San Francisco California

During our first visit to Santa Rosa we couldn’t find the time to visit San Francisco California. So on our return visit the City by the Bay became a priority.

Our drive back to Santa Rosa was over 200 miles longer than it should have been! That was due to the closure of Route 1 because of rock slides. In order to get back to Santa Rosa we needed to go north into Oregon and east around the mountains before we could get on the highway south and west again.

Fortunately we knew ahead of time. If we had been unaware of the road closing it would have been a disaster. Making U-turns in the RV with our Jeep in tow in practically impossible.

The extra couple hundred miles was a time suck for sure. But it was also a very beautiful drive. There was lots of snow everywhere. But thankfully, not on the roadway. We passed rivers and forests and  followed the long and winding road until we finally reached the main highway. We even drove through snow flurries that, lucky for us, were not accumulating on the paved road.

By the time we finally parked Ladybug in her site at our campground, we were completely exhausted. We had been on the road for about 11 or 12 hours. Steve and I were both ALMOST too tire to eat dinner. We ordered pizza from Domino’s and fell into bed shortly after eating.

The next day we awoke refreshed and ready to explore again. It was time to head to San Francisco California.

Our first stop on our way to San Francisco was Muir Woods for more of those spectacular Redwoods. In all fairness, we never did find Muir Woods. The road leading to the woods was so narrow, steep and winding that even the Jeep had a hard time maneuvering.

After several harrowing hairpin turns we finally decided it wasn’t worth continuing on that treacherous drive. So we carefully headed back down to the highway and on to Sausalito.

We thought we would have lunch there overlooking the water. However the restaurant we had chosen didn’t give us good vibes. It was deserted, except for the people who worked there. We were hungry. But not THAT hungry. So we continued further south to San Francisco.

We went through the Robin Williams Tunnel and over the stunning and iconic Golden Gate Bridge. And headed straight to the Mission District for a take out lunch from Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen. I had a real hankerin’ for a good hot pastrami sandwich. By that point we had grown accustomed to walking up to a table that was blocking a restaurant’s entrance to order our food. Steve ordered us each a hot pastrami on rye with coleslaw and Russian dressing with a side of fries. On most occasions we would have shared a sandwich. But it was so late by the time we had lunch that one sandwich between us would never have been enough. We inhaled our lunch and it was delicious.

Then it was time to do a little exploring. It had been many years since we last visited San Francisco California. We remembered loving the bustling Fisherman’s Wharf, so we headed there. It was, sadly, almost deserted! Covid-19 had really kept people away. Almost all of those fabulous seafood restaurants were closed. The only place that was open was a place I really wanted to go.

On our last trip to San Francisco we had visited the Boudin Bakery famous for its sourdough. In fact, we had shipped home a dozen loaves of that luscious bread to keep in our freezer. Back then we were living in a big, single home and had a large chest freezer in the garage. I remember how fabulous those sourdough loaves were. And once inside the store I couldn’t wait for taste once again.

The Boudin Bakery has been baking San Francisco Sourdough according to the Boudin family’s time honored methods since 1849. Their secret is the mother dough, a method of making bread rise using only the wild yeast present in the local environment. This wild yeast is “caught” from the air and cultivated with a mixture of water and flour. Because it survives in San Francisco’s fog-cooled climate, Boudin Bakery’s mother dough imparts a flavor and texture unlike any other bread in the world.

We bought two small boules and a couple of cans of their delicious New England Clam Chowder.

I am willing to bet that you can guess what we had for dinner that night!!!

After crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to head back to Santa Rose we made a brief detour. We stopped at the H. Dana Bowers scenic viewing station to appreciate the view and gets some more great shots to share with you.

Next year we hope to spend a bit more time exploring San Francisco California. We are already looking forward to our return.