ANGEL ISLAND

I took a mini weekend vacation and it was really rejuvinating to step out of my normal routine and put aside the "have-to-do" list that never goes away. I went across the San Rafael Bridge and down the 101 to Tiburon where I caught the ferry to Angel Island. That was no small endeavor for me because Jon just used to take care of me and all the details, such as where to park, loading and unloading the bikes from the bikerack, buying the tickets or just getting from point A to B. It was quite the adventure but I got to the ferry on time, with my bike, and got on trying to look like all the rest of the "pro" bikers, like I knew just what I was doing.

The island was just wonderful!! What a day to be on the bay with beautiful views of the San Francisco skyline and Golden Gate Bridge. The day was pleasantly warm with a breeze. Angel Island is also known as the Ellis Island of the West as it was the immigration port for about 1 million Chinese and Islanders coming into the United States. Then during WWII, the island was used as a detention center for POW's. Much of the island has been restored and some not, but it was quite exciting to explore old buildings and learn about the history.

After taking the ferry back to Tiburon, I was tempted to eat at a nice Italian restaurant right next to the ferry dock but felt I really couldn’t afford to. On the next block, I found a little family-run deli pictured on the left and ordered a BLT sandwich for nearly $8. Gosh, when it came I saw a little sandwich filled mostly with bacon and nothing else! No fries or pickle or chips or salad, not even a glass of water. The sandwich wasn’t even worthy to be an appetizer. I don’t think it even had mayonnaise on it because it was so dry. So when I was finished there and still hungry, I went back to that Italian restaurant and was seated on the back patio overlooking the waterfront (picture on left) with table linens, all the bread I could eat, and my water glass always filled. My dinner was delicious, all for $15. It was the perfect day, except I was by myself and no one to share it with.

I had already booked a room at the Travel Lodge so I didn't have to drive all the way home because the next day I wanted to visit Muir Woods. It was quite a little drive through the charming town of Mill Valley with curvy, steep little roads. When I stopped at a grocery store to get some lunch fixin’s, they warned me the park was very crowded. So change of plans, I headed down to Muir Beach instead to enjoy the perfect day with sand and sun and the sound of waves. It was great to have a magazine, my picnic lunch, watch the kids play, get my feet wet, walk around the tide pools and take a nap. Very relaxing.

THEN I went to Muir Woods about 4:00pm when most of the crowds had left and enjoyed a walk through the redwoods. I know Muir Woods is heavily visited by tourists but, honestly, the park was no better than other beautiful spots I have been, like Samuel P. Taylor State Park a little ways north, or Yosemite or Calaveras Big Trees. And yet visitors come to Muir Woods from San Francisco by the busload having never seen a redwood tree. In fact, both parking lots were full and the cars were parked all along the mountain road for about a mile.

It was good to get back home. I still have to get used to traveling alone. It was okay, I guess, but it would have been so much better with Jon. He just always took care of me and I didn’t have to work so hard at getting to where I was going and taking care of every detail myself.