July 20, 2007
Happy Friday! We have had a great time in San Francisco. It has been full of activities. Here are some of the experiences that we have had over the past few days.
July19 – We headed downtown in San Francisco for the day. Our first stop was to find Lombard St (the crookedest street in the world) and drive down it. After we achieved that, I jumped out at the bottom and got a picture of the crooked block.
Finally, we walked past the Cannery (former DelMonte fruit Cannery that has been transformed into studios for artists), to Ghirardelli Square (i.e. Mecca for me). We checked out the square and headed to the chocolate shop where the World famous Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Sundaes are served. They were amazing!!! If you come to San Francisco, you have to stop by for a sundae. 
After a very full day, we headed back to the campground and the kids swam for a little while as I did two loads of laundry. The evening concluded with watching Food Network. The kids were so excited to have cable at the campsite and access to Food Network.
Finally, on our way home, Lee drove us out to Muir Woods. This is a Redwoods National Park about 12 miles North of San Francisco. We all laughed as we walked through the trails that the trees are so immense, it made us feel like we had shrunk. It was like a scene out of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”. The park was beautiful and I have a new respect fo
r California Redwoods. While we were on the trail, we even came across several mule deer, even a fawn that wasn’t afraid of people watching, and a crane in the stream. It was a beautiful end to an eventful day.
Tomorrow we pack up and head towards Salt Lake City, UT. It is 12 hours away, so we’ll see how far we get. I probably won’t have much to write.
Happy Friday! We have had a great time in San Francisco. It has been full of activities. Here are some of the experiences that we have had over the past few days.
July18 Dream Center - Lee spoke to SPRT about the Dream Center. It is an organization in a Hispanic populated area of LA that had taken over an old hospital and devoted itself to helping the people in the area. We stopped on our way out of LA and observed the facility. There were so many ministries from Free Clinic to daily lunches served to homeless. They have a building that houses runaway teens and tons of other services. The main theme that Lee walked away with is that they function by “Ministry over Facility”. It wasn’t the greatest looking place and seemed pretty run down, however it is reaching out to the community in so many ways. Resources go to ministry and aren’t so concerned by looks. It really left an impact.
July19 – We headed downtown in San Francisco for the day. Our first stop was to find Lombard St (the crookedest street in the world) and drive down it. After we achieved that, I jumped out at the bottom and got a picture of the crooked block.
Second stop, Pier 39 holds street performers, unique shops, and even docks where seals lay in the sun. We then walked through Fisherman’s Wharf were Lee sampled the Dungeness Crab and Ben and I ate fresh shrimp cocktail. Sam settled for a big chunk of Ghirardelli chocolate. While we ate our goodies, we watched a street performer named “The Bushman”. For 28 years, this man sits on a milk crate and holds branches in front of him. He waits for people to walk by him and pushes the branches toward them and growls. They jump in surprise. He’s pretty famous by now and even appears in tons of videos on UTube. I thought it was obnoxious at first, but have to admit that it makes you chuckle to see some people jump.
Finally, we walked past the Cannery (former DelMonte fruit Cannery that has been transformed into studios for artists), to Ghirardelli Square (i.e. Mecca for me). We checked out the square and headed to the chocolate shop where the World famous Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Sundaes are served. They were amazing!!! If you come to San Francisco, you have to stop by for a sundae. After a very full day, we headed back to the campground and the kids swam for a little while as I did two loads of laundry. The evening concluded with watching Food Network. The kids were so excited to have cable at the campsite and access to Food Network.July20 Alcatraz- After sleeping in a little, we headed back into San Francisco to go to the Alcatraz tour.
Fortunately, we were advised to order the tickets ahead of time. When we got there at 11:20am, they were sold out until July 25 in the afternoon. We ordered ours last week because we knew what day we would be able to do the tour. We ferried over to the island and walked around the exhibits, saw a movie produced by Discover channel about the history of Alcatraz, and then did the audio tour of the prison. It was really cool. They gave each of us a pair of earphones and a digital recorder. By starting the recorder at the beginning point
, a former prison officer narrates and directs you through the whole facility. You can stop and start as much as you want to check out all the areas. It is amazing how much history this place holds. The cells are so small and all four of us stepped into one of the cells in “The Hole” (i.e. solitary and blackout). Claustrophobia would have driven me crazy quickly.
Fortunately, we were advised to order the tickets ahead of time. When we got there at 11:20am, they were sold out until July 25 in the afternoon. We ordered ours last week because we knew what day we would be able to do the tour. We ferried over to the island and walked around the exhibits, saw a movie produced by Discover channel about the history of Alcatraz, and then did the audio tour of the prison. It was really cool. They gave each of us a pair of earphones and a digital recorder. By starting the recorder at the beginning point
, a former prison officer narrates and directs you through the whole facility. You can stop and start as much as you want to check out all the areas. It is amazing how much history this place holds. The cells are so small and all four of us stepped into one of the cells in “The Hole” (i.e. solitary and blackout). Claustrophobia would have driven me crazy quickly. After we got back to mainland, we headed to the Wipeout Grill at Pier 39. We partook of the famous San Francisco Sourdough Bread Bowl filled with Clam Chowder. Oh my! Super Yummy! Betty even started to eat mine. I had to wrestle the spoon out of her hand! She should know not to get between me and food. She is lucky to still be around. 
Finally, on our way home, Lee drove us out to Muir Woods. This is a Redwoods National Park about 12 miles North of San Francisco. We all laughed as we walked through the trails that the trees are so immense, it made us feel like we had shrunk. It was like a scene out of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”. The park was beautiful and I have a new respect fo
r California Redwoods. While we were on the trail, we even came across several mule deer, even a fawn that wasn’t afraid of people watching, and a crane in the stream. It was a beautiful end to an eventful day.Tomorrow we pack up and head towards Salt Lake City, UT. It is 12 hours away, so we’ll see how far we get. I probably won’t have much to write.
Keep praying for safety and renewal. It’s working!
Love to all!
Michele
Love to all!
Michele
1 comment:
Hello to all of you and a special Happy Birthday wish to you, Shelly!!!! What a fun way to be turning the BIG 4-0! Oh, you knew I'd have to get that in there!!
I have been reading your blog daily and have really been enjoying it! It looks and sounds like you have been having a wonderful time!
I wanted to tell you that, in celebration of your birthday, Pete, Nathan, and I ate Mississippi Mud Pie at Rachel's today! Oh, we have not been there for quite awhile and that pie tasted better than ever! It made me think of you on your special day!
Even though it sounds like you're traveling on your birthday, I hope you can stop and have a piece of cake somewhere out there to celebrate!
Love ya friend! Take care.
Love,
Denise
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