetically. I saw a group of Red Hat Society ladies walking in a tightly bunched group. A pigeon was strutting around in front of me, looking for food. I threw it a tidbit of bread...it quickly disappeared. I proceeded to toss it more bread until a toddler scared it away. Time to go...

I left San Francisco via the Oakland-Bay Bridge, traveling east toward Lake Tahoe. I exited the interstate at Truckee, CA, stopping briefly at the Donner Memorial State Park to take a photo of the statue there. The memorial commemorates the ill-fated Donner Party, settlers looking for a better life in California but found their late leaving wagon train trapped in the Sierra Nevadas. A few went for help, but it arrived too late...many had died, and some of the survivors resorted to cannibalism.

If you've bought and listened to the latest Five For Fighting CD, Two Lights, and the song California Justice in particular, the town of Truckee should ring a bell. The lyrics mention the Truckee River and the town of Tahoe City. As part of my groupie road trip, I'm trying to experience and seek out places with a Five For Fighting theme in mind. Yesterday, it was the recording studio where John cut his album. Today, and tomorrow, I'm backtracking the route outlined in John's song...kind of bringing it to life by being there, and capturing the moments in photos. It's a thrill...I hope you think so, too!

2 days to Bakersfield...the excitement is building!