Construction 129

We met Craig, a co-worker, at this nice little place that served homemade chicken sausage and potato-carrot pancakes for breakfast (Home Plate). Craig has worked out on Alcatraz for 20 years. He spent an hour telling us about the ins and outs of riding a boat to work every day and what it’s like to spend so much time on “The Rock”.  Later I mused that he has a long sentence.. at the rock (probably not the first time he has heard that). Craig could write a book… hint hint... “A Life on the Rocks.”

After breakfast we headed over to lighthouse #5 on this trip, Point Bonita. Point Bonita is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard and sits north of the San Francisco Bridge,  It is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the largest urban park in the United States. 

Point Bonita Lighthouse

The lens at Point Bonita

We climbed out over the bridges to reach it and the ocean breeze was wonderful out there. We took lots of photos of the house and coast and then headed up over the mountain to get to shoot the bridge. 

San Francisco

 The area above the bridge is part of an old fort, and there are tons of military bunkers and buildings to explore if you get the hankering. Having done this in a past trip to San Francisco, I opted out. I did wander into Construction 169 because there was music coming out of the military structure and I was curious.

Man in the battery... Construction 129

The sound was a couple of teenagers dancing in Battery Construction 129 and trying to film a video. The structure carried 16-inch gun mounts that could fire 2,100 pound shells 27 miles out into the bay. It was never fired.  Cool place to get pictures.

Here we headed over to Sausalito and wandered more gift shops and ended up drinking a dark local beer overlooking the water at Spinnakers. This place had the look and feel of a time past… wealthy wives heading down to sit on green sofas and sip martinis with cigarettes dangling out of their mouths… watch the sailboats. 

Dark local beer at Spinnaker's

We finished the day having Indian food in San Rafael with Maxine, a friend from Anchorage.

I leave town tonight.

I hear there is a Hunky Jesus contest in Dolores Park for Easter by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (Kabuki-inspired cross-dressing nuns-of-fun).