Wow, we are really here.....
Day 251
11-13-2006
Started: Ferry Station in San Francisco
Finished: Golden Gate Bridge, CA
Today's Miles: 6.7
Total Miles: 4082.1
The sights and sounds of the big city of San Francisco! Late last night we rode the last Ferry of the day that brought us across the San Francisco Bay from Oakland to the Ferry Station in San Francisco. Sheri's Mom and Dad Natoli had taken the Ferry over to Oakland to meet us and then rode back across with us to the San Francisco side. We enjoyed being tourists last night and this morning and decided we would have a casual day today. We knew we wanted to enjoy hiking across the Golden Gate Bridge with some of our family, including Maw and Pop Propster who wouldn't be flying in from Virginia Beach until late this afternoon. So, with only a few miles to hike along the Fisherman's Wharf and San Francisco's bay side Embarcadero along the Barbary Coast Trail past famous sights like Pier 39 and the Maritime Museum, we knew we could get a midday start and still have plenty of time to take in all the sights. It was a rainy and foggy day today, but that didn't seem to scare off any of the crowds that were enjoying the Wharf. One of the funniest attractions along today's hike would have to have been the noisy Sea Lions that call the docks at the end of Pier 39 home. The playful animals wrestle for space, splash around in the water and rest in warm piles tightly packed together while drying out in the sun on the floating docks. As we made our way past the Piers to the Golden Gate Bridge we hiked past hundreds of boats in the harbors and boat clubs along Fisherman's Wharf and through the facilities at Fort Mason. Just as we were entering Crissy Field, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the Country's largest Urban Park, we hiked through an area known as The Presidio. The old Military Base that was established in 1776 is now partially run by the Park Service. Some areas of the facility have been renovated and turned into upscale housing and another portion of the large base is even being used to build a movie set. Even with the Presidio buildings to walk through we seemed to have our eyes fixed on the nearby Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge, while currently the second longest suspension bridge in the United States, was once the longest suspension bridge in the world at its completion in April of 1937. The bridge has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and a landmark we have been waiting a long time to cross knowing that the bridge is our gateway to the Pacific Ocean. As we approached the parking area at the base of the steps leading up to the south side of the Bridge two cars came pulling in, quickly stopped, and the four passengers who jumped out with their arms waving were Maw and Pop Propster and Mom and Dad Natoli. Their timing couldn't have been any better! The rain was getting pretty heavy and it didn't look as though it would be letting up any time soon. We were covered head to toe in all our rain gear and our packs were covered with our pack covers but our family wasn't quite as well prepared. The happiness that radiated off of all of us from our reunion wasn't about to be diminished by any rain and fog, so no matter how wet things were going to get there was no stopping all of us from sharing a walk across the world famous Golden Gate Bridge. There was no way to keep from getting saturated, but wind and water wasn't going to keep us from smiling our way across the mouth of the beautiful Bay. We stopped for pictures and watched as Bay Seals hunted for fish in the water below us. Our views of the San Francisco skyline and the nearby Alcatraz Island came and went between periods of heavy fog. The leisurely hike over the bridge was spent catching up with family and by the time we reached the north side of the Golden Gate the cloud covered sun was getting low in the sky. It is unbelievably overwhelming to be able to look out over the Pacific Ocean. It has definitely been a long challenging Journey and the idea of reaching the Pacific has been somewhere in our minds for the past nine months, and now its Right There! We are loving having our family here with us to help us celebrate reaching the other Ocean and look forward to spending the next two days working our way up the coast, soaking in the Ocean views and reflecting on the amazing events that we have been fortunate enough to experience throughout this incredible Journey. Tonight we are going to stay on the North side of the Bridge and visit with Maw and Pop Propster enjoying the sights of Sausalito. Ocean side life in California! Wow, we are really here! Overwhelmed, Amazed, Excited, Thrilled, Exhilarated, none of these words or any others can truly describe the way we feel, for that matter, we don't even know how we truly feel, we have so many wonderful thoughts and memories running through our heads and look forward to making our way up the coast while digesting our feelings and gathering our emotions in preparation for a celebration of an unforgettable Journey!
Your Friends on the ADT,
Randy and Sheri
Follow our Journey at www.treckusa.com
