December 18, 2024 - San Francisco, Legion of Honor

 

Title: December 18, 2024 - San Francisco, Legion of Honor

Hike Info : Description : Background :  Extra Photo's 

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking 

Trail head: Point Lobos&46th St Bus Stop - Lands End Visitor Center

Trail: Coastal Trail, Camino del mar

Destination:  Legion of Honor

Distance:  2.1 miles

Start Time: 11:41

End Time:     1:10

Travel Time:  1:45 (1.20 mph)

Moving Time: 1:10   (1.80 mph)

 

Elevation Rise: 568 '

Descent: 236‘

Maximum Elevation: 392'

GPS Tracks

Description:

Mel's Breakfast

I got up after 7:30-was I that tired or was the room so dark that it lulled me into sleeping later? Whichever way, I was pretty rested up. I wrote a few cards before Sherri rolled over and started reading. While she got herself together, I visited the post office and deposited them. We went to breakfast about 9:20.

Breakfast was at Mel’s Drive-In across the street from us. It is a 50’s style place. First time we have been here. I had a ham & cheese omelet with a side of hash browns. Sherri had a French toast combo. Both good and filling.

We decided to take the bus to Lands End and walk the Coastal Trail to the Legion of Honor. We left the hotel about 10:50 to catch the bus on Lombard. We soon get on bus 28. It takes us over to the Golden Gate Bridge center and loops back around through the Presidio. When it gets to Geary, we get off and ride 38R to the end of the line-that would be 46th and Pt Lobos Ave, only a couple of blocks from Lands End.

Sherri up to Memorial

We first visited the gift shop at Land’s End. Lisa, a volunteer, talks with us about various things. While talking with her, I get the feeling we might be under-dressed, that is for the weather. Neither of us brought a coat and there is a cool breeze blowing out here. She confirms that. Oh well.

We did not buy anything. We start our walk going along the Coastal Trail. It is a trail which one day will stretch from at least the Mexican border to the Oregon border. Yesterday we walked another small section. This section follows the trolley bed of a train Sutro laid over a hundred years ago. A lot of the trail is level, except for getting up to that level.

 

 

 

 It is enjoyable walking about the trees with the ocean on one side and a hillside on the other. There are some stairs to start off with, but we ignore them. One set would go all the way down to Point Lobos. But we are on a mission and will not be distracted. We need to get to the Legion of Honor by 1:30. Onward we go.

 

There is one distraction. Another set of stairs goes up to the memorial for the USS San Francisco

. We take these stairs up to the memorial. There is something moving about reading the history of this ship and how it and the USS Atlanta turned the battle of Guadalcanal around. Without it, the Japanese next invasion attempt would have been Australia. We spend about 15 minutes before we descend the stairs again.

We continue on getting views of the Golden Gate and its bridge. The sun has come out illuminating it. There is the automatic lighthouse on Mile Rock marking a safe passage through the Golden Gate. It is glorious to view across the way into Marin. Being behind the hill, there is not much sun nor much wind. As long as we keep moving, we are comfortable.

There were some more stairs on the Coastal Trail just to the west of Eagle Point. Evidently part of the trail had slid off of a cliff and the trail was rerouted over a ridge. The stairs were long and we stopped several times for breath while those younger than us seemed to bound up them. Then on the other side of the ridge, more stairs down.

China Beach

Sherri sees an interesting building, which to me looks more like a railcar barn. But after looking at a map, we realize that this maybe an area called Playland. I have a memory of my Dad taking me here. But I may be mistaking it for a different place. But when we got home, I looked at a map of San Francisco and came to realize, that the buildings we were seeing was around China Beach-so I do not know what the buildings are. We shortly came to El Camino Del Mar. This dissects part of the Lincoln Golf Course. There is a path along it which climbs up the hill to the Legion of Honor.

Memorial for Peace

Before we enter the Legion of Honor, there is the Memorial for Peace-I think it must have been donated from Japan. Then we made it up to the parking lot and stopped at a bench commemorating Russians who died during World War II-I do not see it noted on any of the maps. We ate lunch on the bench then entered the Legion.

The Legion of Honor is having an exhibition of Mary Cassatt at Work. Around the time when our first born was first with us, we visited the Huntington Library and saw a Cassatt painting called Breakfast in Bed. We fell in love with it. I got Sherri the poster for Christmas. Other Cassatt stuff saved me when I came short of Christmas gifts for Sherri.

The exhibition is in the basement and has its own entrance. Just as we got there, we joined a docent led tour which was just starting. I found out later we should have signed up for it. Oh well, it was interesting. I do not have a background in the painting arts, I learned a lot about materials and technique from the docent. Also about what Cassatt wanted to do with her paintings and the way she created emphasis. I think the techniques are interesting, but it does not add to my ability to be interested in a picture or not. It was a good thing to have gone over.

 

 

 

Woman in a Loge

We spent about two hours at the exhibition. I am not sure that I liked any of the pictures better than our original one which we fell in love with.There were some which resonated with me. Such as the Woman in a Loge, Children Playing on the Beach, and Maternal Caress.

Children playing on the Beach

Breakfast in Bed from the Huntington Library's web site

After viewing the Cassatt exhibition, we saw some ancient porcelain pieces. None really struck awe in me. I am wondering if I am just getting tired. Then we went upstairs to the Rodin collection. This is the largest collection outside of Paris. Lots of statues. There are pieces from his Gates of Hell. I wonder what the full piece would have looked like.

We are a bit tired after Museuming for two and half hours. We decided that there is much more to see here and we definitely are not going to see it all. About 4, we left and walked about 15 minutes down to the bus stop. But not before noticing that the Legion of Honor is the western terminus of the Lincoln Highway. A while back, the OSHER book club read a book by Amor Towles by that same name. It resonates.

We get to the bus stop and the bus comes along pretty quickly. This is bus #1 which we ride to the Park Presidio Blvd and pick up 28. But not before thinking we might get killed in an accident. A car in the middle lane decided to make a right turn into where we were walking across the crosswalk. So he moves over and comes to a stop in front of a car going 45 mph. Fortunately everything worked out. I think I would have hit him if I was driving.

We get back to our room at about 5 and rest for a bit. Sherri takes a nap and I read some. Then off to Amici’s for dinner. [As a note: a week later, I looked up this Amici’s and it is permanently closed] We share a salad and a large cheese ravioli plate. Good and satisfying. By the time we get back to our room, it is 7:30. We read and rest more, take a shower and go to bed.

 

 

Background

Mel’s Drive-In. This is a 50’s style diner on Lombard St, right across from our hotel. My wife had a French Toast Combo and I had a Ham and Cheese Omlette. They both taste good and were very filling. The service was great-it seemed like every five minutes there was someone who came by to fill up my wife’s coffee cup.

Extra Photo's

China Beach

Coastline

Entrance to the Bay

Legion of Honor

Golden Gate Bridge

Memorial of Peace

Memorial of Peace

 

 

April 7, 2016 - Lands End

Title: April 7, 2016 - Lands End

Trail head: Lands End Visitor Center, San Francisco

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Lands End

Destination: Loop, but at least do the Lands End Trail

Distance: approx 7 miles ¹

Start Time:  1:15pm

End Time:    5:30pm

 ¹I did not wear a GPS for this trip. so the mileage is a guess based up maps.

 Description:
My brother David is with my Mom for the next 10 days, so Sherri and I are able to do a few things. One of the things which we talked about doing was spending a few days in The City. But the forecast calls for rain, so we decided to make it a single day here. Andrea has her Spring break going this week so she decided to join us.


We picked up Andrea from the Colma BART station and drove over to the Lands End Visitor Center in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Of course if there is a Visitor Center, you need to be sociable and visit it. And that is what we did. We picked up a walking map of San Francisco and a book called Stairway Walks in San Francisco. We saw this book on a previous visit and fell in love with a few stairs we climbed before. So if nothing else, it will be a good reference book. By the way, did you know there is at least 671 stairways in this city?

Gary and Andrea looking out into the ocean

Gary and Andrea on a wall

By the time we start walking, it is 1:15. The first place we go to is the Sutro Baths ruins. If you like looking at old walls and places where people used to swim, this is for you. But it does take a bit of imagination to visualize the grandeur this place had a hundred years ago.  Andrea and I walk the walls, while Sherri is content in taking pictures of us. This keeps us off the Streets of San Francisco for 20 minutes or so. The we start walking back up the path we came down-both ways seem steep.

Sherri climbing out of Sutro Baths

Sutro Baths-Ruins

Just above Sutro Baths we traveled through a tunnel where you could hear the ocean waves pounding against the rocks under you. Then the path leads us out onto an old observation deck. I think if you know what to look for, you might be able to look for where the Ohioan sank in 1937. We look around and then head up these stairs back to the Lands End trail. For such a gentle path, these stairs are pretty steep. Once at the top, the Lands End trail continues along the bluff. We pass underneath the USS San Francisco Memorial-deciding not to go up to it. Evidently I am not the only one who feels a bit fatigued by this walk.

There is a little trail, with lots of steps, to a place called Mile Rock Beach. Not sure why it is called Mile Rock, but on top of the rock used to be a lighthouse. Now there is a helicopter landing pad with a beacon. So we go down these steps to the beach. At this point, I think I need something to eat. Something is not right. So out comes a couple bars to consume. Feeling better afterwards, but still not there yet. We climb back up the stairs-did I mention there is a lot of steps on this stairway?  We do find out that this stairway is mentioned in the book we just bought.

Afterwards, we find out we should have taken a side trail as there is a labyrinth there. But we did not. So onward we go. The Lands End Trail continues to be mostly flat, but there is a detour around the Painted Rock area which has, you guessed it, more stairs. But eventually, we make it out to the Eagle's Point Overlook where we get a good view of the Golden Gate. Along the way, we have been enjoying the flowers growing by us. I do not know enough about botany to identify, but they are nice to look at.

Golden Gate

Now it is getting to be mid-afternoon and we have not eaten, so we decide to head towards a place on Balboa Street. This has us going along a path at the edge of Lincoln Park Municipal Golf Course which drops us out on Clement and 34th Street. From there is is a few blocks of walking before we get to Chino's Taqueria. Sometimes when you go to a hole in the wall place, you think well, I do hope the food is edible. This is really good. We all had burritos, which they have an assortment of tortillas-flour, spinach and red-maybe chipotle? I had a regular and was well fed, I do not think I could have finished off the grande.

Having been revived, off we go down Golden Gate Park, enjoying the walk, seeing bison and windmills. Once we hit the ocean highway, it is time to head back to the car. But not without stopping at the Cliff House-not going inside, but enjoying the view from the patio. The Camera Obscura was closed.

After getting back to the car, we take Andrea back to Colma and the BART station there. Then instead of returning to Mountain View, we take a leisurely ride down the coast. Many places to see. Of course, once we make it to Santa Cruz, still stuffed from the burrito, there is only one place we can go-that is MariAnn's for ice cream. Good stuff. Now we can go back to Mountain View and rest up.

Places: CA-Mile Rock

Mile Rock-0' (Point Ponita)  (37.7927072, -122.5102506)
Mile Rock Lighthouse-0' (Point Ponita)  (37.7924294, -122.5105283)
Little Mile Rock-0' (Point Ponita)  (37.7924294,  -122.5096950)

Description:
n 1889, the United States Lighthouse Service placed a bell buoy near the rocks. However, the strong currents in the area would pull the buoy beneath the surface of the water and set it adrift. The lighthouse was completed in 1906 after considerable difficulty caused by the heavy seas and strong currents occurring at this point. The rock upon which the lighthouse is built measured only 40 by 30 feet (12.2 by 9.1 m) at high water. The base of the tower is a large block of concrete protected by steel plating. Steel and concrete in the foundation alone weighed 1,500 tons. The superstructure is of steel, and houses the fog signal apparatus and the quarters for the keepers, with the lantern above.
It was on this rock that the SS City of Rio de Janeiro was wrecked shortly before the building of the lighthouse. One hundred and twenty-eight persons, of 209 aboard, lost their lives when the City of Rio de Janeiro sank on February 2, 1901.
The original third order Fresnel lens was transferred to the Old Point Loma lighthouse in San Diego. In 1966, all of the tower was removed and only the first story was left, and the light automated. The top of the first story is now a landing pad
    From Wikipedia

Also according to GNIS,

• Mike Rock is also called:
• Mile Rocks: Gudde, Erwin G. California Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1949. p214
• One-Mile Rocks: Gudde, Erwin G. California Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1949. p214

Trips:

April 7, 2016 - Hiked the Lands End Trail: Sherri, Gary, Andrea-Mile Rock Beach

References:

•  Wikipedia on lighthouse
• SF Gate article on the light house.
• Lighthouse Friends article
• SF Gate article on Mile Rock Beach

Pictures:

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