A long 218 mile car tour and 12 hours driving from Travis AFB to Pigeon Point Lighthouse south of Half Moon Bay and then to San Francisco to have dinner with Matt. Our route took us via IH 80 across the Oakland Bay Bridge to Hwy 1 south. Traffic going thru the toll booth is a nightmare..some 12 lanes merge into 4 or 5. This was worst part of drive.
The weather was supposed to be sunny;however, it was foggy and overcast with only a smidgeon of sun now and then. So not a great day for photos.
Our first stop was Devil's Slide Trail that at one time was part of Hwy 1 but closed to the many slides and accicents. a North and South Tunnel was built in 2013. This section is now a walking and biking trail 1.3 miles ow along the Pacific Ocean with views of a WWII Fire Control Station that has been painted with graffiti. Further down the trail up on a high hill that is not accessible, is the remains of a WWII Fire Control and Radar Station. We parked in the south Parking Lot rather than the North One. The trail opened in 2014 and offers spectacular ocean views and in the migrating season whales can be seen. The Trail is a section of the California Coastal Trail that extends 1200 miles from Oregon to Mexico.
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| Map of Devil's Slide Trail and Area |
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| WWII Fire Control Station |
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| Closer View |
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| Signage for WWII Radar and Fire Control Stations |
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| View of Stations |
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| Trail View of Pacific |
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| Old Hwy and now Trail Walk |
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| Another View from Trail |
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| Trail Signage |
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| Trail View |
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| Signage |
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| South End of Tunnel |
Our next stop was Point Montara Lighthouse just down the road. The Lighthouse was established in 1875 and is still being used by the Coast Guard. The hostel features shared and private rooms.
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| Signage |
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| Montara Lighthouse |
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| Hostel |
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| View from Lighthouse |
Continuing on we drove through the town of Half Moon Bay on Main St. Half Moon Bay is San Mateo County's first town.
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| Main Street-Half Moon Bay |
Our final stop before driving into San Francisco to meet Matt for dinner was Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero. It is witten that this is one of the tallest and most photographed lighthouses in the USA established in 1872. There is also a hostel here.
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| Signage |
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| Pigeon Point Lighthouse and Hostel |
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| Close up View |
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| Looking down Below |
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| Signage |
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| View From Parking Lot |
On Hwy 1 there are many SP Beaches for enjoyment and relaxation. Due to a time constraint of having to be in San Francisco by 430, we were unable to stop for a beach walk.
We first met Matt in 2009 on our trip to San Francisco to visit the many historical Coastal Defense Sights. He and John connected thru John's website. This is our 5th visit with him over the past 8 years. In the past he has taken us to many superb restaurants and tonight he held true to recommendation with dinner at Tai Chi just 5 blocks from his home on Hyde St. It was a nice walk and the food was delicious. We each got a different entree. Thank you Matt. Only for you would we drive into San Francisco.
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| John and Matt |
On the drive in the city, we passed many homeless on the streets, streets teeming with trash. Matt lives in the Russian Hill area and much nicer and safer. California roads, streets and highways are unbelievably littered with all sorts of trash and items. A disgrace to the environment. Seems the citizens, officials and state don't care.
Our mail caught up with us and the grandsons sent a very nice thank you for our contribution for the pigs in their fund raising. Hope does a great job in sorting and forwarding our mail and we thank her for this. Sure takes a load off.
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| Thoughful Thank You from Cade, and Colt |
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