We felt elated as we stood at the vista point overlooking the bridge. Of the 13 days which we had spent driving across the USA, the last one was the most demanding.
We had become used to traffic-free, straight roads over the last few days.
The journey from Yosemite to San Francisco was a shock to the system as, firstly, we managed to completely lose the main roads and ended up driving through miles and miles of continuous vineyards on bumpy back roads.
Eventually, we came to Modesto and rejoined the main route up towards Sausolito and to the Golden Gate.
The traffic was horrendous as we got nearer the city. The driving became more aggressive than we had seen for the entire trip. Part of us yearned to be back in the straightforward plains. But the sense of achievement as we looked down on the Pacific Ocean as it lead into the Golden Gate strait was immense.
As we stood by the bridge, a turkey vulture flew over it and circled us, before heading back across the bay. How prophetic was that? We had been seeing the vultures across Nevada and, it seems, we actually did follow one.
We settled into San Francisco and explored Alcatraz, which was well worth a visit. It was interesting to learn about the Native American occupation which took place for around 18 months.
The intention was that the first thing that people sailing into the bay would see, would be "Indian land". There is still evidence of the peaceful occupation visible today, as in the scenes below.
The story of the escape was fascinating, involving the use of 3 false heads which they left in their beds whilst they entered secret tunnels.
San Francisco's attractions and history are well documented. All we would say is that, if exploring the fisherman's wharf area, a visit to the Boudin bakery is an absolute must. We know- we went twice today! Dodgy pic through a reflective window but the bread is amazing. Sourdough using San Francisco fog!
So that's the end of our roadtrip!
The Mustang proved to be supremely comfortable and never missed a beat. We shall miss it.
We shall also miss all the characters we have met on our journey. Some that have featured in this blog, such as the singing Wizard of Oz tour guide in the ruby slippers. Some that haven't, such as the man in Independence, Missouri, who dreamed that one day he would go to Bootle. Or the smallest cowboy in the world, in Eureka, Nevada.
We were always asked why, on our way across America, we had chosen to go in to a particular small bar in a small town. The truth is, that we hadn't chosen to. We had just found them. And they are just as important a part of what this country is, as are the major towns we have visited.
We had seen America from a new perspective, from the centre of government to the tiny settlements which all fall under one umbrella.
In the Capitol building, each state was invited to donate 2 statues to represent their state. The only rules were that they had to be made of bronze or marble, and the person honoured had to be dead.
Each state chose their representative statues democratically. One was chosen after a campaign by a scout group which gained public support.
We've been working on our own version, of people who should be honoured in each state that we've visited, for positively contributing to our roadtrip.
We'll conclude the list for our final blog entry on the way home.
But that's for next time.
For now, we need to celebrate our trip.
Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colerado, Utah, Nevada and California.
All human life is here.
And it's amazing. :0)
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