Week 9 ~ Oct 16th 2006
Once I was in a bay cruise around the San Francisco bay and had my ears glued to the captain Nemo commentary blaring from the ship. This commentary describes interesting facets of the bay and its prominence in the history of San Francisco's evolution. One interesting commentary went like this... "During the gold rush days of 1880s when gold was discovered in San Francisco, visitors flocked to San Francisco in search of work and fortune. There were plenty of ships visiting San Francisco to play their part in the discovery of wealth. These ships often had to encounter the treachorous fog that engulfs the bay often. During these testing times it was the light house operating from a nearby island called the Angel Island that showed them the way. This island also served as the detnetion center for the chinese immigrants who flocked to San Francisco to escape the miseries from their own country."...
Angel Island fascinated me at once and I was determined to visit it. I didn't have to wait longer. To visit Angel Island one has to take the ferry across from the Fisherman's Wharf. There is only one service on a weekday whereas there are 4 services on a weekend. I decided to take the ferry that starts from Fisherman's Wharf at 9:45 AM to savour the island for the day. I arrived in Embarcadero by BART at 9:00 and decided to walk the 3 miles to Pier 41 from where the ferry starts. There was a long queue to purchase tickets and I was running short of time. Fortunately the ship held fort till I purchased the tickets. I was not sure if it was a round trip or one way.
I went to the deck to take in fresh morning air. I guess it was one of the coldest days in the bay as I began shivering after a few minutes though I was well protected with a jacket. I held forth and started moving around the deck and aft to avoid shivering. The ride to Angel Islands took 20 minutes and there we were in a desolate island. The island had a nice water front but apart from that it looked lonely. My first stop was at the cove cafe, the only shop in the island. I purchased tickets for the 1 hour tram tour around the island. The "tram" was a wagon pulled by a car with open ended seating arrangements. The quorum for the tour was atleast 5 members. We managed 10 and the tour started in right earnest.
The tram follows a paved path around the island with stop overs for photo-op. (There is a walking trail along the perimeter of the island for around 5.5 miles). Our first stop was Camp Reynolds, a US civil war garrison. There were plenty of run down dilapidated buildings which served as the army base during the civil war when California was part of the union. We stopped at the site where the cannon batteries were placed to shoot oncoming ships in the bay (especially from Oregaon and Washington states which were under the confederate). We also saw the pearle beach which has since been closed for winter.
Angel Islands has plenty of scenic spots with clear views of San Francisco's major bridges viz. The Golden Gate bridge, Bay bridge, San Mateo bridge, San Rafael bridge and the Dumbarton bridge. It has 2 sides, Windward side and the Leeward side. The Windward side faces Golden Gate bridge and is cold whereas the Leeward side is more warmer. Next stop was Fort McDowell which served as the recruiting point and then the dispersion point for soldiers serving on the pacific theatre during WWI. The garrison is replete with a huge mess, administration building and a hospital with 70 beds. These structures are in delapidated condition but has been preserved in ruins. We also stopped over at the water plant and stores for the army camp. Next stop was the chinese immigration and detention center. Unfortunately we could not go near as the site is under maintenance. Our tour guide mentioned that there was a poem scribbled on the run down walls of the detention center scribbled by a chinese immigrant lamenting his condition as well as his fellow prisoners. As far as the chinese are concerned, Angel Island is a dark chapter in their history. We soon returned to our starting point within an hour.
I had well over 1 hour to beat the time to catch the next scheduled ferry to San Francisco. What better to do than rent a bike and ride the trails. I've never rode a bike in the last god knows how many years and I was inching to have a go. I chose a bike from a pile that had comfortable seats. The same tram driver doubled up as bicycle renter (manpower is scarce on the island). After paying the rental fee of 10$/hour, I started on a steeper trail. Though unaccustomed to riding on steeper routes, I enjoyed the intial few moments of a thrill ride only to feel the heat as time wore on. The ascension was getting steeper and I was panting and breathing for air. I managed to ride for around 3 miles with brief stopovers. When the going became tough, I decided to call it quits and started my way back. By the time I was in the line to catch the return ferry, I was highly exhausted with an aching back. Overall it was a fascinating trip that could engage you for not more than a few hours. But for the cold, it was thoroughly enjoyable
Angel Island fascinated me at once and I was determined to visit it. I didn't have to wait longer. To visit Angel Island one has to take the ferry across from the Fisherman's Wharf. There is only one service on a weekday whereas there are 4 services on a weekend. I decided to take the ferry that starts from Fisherman's Wharf at 9:45 AM to savour the island for the day. I arrived in Embarcadero by BART at 9:00 and decided to walk the 3 miles to Pier 41 from where the ferry starts. There was a long queue to purchase tickets and I was running short of time. Fortunately the ship held fort till I purchased the tickets. I was not sure if it was a round trip or one way.
I went to the deck to take in fresh morning air. I guess it was one of the coldest days in the bay as I began shivering after a few minutes though I was well protected with a jacket. I held forth and started moving around the deck and aft to avoid shivering. The ride to Angel Islands took 20 minutes and there we were in a desolate island. The island had a nice water front but apart from that it looked lonely. My first stop was at the cove cafe, the only shop in the island. I purchased tickets for the 1 hour tram tour around the island. The "tram" was a wagon pulled by a car with open ended seating arrangements. The quorum for the tour was atleast 5 members. We managed 10 and the tour started in right earnest.
The tram follows a paved path around the island with stop overs for photo-op. (There is a walking trail along the perimeter of the island for around 5.5 miles). Our first stop was Camp Reynolds, a US civil war garrison. There were plenty of run down dilapidated buildings which served as the army base during the civil war when California was part of the union. We stopped at the site where the cannon batteries were placed to shoot oncoming ships in the bay (especially from Oregaon and Washington states which were under the confederate). We also saw the pearle beach which has since been closed for winter.
Angel Islands has plenty of scenic spots with clear views of San Francisco's major bridges viz. The Golden Gate bridge, Bay bridge, San Mateo bridge, San Rafael bridge and the Dumbarton bridge. It has 2 sides, Windward side and the Leeward side. The Windward side faces Golden Gate bridge and is cold whereas the Leeward side is more warmer. Next stop was Fort McDowell which served as the recruiting point and then the dispersion point for soldiers serving on the pacific theatre during WWI. The garrison is replete with a huge mess, administration building and a hospital with 70 beds. These structures are in delapidated condition but has been preserved in ruins. We also stopped over at the water plant and stores for the army camp. Next stop was the chinese immigration and detention center. Unfortunately we could not go near as the site is under maintenance. Our tour guide mentioned that there was a poem scribbled on the run down walls of the detention center scribbled by a chinese immigrant lamenting his condition as well as his fellow prisoners. As far as the chinese are concerned, Angel Island is a dark chapter in their history. We soon returned to our starting point within an hour.
I had well over 1 hour to beat the time to catch the next scheduled ferry to San Francisco. What better to do than rent a bike and ride the trails. I've never rode a bike in the last god knows how many years and I was inching to have a go. I chose a bike from a pile that had comfortable seats. The same tram driver doubled up as bicycle renter (manpower is scarce on the island). After paying the rental fee of 10$/hour, I started on a steeper trail. Though unaccustomed to riding on steeper routes, I enjoyed the intial few moments of a thrill ride only to feel the heat as time wore on. The ascension was getting steeper and I was panting and breathing for air. I managed to ride for around 3 miles with brief stopovers. When the going became tough, I decided to call it quits and started my way back. By the time I was in the line to catch the return ferry, I was highly exhausted with an aching back. Overall it was a fascinating trip that could engage you for not more than a few hours. But for the cold, it was thoroughly enjoyable
posted by Prakash at
2:39 PM
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