Monday, October 9, 2023
Today is my husband, Mel's 64th birthday. Happy birthday Mel!
Today started out cloudy with rain at 56 degrees, but we were not going to let a little rain ruin Mel's birthday.
We left around 9:50 a.m. and headed first to the Konocti Vista Casino in Lakeport, California. Konocti Vista Casino is only a few miles from downtown Lakeport and is located in the heart of the Lake County wine district.
The drive along CA Hwy 175 in Golden California was curvy and pretty even though it is dry.
It started to sprinkle as we neared Lakeport, California.
We have now entered Lakeport, California. Lakeport is an incorporated city and the county seat of Lake County, California. Lakeport is on the western shore of Clear Lake, at an elevation of 1,355 feet, with a population of 5,026. Lakeport was first settled by American Indians several thousand years ago. At the coming of the settlers, the Kabe-napos, a subtribe of the Pomo people, lived here within their main village. The village name was Kaci-Badon, after the water lily plant Kaci, and badon, which was the native name for 'island'.
The first business in Lakeport was established in 1855, trading goods to the local Indians in exchange for their wares and baskets. The business was run by a man named Johnson, but he did not have a store location. The first shop built in the Lakeport area was constructed by Dr. Boynton. It was William Forbes and James Parrish, however, who created the first shop in the main Lakeport area. Parish was a blacksmith and Forbes was a wagon maker. Forbes was also a pioneer undertaker. It was this investment as well as the land grant Forbes bestowed upon the county, which earned Lakeport its first name: Forbestown.
William Forbes came to the area in 1858. He purchased 160 acres on which to build his home and farm. When the county was investigating land to put the local county seat, Forbes offered 40 acres of his property on which they could build the county office. The electorate thanked Forbes for his generosity by naming the town after him. Although the town no longer bears his name, other landmarks still retain their name association to the late William Forbes.
(Shown above, Nathaniel Lyon would become a Brigadier General for the Union Army and die at the Battle of Wilson Creek in 1861.)
On June 14, 1861, Forbestown was officially renamed to Lakeport. Some locations still bear the Forbes name, however, such as Forbes Creek and Forbes Street. In 1850, Captain Nathaniel Lyon led an attack in the Bloody Island Massacre.
The Bloody Island Massacre was a mass killing of indigenous Californians by the U.S. Military that occurred on an island in Clear Lake, California on May 15, 1850. Lyon later died fighting for the Union in the Civil War. The first post office, called Big Valley, opened at the site in 1858, and changed its name to Lakeport in 1861. The first Lakeport courthouse was built of wood in 1861 and burnt under suspicious circumstances in 1867.
In 1864, the Cache Creek Dam was built. Four years later, the locals tore down the dam and destroyed the mills it helped operate, after waters diverted by the dam flooded most of Lower Lake and Anderson Ranch.
In 1872, a sighting of the legendary "Monster of Blue Lakes" or "Devil Fish" caused Indians from all around to gather at Temescal to await an expected calamity. The “Monster of Blue Lakes,” or “Devil Fish,” -- which according to Native American tradition inhabited clear lake. The devil fish was said to appear once a decade in the Blue Lakes, east of Ukiah, and is said to be a "dragon-like creature, 20 feet long". Native Americans believed that if you laid eyes on it, bad luck would follow.
In 1882, Black Bart robbed the stagecoach traveling between Lakeport and Cloverdale. During this time period, over 450 Chinese immigrants were employed to work the area's quicksilver mines. In 1883, William "Digger" Jones was hanged at Lakeport jail. He was wrongfully hanged two days after the sheriff had received a pardon for him. In 1888, Lakeport was incorporated. For nearly a century, it was the only incorporated city in Lake County.
Our first stop was at the Konocti Vista Casino, that is an Indian gaming casino owned by the Big Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians.
We went inside the casino and got signed up for new player cards. For perks, we each got $10 free play and $5 free play for Senior Mondays; while Mel got an additional $10 free play because it was his birthday, and a greeting from the Halloween ghoul below!
Shown below is Mel playing one of the slot machines and he has won free spins.
Mel cashed out $40 in winnings from the Konocti Vista Casino.
After leaving the casino, we stopped at Jack in the Box at Lakeport to get some lunch. Mel had a Double Jack and I had a Sourdough Jack. We also each had two tacos.
We then left to follow CA Hwy 29 to the Running Creek Casino in Upper Lake, California. It is a full-service gaming destination in a vineyard setting along the historic Highway 20 corridor of Upper Lake, California.
Upper Lake is a census-designated place in Lake County, California, located 8 miles north of Lakeport, at an elevation of 1,345 feet. It has a population of 1,052. This community was formerly named Upper Clear Lake and Upperlake. The Upper Clear Lake post office opened in 1871, changed its name to Upper Lake in 1875, to Upperlake in 1905, and then back to Upper Lake in 1906.
The settlement began in 1854, when William B. Elliott opened a blacksmith's shop. About ten years later, in 1866, a man named Bukofsky built a store, followed by another blacksmith shop built by Caspar Sweikert. A hotel was started by Henry Taylor. A grist mill was built in 1858 and closed in 1867. A second grist mill was built in 1875. The community grew as cattle stock, alfalfa and bean canneries became the main economic draws.
In 1860, when Upper Lake was known as Upper Clear Lake, there existed a 20-mile toll road between the town and Lower Lake which routed through Lakeport. In 1865, the Blue Lakes Wagon Road Company completed a toll road which connected Upper Lake to Ukiah. In 1872, the Upper Lake & Clover Valley Toll Road Company built an improved route that connected Bartlett Springs. Bartlett Springs sat in the high mountains East of Upper Lake and had a toll road running East into the Sacramento valley. These toll roads became the major route to move people in and out of Lake County. Folks from around the world could take a train to Hopland, then take a stagecoach to Lakeport. From Lakeport they would take a steamboat across Clear Lake to Bartlett Landing. The Wharf was located along the shoreline just East of Upper Lake. From there they would take a stagecoach via Upper Lake up to Bartlett Springs Resort. Travelers could also take a train from the San Francisco Bay area into the Sacramento Valley and then take a stage into Lake County via Bartlett Springs and Upper Lake. By the early 1890s, all major routes into and out of Lake County were toll roads.
It is raining pretty hard when we arrived at Running Creek Casino in Upper Lake, California.
We walked inside the Running Creek Casino that is owned by Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake and Luna Entertainment. We signed up for our new player cards and each received $10 in free play. Neither one of us was able to cash out any winnings.
Next we drove to Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino in Nice, California. Nice is a census-designated place in Lake County, California, located 4.5 miles southeast of Upper Lake, at an elevation of 1362 feet with a population of 2,731. The town was originally called Clear Lake Villas, until Charles William Bayne renamed the place after his former hometown, Nice, France, around 1930. The Nice post office opened in 1930.
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We walked inside the Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino. Opened in 1989, Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino is owned and operated by the Robinson Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, and is located on the north shore of Clear Lake.
We signed up for the new player cards and we each received $10 in free play, $5 in the weekly free play (for a total of $15) and Mel got an additional $10 in free play for his birthday.
Shown above is Mel playing the Chili Chihuahua slot machine. He was able to cash out $16.81 in winnings -- I wasn't so lucky!
And as shown above, he even received a free piece of double chocolate cake for his birthday from Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino.
We then drove to the Coyote Valley Casino in Redwood Valley, California. It was a 30 minute drive via CA-20 West from Nice, California to Redwood Valley, California.
It is 19 miles to US Hwy 101, and 25 miles to Ukiah.
We finally arrive at Redwood Valley, California.
We walked into the Coyote Valley Casino and signed up for new player cards. We each received $10 in free play, and Mel got an additional $10 in free play for his birthday.
I was the lucky one this time being able to cash out with $35.30 in winnings, and Mel cashed out $10.66 in winnings -- for a combined total of $45.96. So all in all our total winnings for the day was $102.77 -- not too bad for playing on their money!
While we were at the Coyote Valley Casino, we also got gas there. We then drove to Ukiah, California and got some groceries at Walmart before driving back to the campground. We got home at 6:00 p.m.
For dinner tonight, we had something simple -- frozen beef teriyaki bowls, which were pretty good.
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Today was a stay around the camper day, starting out sunny at 54 degrees, which reached 65 degrees in the afternoon. I just worked on my blog. For dinner, Mel made meatloaf on the grill and a broccoli casserole in the air fryer.
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Today stared out nice and sunny at 48 degrees, so we decided to head out toward the Golden Gate Bridge on US Hwy 101. We left at 9:15 a.m.
So we headed toward San Francisco, which is now 68 miles away.
We continued to follow US Hwy 101.
We now see a sign that says Golden Gate Bridge ahead. We must be getting closer.
The Sausalito exit is now 1-1/4 miles away. And we are now in the San Francisco area. San Francisco (Spanish for Saint Francis), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous city in California, with 808,437 residents, and the 17th most populous city in the United States. The city covers a land area of 46.9 square miles at the end of the San Francisco Peninsula, making it the second-most densely populated large U.S. city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated U.S. county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs. Among the 92 U.S. cities proper with over 250,000 residents, San Francisco was ranked first by per capita income and sixth by aggregate income.
Prior to European settlement, the modern city proper was inhabited by the Yelamu, who spoke a language now referred to as Ramaytush Ohlone. On June 29, 1776, settlers from New Spain established the Presidio of San Francisco at the Golden Gate, and the Mission San Francisco de AsÃs a few miles away, both named for Francis of Assisi. The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought rapid growth, transforming an unimportant hamlet into a busy port, making it the largest city on the West Coast at the time; between 1870 and 1900, approximately one quarter of California's population resided in the city proper. In 1856, San Francisco became a consolidated city-county. After three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, it was quickly rebuilt, hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later. In World War II, it was a major port of embarkation for naval service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater. In 1945, the United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco, establishing the United Nations before permanently relocating to Manhattan, and in 1951, the Treaty of San Francisco re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers.
(San Francisco in 1849, during the beginning of the California Gold Rush.)
In 2022, San Francisco had over 1.7 million international visitors - the fifth-most visited city from abroad in the United States after New York City, Miami, Orlando, and Los Angeles - and approximately 20 million domestic visitors for a total of 21.9 million visitors. The city is known for its steep rolling hills and eclectic mix of architecture across varied neighborhoods, as well as its cool summers, fog, and landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, Alcatraz, along with the Chinatown and Mission districts.
Next we drive through a fairly long tunnel.
As we emerged from the tunnel, we could now begin to see the Golden Gate Bridge ahead.
We took the Alexander Avenue exit. The traffic was pretty heavy now, so all we do was continue to creep ahead.
Now, we were finally at the entrance to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area protecting 82,116 acres of ecologically and historically significant landscapes surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area. Much of the park is land formerly used by the United States Army and managed by the National Park Service. It is the second-most visited unit of the National Park system in the United States, with more than 15.6 million visitors a year. It is also one of the largest urban parks in the world, with a size two-and-a-half times that of the consolidated city and county of San Francisco.
The park is not one continuous locale, but rather a collection of areas that stretch from southern San Mateo County to northern Marin County and includes several areas of San Francisco. The park is as diverse as it is expansive; it contains famous tourist attractions such as Muir Woods National Monument, Alcatraz, and the Presidio of San Francisco. It is also home to over 3,000 plant and animal species, encompasses 59 miles of bay and ocean shoreline and has military fortifications that span centuries of California history, from the Spanish conquistadors to Cold War-era Nike missile sites.
(The Golden Gate National Recreation Area was established in 1972.)
The park was created thanks to the cooperative legislative efforts of co-sponsors Congressman William S. Mailliard and Congressman Phillip Burton. Dr. Robert Busha, an administrator in Mailliard's Washington office, conceived the plan for a non-contiguous national recreation area to circumvent the prevailing limitation that national park property should be contiguous.
In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed into law "An Act to Establish the Golden Gate National Recreation Area." The bill allocated $120 million for land acquisition and development. The National Park Service first purchased Alcatraz and Fort Mason from the U.S. Army. Then to complete the national park in the north bay, the Nature Conservancy purchased the land in the Marin Headlands that made up the failed development project called Marincello from the Gulf Oil Corporation. The Nature Conservancy then transferred the land to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. These properties formed the initial basis for the park.
(Above is a map showing where the Golden Gate is located.)
The Alexander Avenue Exit was just ahead.
We followed the Marin Headlands Coastal Route. The Marin Headlands are a hilly peninsula at the southernmost end of Marin County, California, located just north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, which connects the two counties and peninsulas. The entire area is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Headlands are famous for their views of the Bay Area, especially of the Golden Gate Bridge.
(Map showing the Marin Headlands.)
The Marin Headlands are home to the Coastal Miwok tribe. Before colonization, western expansion, and gentrification, the Miwok freely moved between the bay side of the peninsula and the ocean side, seasonally, for thousands of years. The growth of the San Francisco Bay Area has negatively impacted Miwok sacred sites, culture, and tribal visibility. Miwok continue to seek federal recognition.
In the 18th century, Spanish and Mexican ranchers occupied the Headlands, eventually giving way to Portuguese immigrant dairy farmers (often from the Azores) during the American period following the U.S. acquisition of California in the Mexican–American War.
Above you can see the skyline of San Francisco, California.
We went down and parked at the Marin Headlands trailhead.
We parked in the free parking area at the Marin Headlands lot on the west side of the bridge, and then we were able to walk under the bridge to the northeast lot. Over, under or across — no matter what the approach you take, the Golden Gate Bridge always enthralls. Going under the bridge allowed us to truly appreciate its immensity and brilliant architecture.
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California -- the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula -- to Marin County, carrying both US Hwy 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait. Recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco and California.
The idea of a fixed link between San Francisco and Marin had gained increasing popularity during the late 19th century, but it was not until the early 20th century that such a link became feasible. Joseph Strauss served as chief engineer for the project, with Leon Moisseiff, Irving Morrow and Charles Ellis making significant contributions to its design. The bridge opened to the public in 1937 and has undergone various retrofits and other improvement projects in the decades since.
The Golden Gate Bridge is described in Frommer's travel guide as "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world." At the time of its opening in 1937, it was both the longest and the tallest suspension bridge in the world, titles it held until 1964 and 1998 respectively. Its main span is 4,200 feet and its total height is 746 feet.
Before the bridge was built, the only practical short route between San Francisco and what is now Marin County was by boat across a section of San Francisco Bay. A ferry service began as early as 1820, with a regularly scheduled service beginning in the 1840s for the purpose of transporting water to San Francisco. In 1867, the Sausalito Land and Ferry Company opened. In 1920, the service was taken over by the Golden Gate Ferry Company, which merged in 1929 with the ferry system of the Southern Pacific Railroad, becoming the Southern Pacific-Golden Gate Ferries, Ltd., the largest ferry operation in the world. Once for railroad passengers and customers only, Southern Pacific's automobile ferries became very profitable and important to the regional economy. The ferry crossing between the Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco and Sausalito Ferry Terminal in Marin County took approximately 20 minutes and cost $1.00 per vehicle prior to 1937, when the price was reduced to compete with the new bridge. The trip from the San Francisco Ferry Building took 27 minutes.
On our walk to go under the Golden Gate Bridge, we followed the coastal trail to the Golden Gate Bridge.
The map shown above shows where we parked in the Headlands Parking area and then we crossed under the bridge to the H. Dana Bowers Rest Area and Vista Point.
The above storyboard told us about the strengthening of an icon -- Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit. The Golden Gate Bridge, completed in 1937, is a monument of the last century, and could be damaged by a strong earthquake. Seismic retrofit construction is underway to transform the international icon into a strong and flexible structure that can withstand earthquake forces. The southern San Francisco side and parts of the northern Marin County side are already complete (Phases 1 and 2). The current phase (Phase 3A) retrofits the North Anchorage Housing and Pylon N1. It includes replacing the sidewalks and roadway deck which is the roof of the North Anchorage Housing. Phase 3B will retrofit the suspension span of the bridge and the two main towers. The appearance of the bridge will not be altered.
They have placed a suicide deterrent on the iconic bridge -- safety net 20 feet below the sidewalk, extending 20 feet out from the Bridge. This design was chosen because it allowed open, scenic vistas to remain intact, while preventing anyone from easily jumping to the water below. In 2018, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District began building a net along the perimeter of the 1.7 mile long bridge, and it is now almost complete.
The above storyboard told us about the suicide deterrent system being installed along the west and east sides of the bridge. The potentially life-saving system will rely on horizontal stainless steel nets supported by steel struts connected to the Golden Gate Bridge structure. The net will lie approximately 20 feet below the sidewalk and will extend horizontally approximately 20 feet from the Bridge. The South Approach Viaduct, Fort Point Arch, Suspension Bridge, and the North Approach Viaduct will be fitted with this protective barrier. Further protection is being provided by a 12-foot high picket fence installed atop the concrete bridge railing at the north end of the bridge.
(Shown above and below are pictures of the safety net installed at Golden Gate Bridge.)
(Shown below is a picture of the underneath of the bridge.)
(Another view of the San Francisco skyline.)
The marker above was located at the H.Dana Bowers Rest Area and Vista Point. The insription says: H. Dana Bowers (1903-1977) Supervising landscape architect for the California Division of Highways, created and nurtured California's Highway beautification program from 1936 to 1964. This vista point, designed by Mr. Bowers, is one of many highway improvements which are the result of his leadership, innovation and lifelong dedication to attractive highway design, landscaping, erosion control, and roadside improvements. His work is quietly reflected in the beauty of many California highways.
The storyboard above told us about the bay transformed. The inscription says: For thousands of years Native Americans lived in the Bay Area harvesting animals, salt, and acorns. The changes they made to the landscape were limited. They used fire to shape oak woodlands and grasslands. cultivated plants, and collected salt in tidal marsh ponds. More recent human activity has dramatically altered the bay ecosystem to its detriment. Efforts to protect and restore the ecosystem have emerged as we have gained understanding of its immeasurable value.
The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers carry eroded rock and soil to the bay as sediment. During the last 200 years humans have greatly accelerated this natural process, shrinking the overall area of tidal marsh. In the late 1800's Gold mining washed over 765 million cubic meters (one billion cubic yards) of Sierra Nevada into the bay. Early State legislation encouraged the conversion of wetlands to farmlands, while cities filled marshes to expand their boundaries. By 1950, only 25 percent of historic tidal marsh remained. At the same time, inadequate sewage treatment and unregulated dumping of industrial waste polluted the water. Together these changes seriously compromised the heath of California's largest estuary.
Attitudes shifted as understanding of wetland's invaluable processes grew. Images of reeds and egrets replaced those of mud and mosquitoes, leading to regulation of bay fill and pollution. However, other threats persist. Water diversion for agriculture and urban uses disrupt fresh water flows, altering the bay's salinity and flow patterns. Contaminants from urban and agricultural run-off are washed into the estuary during winter storms, and pollution from past unregulated dumping remains in its sediments. Non-native species of plants and animals, erosion, and rising sea level are further concerns.
These changes present a considerable challenge to the restoration of the estuary's ecological processes. Restoration is a developing science, and much is unknown about the long-term success of these efforts. Coordinated research, planning, and implementation of restoration projects are crucial to find environmental solutions that benefit the diverse community of plants, animals and people that depend on this invaluable ecosystem.
The above storyboard told us about the Golden Gate Bridge. The inscription says: The Golden Gate Bridge is a structure of striking form and elegance. Built in 1937, it remains an indispensable link in the Bay Area's transportation network and a historical monument of civil engineering and construction. The bridge was named for the Golden Gate Strait, where the mouth of the San Francisco Bay meets the Pacific Ocean. References to the area as the Golden Gate exits before gold rush began and before the idea of a bridge was conceived. The Bay's poppy and bunch-grass covered hills and dramatic golden light are an enduring source of inspiration.
The dream of spanning the Golden Gate was expressed as early as the 1850's. Michael O'Shaughessy, City Engineer of San Francisco and engineer for San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy water system, was the first to seriously consider and champion construction of the bridge. He proposed the idea to Joseph B. Strauss in 1915, who was to become the Chief Engineer for the Golden Gate Bridge, and the bridge's foremost proponent. The design of the bridge was realized through the expertise of the engineers, Charles Ellis, Charles Derleth, Leon Moisseiff, and O.H. Amman, and the architect, Irving F. Morrow.
Morrow is responsible for the aesthetic details of the bridge, including its International Orange color. He felt this contrasting color would complement the bay's cool gray and blue skies, enhancing the dramatic scale and setting of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Over four years, countless laborers worked to transform drawings into structure. The bridgemen, as they were known, stoically managed extreme heights and massive materials to complete one of the world's most beloved suspension bridges.
The above marker told us about the Lone Sailor statue (shown below). The inscription says: This is a memorial to every one who ever sailed out of the Golden Gate in the service of their country - in the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, the Merchant Marine. A ship heading for sea passes directly by this spot at the northern end of the Golden Gate. Here the sailor feels the first long roll of the sea, the beginning of the endless horizon that leads to the far Pacific. There is one last chance to look back at the city of San Francisco, shining on its hills, one last chance to look back at the coastline of the United States, one last chance to look back at home. Thousands and thousands of American seafarers have sailed past this place, in peace and war, to defend this country and its sea frontiers. Many of them never returned. This monument is dedicated to the ordinary sailors and marines who sailed from this place and did their duty.
The above picture shows the view of the double tunnel in the mountain from the H.Dana Bowers Rest Area and Vista Point.
When we walked back under the bridge from the H.Dana Bowers Rest Area and Vista Point, we checked out the gate across the Golden Gate Bridge for pedestrians. Today it was closed to pedestrian traffic.
We got back in the truck and drove back through the tunnel.
We then drove toward Fort Baker and the Marin Headlands Coastal Route toward Hawk Hill.
We continued on the Marin Headlands tunnel route.
Soon we entered the tunnel.
And just as quickly, we exited the tunnel.
We turned left toward the Coastal Route 101 and Hawk Hill Overlook.
We then turned right up the hill toward Hawk Hill. Hawk Hill is a 923-foot peak in the Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge and across the Golden Gate strait from San Francisco, California. The hill is within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
It is the lookout point for the largest known flight of diurnal raptors in the Pacific states. Each autumn, from August into December, tens of thousands of hawks, kites, falcons, eagles, vultures, osprey, and harriers are funneled by the peninsular shape of Marin County into the headlands. Hawks avoid flight over water since warm thermals that provide lift are rare. Abundant populations of small mammals protected by the park are one resource that helps maintain the large number of visiting raptors in the Headlands during the fall, but the strong onshore winds hitting the hills of the Headlands provide cold updrafts and hot late summer days provide warm thermals that allow these birds to fly more efficiently.
And the scenic overlooks were superb from this area.
Shown above is Shirley and Mel from the Hawks Hill Overlook area.
Shown above and below are other views from this scenic area.
Next, we turned left following the Fort Baker Marin Headlands Tunnel Route to go see Fort Baker.
(Above and below are maps showing Fort Baker.)
We are now at Fort Baker.
Fort Baker is a dream-like collection of vintage white and red buildings situated at water’s edge on the San Francisco Bay, on the Sausalito side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Part of California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area, it began as a fort and is now a remarkable place to see and to stay when you are in the San Francisco area. The buildings are clustered on several sides of a large parade ground which is open toward the Bay.
Fort Baker has all of the charms of a vintage village as if it had been magically set down in a small, sheltered gap. Surrounded by hills on all sides except for the Bay, it has all of the beauty and charm of a place that is truly set apart from the rest of the world. And yet, so close to the grandeur of the Golden Gate Bridge, the drama of the Marin Headlands, and the quaintness of Sausalito.
Fort Baker began in 1850 when President Millard Fillmore set aside this location as part of the fortifications guarding the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Situated on the northern side of the Golden Gate, the Army post remained active through World War II.
Fort Baker, the 9th and final "Post-to-Park" conversion in the Golden Gate National Parks, is a 335 acre former 1905 U.S. Army post located immediately north of the Golden Gate Bridge. This hidden gem of a site consists of over 25 historic army buildings clustered around a main parade ground, a sheltered harbor protected by a jetty, a number of historic gun emplacements, and trails and forested areas climbing gently up from San Francisco Bay.
Fort Baker is a historic army post located in the Marin Headlands. The post, built between 1902 and 1910, is one of the park’s best examples of the army’s “Endicott Period” military construction, named after the late 19th century Secretary of War, William C. Endicott. The “Endicott Period” refers to the peace time years, between 1865 (the end of the Civil War) and 1898 (prior to the Spanish-American War), when the army had the time to look inward and make improvements to many of its existing military systems.
(Fort Baker soldiers in front of the post's guard house, circa 1910.)
By the 1860s, many of the Army’s “modern” defense systems had become outdated and the War Department expressed growing concerns about the dilapidated condition of the country’s seacoast fortifications. As a response, in the 1890s, the War Department made sweeping recommendations for all existing U.S. seaports and proposals to modernize and re-arm all the seacoast forts. In addition to improving its seacoast defenses, the Army now turned its energy toward improving the living conditions of enlisted soldiers, in order to stem desertion, boost moral and attract a better class of recruits.
(The commanding officer's residence is shown on the left and the post headquarter's building is on the right at Fort Baker, circa 1910.)
(Overlooking Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands.)
(Map showing where Alcatraz Island is located.)
From the Marin Headlands area, we could see Alcatraz Island (on the left side above the pier) across the San Francisco Bay.
Alcatraz Island or the Rock is probably the second most famous landmark in San Francisco after the Golden Gate Bridge. Alcatraz Island is home to a museum where you can learn the history of the maximum-security prison which was housed on the island from 1933 to 1963.
(Alcatraz Island, ca. 1895.)
Alcatraz Island is a small island 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco, California that was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military prison. In 1934, the island was converted into a federal prison, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. The strong currents around the island and cold water temperatures made escape nearly impossible, and the prison became one of the most notorious in American history. The prison closed in 1963, and the island is now a major tourist attraction.
Beginning in November 1969, the island was occupied for more than 19 months by a group of Native Americans, initially primarily from San Francisco, who were later joined by AIM and other urban Indians from other parts of the country, who were part of a wave of Native American activists organizing public protests across the US through the 1970s. In 1972, Alcatraz was transferred to the Department of Interior to become part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
(View of Alcatraz Island in August 2021.)
Alcatraz Island is the site of the abandoned federal prison, the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States, early military fortifications, and natural features such as rock pools and a seabird colony (mostly western gulls, cormorants, and egrets). According to a 1971 documentary on the history of Alcatraz, the island measures 1,675 feet by 590 feet and is 135 feet at highest point during mean tide. The total area of the island is reported to be 22 acres.
(Shown above is a map of Alcatraz.)
(Looking at San Francisco through the Golden Gate Bridge.)
Above is another view of Alcatrez Island in the distance.
(Shirley and Mel in front of Golden Gate Bridge.)
Shown above and below is looking back at Fort Baker.
Shown below is Sausalito, California. Sausalito is Spanish for "small willow grove," and is a city in Marin County, California, located 1.5 miles southeast of Marin City, 8 miles south-southeast of San Rafael, and about 4 miles north of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge. Sausalito has a population of 7,269. Sausalito developed rapidly as a shipbuilding center in World War II, with its industrial character giving way in postwar years to a reputation as a wealthy and artistic enclave, a picturesque residential community, and a tourist destination. The city is adjacent to, and largely bounded by, the protected spaces of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area as well as the San Francisco Bay.
Sausalito combines hillside with the shoreline.
(Shown above and below is Sausalito Yacht Harbor.)
After we left Sausalito, we drove toward San Rafael, California. San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, with a population of 61,271. San Rafael was founded by the Spanish in 1817, when Vicente Francisco de SarrÃa established Mission San Rafael Arcángel, initially as an asistencia (sub-mission). San Rafael Arcángel was upgraded to full mission status in 1822, a month before Alta California declared independence from Spain as part of Mexico. Following the American Conquest of California, the community of San Rafael incorporated as a city in 1874.
We stopped to eat lunch at Taco Bell in Novato, California.
Novato (Spanish for "Novatus") is a city in Marin County, California, situated in the North Bay region of the Bay Area with a population of 53,225. What is now Novato was originally the site of several Coast Miwok villages: Chokecherry, near downtown Novato; Puyuku, near Ignacio; and Olómpali, at the present-day Olompali State Historic Park.
Then following US Hwy 101 North, we passed by Petaluma, California.
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 59,776. Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village named Péta Lúuma that was located on the banks of the Petaluma River. The modern city originates in Rancho Petaluma, granted in 1834 to famed Californio statesman Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, considered to be the founder of Petaluma. Today, Petaluma is known for its well-preserved historic center and as a local hub for the Petaluma Valley region of Sonoma County.
We drove by the Sebastopol, California exit and continued on toward Santa Rosa, California.
Sebastopol is a city in Sonoma County, in California with a recorded population of 7,521. Sebastopol was once primarily a plum- and apple-growing region. Today, wine grapes are the predominant agriculture crop, and nearly all lands once used for orchards are now vineyards. The creation of The Barlow-- a $23.5 million strip mall on a floodplain at the edge of town, converting old agriculture warehouses into a trendy marketplace for fine dining, tasting rooms, and art, has made Sebastopol a popular Wine Country destination. Famous horticulturist Luther Burbank had gardens in this region. The city hosts an annual Apple Blossom Festival in April and is home to the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival.
The area's first known inhabitants were the native Coast Miwok and Pomo peoples. The town currently sits atop multiple village sites. The town of Sebastopol formed in the 1850s with a U.S. Post Office and as a small trade center for the farmers of the surrounding agricultural region.
We are now seven miles from Windsor, California. Windsor is an incorporated town in Sonoma County, California, located 9 miles north of Santa Rosa and 63 miles north of San Francisco, with a population of 26,801. The site now occupied by the town of Windsor was originally inhabited by the Southern Pomo. It was known as Tsoliikawai,[5] meaning "blackbird field", a name also applied to the village, tribe or tribelet at the site. This group was probably part of the Kaitactemi tribe that ruled from the Healdsburg area down to Mark West Creek.
Windsor's first European settlers arrived in 1851. In 1855, a post office was established in Windsor and Hiram Lewis, a Pony Express rider, became the town's first postmaster. He named the town Windsor because it reminded him of the grounds around Windsor Castle, a medieval castle from his home country of England. The following year, a business enterprise was built in eastern Windsor, which included a goods store, a shoe shop, a grocery and meat market, a saloon, a hotel, a boarding house, and two confectionery shops. The Northwestern Pacific Railroad was completed through the town in 1872, providing a faster and cheaper link to the Bay Area.
We stopped at the Russian River Brewing Company in Windsor, California.
Mel gives a thumbs up to the Russian River Brewing Company in Windsor, and then we head in for him to sample some of their craft beers.
Russian River Brewing Company has two locations -- Santa Rosa and Windsor, California.
Mel looks over the craft beer selection before he orders. He finds a crat beer he like and buys a 6-pack to take home. We also each end up getting a t-shirt (see below).
From the brewery, we drove over to the River Rock Casino in Geyserville, California.
Settled in the mid-1800s, the town of Geyserville, with a population of 861, retains the ambience of a bygone era. Close to the banks of the Russian River, this rural gem is a magnet for bicyclists, artists, and photographers, as well as those who love great food and wine. Located in the beautiful Alexander Valley, the town owes its name and beginnings to the discovery of geothermal springs in the Mayacamas Mountains just east of town. The area became a tourist attraction, and some of those tourists stayed and put down agricultural roots.
Cattle, grain, pears, and prunes thrived here in the town's early decades, but once the California wine boom of the 1970s found its way to the valley's rich, gravelly soil, grazing fields and fruit orchards were replaced with vineyards—and Geyserville today remains a verdant sea of vines. Also remaining is Geyserville's Wild West charm, found along all 60 yards' worth of its Main Street downtown. Wooden boardwalks and Old West-era storefronts blend with contemporary restaurants, winery tasting rooms, and local boutiques.
Geyserville, located on the Rancho Tzabaco Mexican land grant, owes its foundation to the discovery in 1847 of a series of hot springs, fumaroles, and steam vents in a gorge in the mountains of Sonoma County, California, between Calistoga and Cloverdale. This complex, which became known as The Geysers, soon became a tourist attraction, and a settlement grew up to provide accommodation and serve as a gateway to The Geysers. It was initially known as Clairville but subsequently renamed Geyserville. After the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad was extended to Cloverdale in the 1870s, its trains stopped in Geyserville.
We turned right on CA Hwy 128 to continue on to the River Rock Casino.
We continued on through the Alexander Valley. Located north of Healdsburg and east of Geyserville, the Alexander Valley stretches 25 miles from north to south with the beautiful Russian River meandering through. In Alexander Valley, beautiful vistas and exquisite wines can be found at both small family-run wineries, and exquisite full-service tasting rooms.
The Alexander Valley is located just north of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. It is home to many wineries and vineyards, as well as the city of Cloverdale. It is the largest and most fully planted wine region in Sonoma.US Hwy 101 runs through the valley, and the Russian River flows down the valley, surrounded by vineyards on both sides. From the higher elevations of the valley rim, there is a view as far south as Taylor Mountain and Sonoma Mountain. The region was named for Cyrus Alexander, owner of a part of the Rancho Sotoyome Mexican land grant, in 1847.
In its early history, the territory commonly referred to as the "Alexander Valley" denoted the benchlands east of the Russian River leading up to the Mayacamas Mountains. The area west of the Russian River was known as “the plaines” or “the ranchos.” Prior to Spanish colonization, Alexander Valley was occupied by the Wappo and Pomo. Viticulture in the area dates back to 1843, when Cyrus Alexander used vine cuttings collected from Fort Ross on the Pacific coast, to establish vineyards in the area. For most of its history the region was predominately associated with mass-produced bulk and jug wines made from indiscriminately planted field blends of red grape varieties.
Shown above and below are some of the vineyards we drove by.
We are now to the River Rock Casino in Geyserville, California.
River Rock Casino, located in the heart of wine country, nestled among the rolling hills of the Alexander Valley, is one of the closest, most accessible gaming facilities for the residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. Owned and operated by the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, River Rock Casino was voted “Best Entertainment Venue in the North Bay.”
We went inside the River Rock Casino and signed up for new player cards. We each received $25 in free slot play. At the end of the afternoon, I cashed out $19.51 and kept the voucher slip to bring back with me tomorrow, as we would then again both receive $25 in free slot play.
We then drove back to the Russian River Thousand Trails in Cloverdale, California arriving at 5:15 p.m.
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Another beautiful and sunny day that started out at 45 degrees, but would reach 82 degrees in the afternoon. After lunch at 12:30 p.m., we headed once again to the River Rock Casino in Geyserville, California.
It was day 2 at the River Rock Casino. We each received $25 in free slot play again today.
We went inside and played for awhile. By the end of the afternoon, including the payout voucher I had from yesterday, I made a total of $31.46 at this casino.
We then drove back to Cloverdale, California. We got gas at Renner Petroleum, stopped at the post office to pick up our mail, and then drove to Wolf House Brewing Company.
Mel gives a thumbs up and we go inside the brewery for him to sample some craft beers.
While we are there we decided to take advantage of the happy hour specials.
Mel decided to get the burger and beer special for $12 (see above and below).
While I got the happy hour special of -- six boneless wings and garlic fries for $6 and a fish taco for $5 (see below).
When we went back outside, I took pictures of the murals on the building close to the brewery.
The following mural (shown in the next few pictures) is on the side of the Karma Cafe in downtown Cloverdale.
We enjoyed some beautiful icons the past few days including the Golden Gate Bridge!
Happy belated birthday Mel. Congrats on your casino wins!!! It's always great to win on your birthday and get free cake. I love all the photos. Golden gate Bridge looks beautiful. What a great tour of. California.
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