August 22, 2010
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San Francisco
We had a one-way motorhome rental from Seattle to San Francisco. I took it up to Seattle a few weeks ago and this last week was the time to go get it. It was a great trip. The reason I decided to drive down was because Kelly’s Jessica lives there in SF now and he wanted to go down to see her. Airline tickets from PDX to SF were awfully expensive also, so an alternative method of getting there was explored. My pickup is getting so old, I did not know if it would make it, so I rented a car from Budget and we picked it up from NW Portland at about 4:30 on Wednesday. Judy Lynn took us down and after I got the car, Kelly and I just shifted what stuff we were taking into the rented car and took off. It was rush-hour, so it took us a long time to get through Portland and on our way, but when we did we made good time. The car was a little Ford Focus and it got really good mileage, much better than my truck. Turns out that the savings in gas alone paid for over half the care rental When we stopped in Medford to fill up with gas, I could not believe how little gasoline it took to fill the tank.
I planned to drive to about Shasta or Corning, but when we got there, I was still wide awake, so I just kept driving. I picked up a Mountain Dew (diet, but with caffeine) in Medford and had a dose or two of that and since my body is not used to caffeine, it was wide awake. I drove until about 3:30, still wasn’t very tired, but stopped at a Casino along the way nearing SF to go to the rest room and decided to just rest for a while in the car. I slept for about three hours (until about 7:00 AM) and then awoke and was ready to go. We were only about an hour from SF, so we drove in to SF in rush-hour traffic, but it wasn’t too bad. We crossed the Bay Bridge and I was shocked at the toll they charged. Last time I crossed it, several years ago, it was $2.00. This time it was $6. There were about 15 lines of cars waiting to go through either their auto thing or pay the money. Can you imagine the money that would come in with folks going to SF for the day? (I would go on into one of my rants about toll bridges and toll roads, but will refrain!)
Once in SF, we just drove around a bit. I wanted to find Fisherman’s Warf where the hotel was where we were to pick up the MH later in the day. We found that and drove through Fisherman’s Warf. We then decided to go find Kelly’s Jessica’s apartment. It was about time for her to go to work, so on the way Kelly called her and she was just going outside her apartment, so he told her to wait and we stopped, gave her the packages that Garna (Doug’s Garna and Jessica’s Grandma) had sent. She ran them back up to her apartment and then we took her to work.
This is a picture of the street where Jessica lives and then a picture of her and Kelly standing outside the “gate” of the apartment where she lives. This location did not give Kelly a “warm and fuzzy” feeling about having her 21 year-old daughter living in downtown San Francisco. But she says she loves it there. I can’t imagine why, but that is just a personal opinion. There are MILLIONS of folks that like it there.
After we dropped Jessica off, we had a few hours to kill before the MH was to get there, so we first parked at Fisherman’s Warf and walked around (parking, $2.50 per each 20 minutes, so needless to say, we did not stay there long. Then we drove to Golden Gate Park where we walked around and took some pictures.
Kelly and me with Golden Gate Bridge behind us
Partially hidden by clouds.
Golden Gate National Park and a cross section of cable holding the Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco and Alcatraz
There was a man behind this bush that moved as people passed to scare them
This guy is a several generation person doing this and makes his living doing it.
One of the piers
San Francisco Street-car
Another One
More random pictures of the streets of SF
The renters finally called us and told us they were at the hotel. When we got there, I found out that although the hotel had told the renter that they had a place to park the MH, they just meant in their entry way long enough to unload their stuff. So when I got there, they had pulled the MH around the corner and had it parked along side of the street using up two parking spots with the driver’s side about two feet out into the right lane of traffic. The MH looked clean and not dents, so I picked it up and proceeded to find a place to park it for a few hours. Kelly when ahead in the rental car and we FINALLY found a place clear down Embarcadero Street in the AT&T baseball stadium parking lot, and it cost me $35 to park it, whether five minutes or all evening. What a rip! So I parked the MH and stayed there while Kelly went back up to the Fisherman’s Warf area to turn back the rental car and then work his way over to the mall where Jessica works. She was getting off at 6:00, so he just waited there until she got off work and then he took her to dinner. I waited in the MH, first taking a long-needed nap and then I watched a couple of movies. Kelly did not call until nearly 9:00 to say he was on his way to the MH via public transportation (Bart). We agreed on a meeting location, so I pulled the MH out and proceeded to pick him up. We were then on our way home. I only drove until around 11:00 PM that night and we stopped in Corning where I knew there was… what used to be a Flying J truck stop… now a LOVE’S. I fueled the MH (took a little more than the rental going down!) I slept really well, but my sleep machine turned off a little after sunrise in the morning (MH batteries must be getting old), so that woke me up.
Kelly took a picture of me driving the Crescdendo with my camera phone.
Motoring right along!
We got home a little after 5:00 PM, a little tired, but not too bad. Still had enough energy to take Judy Lynn out for our “date night”, went to Sizzler and had Senior Salmon. BUT… it was really good to hit my own bed that night.
That was the excitement for the week.
Comments (3)
I’m a FIRM believer that those that use the roads and bridges should pay for them!! Don’t you know that since Multnomah County owns the Sellwood Bridge over the Willamete River (and I might add, we….as in Multnomah County….own 6 bridges all together) that now WE, the people who live in Multnomah County are responsible to pay to fix it?? I seldom use it and I bet most people who DO use it, DON’T live in Multnomah County and will continue to get to use it FOR.FREE….so pretty much…don’t get ME started on Toll Bridges and Roads!!
And just for the record….I also think Oregon should have a sales tax.
I have no belief about toll roads or bridges so I won’t discuss that. They just don’t concern me since I live no where near one. I love San Fransisco. It is a fantastic place to visit. I would hate to live in those crowds though & pay those fees to park. I remember when we were there being shocked at how much they charged for parking. $35!! That’s a huge rip off. I guess the land is expensive. Looks like the two of you enjoyed yourself quite a bit albeit on a pretty penny!
Those in governmental positions promise there will only be a toll or tax until the item for which the toll/tax is collected is paid… and that turns out to be never! There is little accountability in most levels of government whose hand is always out, whose appetite is insatiable, and whose liberal handouts have created our present welfare state of decadence and sloth… … but then, what do I know!