Urban Hike in San Francisco

Last Sunday I had a fantastic twelve mile hike staying just ahead of the fog through the urban/rural environment of San Francisco.
 
I met with 18 other members of the Sierra Club Black Mountain Hiking group, plus a couple of people from the San Jose Hiking Meetup group at the (free!) parking lot at Fort Mason. Most of us had come from the South Bay where temperatures were expected to reach 95, so we happily donned light jackets in the fog-threatened air. We headed west along Marina Boulevard, ogling the gorgeous homes fronting the yacht harbor. Of course, we all pulled out our PDAs to Zillow the prices of such desirable real estate (FYI, 3–4 mil).

We played with some of the many dogs at Crissy Field and took some iconic pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. (Unfortunately, my camera battery died so I have no other pictures from the day.) Note that the fog is holding just on the other side of the bridge at this point. From Crissy Field we followed a path up through parkland and even a tunnel to emerge at the south end of the bridge (where I missed on another iconic photo op).
 
I had never walked across the bridge before so I was very excited. We had a great view of the city, with sunlight glinting off the windows. There was a cruise ship docked in the bay. The tops of the bridge towers were shrouded in fog. We even saw dolphins under the bridge. (Everyone else got great photos, I'm sure).
 
Well, that wore off about a quarter of the way across the two mile bridge. It is very loud on the GGB—lots of cars whizzing past. Lots of tourists stopping suddenly in front of you to take yet another picture with their fully-charged cameras. But I really enjoy hiking with these groups because there are so many different people from so many different places around the Bay Area that there is always someone interesting to talk to when the scenery isn't compelling.
 
At the north end of the bridge we followed a road around the coast to Sausalito. We passed the Bay Area Discovery Museum, located in old Fort Baker. If you have young kids this is DEFINITELY worth a visit. It was one of my kids' favorites and has some amazing views from almost directly under the GGB. Next we sat on a wall to eat lunch while we watched the San Francisco Outrigger Canoe Club launch their boats for a day of practice in the bay. We walked past the Lodge at Cavallo Point. Some of the old residences have been converted into "an elegant and environmentally sustainable luxury resort hotel. Cavallo Point is where nature, nurture, adventure and culture meet." It looks pretty cool actually—already being considered a landmark National Parks hotel like the Ahwanee, etc. (BTW, these pix are from the web, not me.)
 
As we approached Sausalito our intrepid leader insisted we go into a parking garage off the main road. (From Google Maps I’m pretty sure it was at 100 South Street.) Sure enough, the far end of the garage had a gorgeous view of Sausalito harbor and the canyon behind it. The fog was drifting down the hillsides but the harbor was bathed in sunshine. (Really wish my camera was working at this point.) In town we took a well deserved break with our treat of choice: Lapperts or lattes. Lapperts has wonderfully rich, fresh ice cream. There are only two locations in the Bay Area. One is at 689 Bridgeway St. in Sausalito; the other is at… 817 Bridgeway St. in Sausalito. Hmmm.
 
The ferry ride back to SF was refreshing. By now the GGB was almost completely socked in with fog and it was advancing down to Sausalito harbor. But the Ferry Building was still sunny when we docked. Again, we succumbed to our various culinary weaknesses in the Ferry Building shops: wine, chocolate, meats, seafood, cheese. While I would have happily indulged in any or all of those, my budget did not allow (sad face) so I browsed the outstanding Book Passage shop (yea for independent bookstores!).
 
On the final leg now, we headed north, first passing the industrial Embacadero wharfs, then wading through the tourists at both Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. (Observation: Fishernan's Wharf is to Pier 39 as Fremont Street is to The Strip in Las Vegas—yes?) One final tourist destination—Aquatic Park—observed and remarked upon, then a return to the car. By that time, the fog had fully rolled in and we were shivering.
 
We managed a quick exit from the city. (Why is it so much easier to get OUT of San Francisco than in?) The fog trailed down the hillsides as far south as San Mateo, then we burst back into bright, hot sun.