Nature Day

Sunday came bright and early on account of poor planning.

We got back to our hotel pretty late from the wedding, 

and had pre-ordered tickets for an Alcatraz tour starting at 9:30am.

Bad plan.

It was not easy to wake up, especially when we are so used to Central Standard Time.

We made it to the ferry on time though, and we were on the way to Alcatraz Island.

Don't let this picture deceive you, this was the coldest boat right I have ever experienced.

We did have a cool view of the island covered in fog on the ride.

Once we arrived on the island, we were welcomed by a park ranger,

and then followed the crowd to the actual penitentiary where they distributed the audio tours.

This was an incredible tour!

It was nice to have my own headset, and to be able to walk through at my own pace.

Of course, there were about 500 other people walking at their own pace beside me, or in front of me, whatever the case may be.

Even so, it was very informational, and entertaining.

^^Alcatraz Island

^^One of two windows in the prison.

And such a pretty view.

There were also great views of the city from the outside courtyard.

^^the foggy Golden Gate Bridge

^^In front of the old guards quarters.

^^Loving our audio tours

After our tour we had time for a quick lunch on the pier,

so we went back to the Boudin Bakery for round two of the sourdough bread bowls.

Still completely delicious!

After getting our fill of soup and bread, we got in the car to head to Muir Woods.
The drive was interesting because our GPS told us it was a mere 15 miles, but that it would take us about an hour to get there.
The hour was generous.
Another part of the day that we had not considered was that we were driving to a national monument, on a Sunday, in perfect weather.
It took us forever to get there, and when we finally did, we had to park at least a mile away.
Just like when we drove to Multnomah, Michael was not a fan of the roads.
They were small, curvy, and had a drop-off on one side.
The trees in the part made it completely worth the long, scary drive.

We had such a great time walking along the main trail.
It was actually not even a trail, it was a boardwalk.
Michael and I were having fun, and taking pictures of trees, and then I thought
"Why not do a little hike while we're here."
Mistake #1.
I heard a family with young kids talking about the trails, and they made them all sound easy, so I just picked one.
Mistake #2.
At first it was all fun and trees.
Until it wasn't.
There were still trees, but there were also stairs, and steep hills.
And we were not dressed appropriately for such a rigorous hike.
Mistake #3.

I chose the yellow one.
It was a little deceiving because there was no view of the ocean.

^^This picture adequately describes our feelings.
Michael said I am never allowed to choose a hiking trail again.
We were completely exhausted, but happy that we got this picture.

We ended the day with takeout in our hotel room.
It was a long and exhausting day, but we had a great time being tourists in and around San Francisco.