Spring Western Trip 2017: Oakland, California

Friday, 4/14:  227 miles and camping at Anthony Chabot Regional Park, Oakland, California

Traffic was very busy today, probably because of the Easter Weekend and everyone, including us, was traveling.  The closer we got to Oakland, the more congested the roads.  The drive into the park was an adventure.  Thanks to Judy's sleuthing, she discovered that the south entrance to the park was closed because of a road wash out.  That meant we had to drive an extra hour and come in from the north.  While we were prepared for the crooked roads, we were not prepared for the elevation climb.  The truck could handle it with no problem, but the corners, narrow shoulders, and overlooks did provide a thrill.  Once in the campground, we had a large paved site with lots of privacy, and all kinds of places to walk the dogs.  My sister and her husband, Karen and Bob, arrived a short time later with pizza and wine.  We had a great evening catching up.

Saturday, 4/15:

We met Bob and Karen at their house about 10:00 AM.  After a cup of coffee, we headed into San Francisco for some site seeing.  As it turned out, thousands of other people were doing the same thing.  Bob and Karen said they had never seen so much traffic.  We stopped at the Farmers Market at the Ferry Building. Of course, we had to include the drive down Lombard Street, supposedly the most crooked street in the world. Later, we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge at about a 10 mile per hour crawl.  We then circled back around to Oakland and stopped at Dashe Cellars for some wine tasting.  The weather was warm enough for us to sit outside in the garden and enjoy a glass.  Then, less than a block away, we ate a wonderful dinner at Nido’s.  We got back to the campground about 8:30.  It was a long day, and we were exhausted.

Easter Sunday, 4/16:

We joined Bob and Karen again at 10:00 AM.  The weather was overcast with “on and off” showers.   First stop this morning was the de Young Art Museum in Golden Gate Park. Their current featured exhibit is called "The Summer of Love Experience: Art , Fashion and Rock and Roll."  This is the 50th anniversary of summer of 1967 the turbulent times in the San Francisco area.  Later we tasted wine at Urban Legend Cellars.   We ended up buying 6 bottles.  Then we had a phenomenal early dinner at Bocanova,  a restaurant specializing in Pan-American cuisine. I had scallops while Judy had tuna, and they were each served in a way we have never had them.  The meals were amazing, both in taste and presentation.  Like last night, we were back to the camper by 8:30 or so.

Some reflections about the Bay Area:  The scenery is stunning, and there are tons of things to see and do.  The dining and wine tasting options are overwhelming.  There are many museums and parks.  HOWEVER, the traffic was mind boggling!  Unlike New York City, there is not an extensive mass transit system.  There are not even a lot of cabs.  So, everybody just drives.  Crossing any of the bridges involves 10 or more lanes of traffic funneling down to 3 or 4.  And while it did seem that most drivers are patient, I just can’t put my arms around commuting like that every day.  Yet they do.  I guess its all a matter of what you are used to.

As usual, we always have a fun filled time with Bob and Karen.  Monday we continue our trek and head north to Oregon.