SAN FRANCISCO - GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

We spent the day in San Francisco!  We saw the golden gate bridge, Alcatraz, ATT Park (home of the San Francisco Giants), Candlestick Park (home of the 49ers), the Transamerica Building, Lombard Street (the curviest street in the world), cable cars - the entire experience.

EXPLORATORIUM

We went to a hands-on science museum called the Exploratorium.  Students were able to explore light, sound, waves - some watched the dissection of a cow's eye!  There were over 800 exhibits - and the building was huge.

ALCATRAZ

Alcatraz was a highlight for many in our group.  When people travel in a group, there is always a certain amount of "hurry up and wait."  But for the most part, we don't do a lot of waiting.  We took the 15-minute boat ride across the bay to "The Rock."  Alcatraz was a federal prison that housed some of America's most notorious and well-known criminals, such as Al Capone, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert Stroud (The Birdman of Alcatraz) and Doug Sutton.

One interesting thing occurred - there was a mix-up in the return time to catch the boat, so one group of kids and their chaperone (and Mrs. Dietzen) had to watch as the boat left the island without them.  Fortunately there was another boat in 30 minutes, so their wait wasn't too bad.

PIER 39 - featuring the FORREST GUMP GALLERY

We finished the day on Pier 39.  Lots of shopping, food and fun.  The photographer had the most fun at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Restaurant.  The food was fabulous and plentiful.  Several people took turns posing as Forrest, Forrest Gump.

TOMORROW

 Tomorrow we head south to Monterey.  We'll spend time at the San Juan Batista Mission, which is located on the San Andreas fault.  We'll go to the Monterey Aquarium, eat at Cannery Row, and spend the rest of the afternoon at the Boardwalk (an amusement park) in Santa Cruz.