Sunday, December 16, 2007

Hiking at Lands End

Freighter sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge


That is not an UFO in the upper-left, but a blimp that flew over the bridge. I assume it was flying to the San Francisco 49ers football game happening that evening.


Since I showed you the Bay Bridge a few weeks ago, here is the other famous local bridge.

I went hiking this weekend in San Francisco at Lands End. I had never heard of this place and just stumbled upon it by chance. Lands End is described as "the wildest, rockiest corner of San Francisco - a corner strewn with shipwrecks and a history of landslides."

Unfortunately, I discovered this hiking area called "The Coastal Trail" late in the afternoon so I didn't get a chance to go from one end to the other (2.5 miles roundtrip) before it got dark. But, I did catch a few quick shots of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean at the various vista points not blocked by trees or vegetation. The slight fog and the sound of foghorns in the distance really made it an extraordinary experience.

Apparently, there has been over 150 shipwrecks near this area and during low-tide, you can see ship parts from oil tankers Lyman A. Stewart (wrecked in 1922) and Frank H. Buck (1937), and the boiler of the freighter Ohioan (1936).

Also, a railroad used to run in this area, but a 1925 landslide wiped out the tracks. Click here for a circa 1900 film of the train ride.

Of course, I didn't know any of this history until I got home and did some research. I guess this gives me an excuse to go back for a revisit.

Have a good week!

- AV

10 comments:

dot said...

The bridge pictures are beautiful! I do hope you will be able to go back and take pictures on the trail. Sounds like a really interesting place. The train ride was terrific!!

Andrea said...

Great capture of that blimp. Beautiful pictures of the bridge and water.

kml said...

What a view to have while hiking! Bet you can't wait to get back there - enjoy!

Lilli & Nevada said...

I love the bridge and I just love to watch blimps they are so huge.

Thanks for the comment about my Princess,but yes we have tried the window bit don't work, tried the Benedryl and that don't work, our next try is going to be the car sick pills. She is fine in the motor home.

AVCr8teur said...

Oh Dot, you don't know how much I want to go back already. Although I might want to wait until after the holidays.

AVCr8teur said...

Thanks Andrea, I wished I had brought my telephoto lens for a better shot of the blimp. I wonder what it's like to ride in one of those and go over the bridge.

AVCr8teur said...

kml, it was quite a view. I heard the view is even more spectacular if I was able to hike a little further.

AVCr8teur said...

Lilli & Nevada, you know, I've never walked on the bridge. It was a cold day so I don't know how many people were walking on the bridge and saw the blimp fly over.

Wouldn't Benadryl make Princess sleepy? Poor Princess.

Oswegan said...

That's a great spot to hike. Nice view.

~Oswegan

AVCr8teur said...

Oswegan, You can say that again. Quite a few people on the hiking trail. I read it's a good place to watch the Blue Angels during Fleet Week.