I love watching the fog roll over the Golden Gate Bridge from my bedroom window. It's a mystical sight.. especially when it rests on the water and moves across the horizon. It almost appears unreal. I can't get enough of the sight.

The view keeps shifting and changing on an hourly basis. Sometimes I'll rest my elbows on the window sill with my head in my hands..and just absorb it. I'll feel so at peace..

I took some VIDEO FOOTAGE this afternoon of the sunset, clouds and the view. I wanted to share what I see. It's not the greatest quality but it gives you an idea.

You can view it by clicking this link




I know other people have this view and they probably start taking it for granted. They stroll by their window without a second glance. I don't think I'll ever reach that point.

Every morning I wake up feeling happy. I wipe the moisture from the window and just stare at San Francisco below me like I'm seeing it again for the very first time.

*****

It's been a while since I've updated here in my travel diary. Days slip by so quickly, it's hard to find the time to record all the events that occur.

When I last left off here, I was flying back to N.Y. to see my family.

My visit home to New York went by way too fast.

Before I knew it, I was on the plane back to California with my two cats in pet cargo. They didn't like the flight. Traveling with your pets is a nightmare... I don't even want to start writing about that gruesome experience

But the important thing is that they're here now with me in San Francisco. They made it across the country in one piece and now they're adjusting to their new life.



Those are my two happy kitties. Fiona is the black cat gazing off into the distance. Michael is the grey cat that is smiling into the camera.

They spend most of their time now lounging on the windowsill and lazily gazing at the view. Our bedroom has windows on all sides. They are in heaven.

****

Last weekend was Fleet week in San Francisco. We all went up to the roof of our apartment to watch the Blue Angels Jets perform an airshow. All the tenants in our building also came up to the roof.



It seemed like everyone in San Francisco was on their rooftops. You could see people everywhere! Cheering, drinking and pointing up at the sky



The bay was filled with sailboats, people were also crowded along the shores and in all the parks

I actually took some VIDEO FOOTAGE with my camera of the planes performing

Here is a clip of a smaller planes doing tricks in the air over the bay area.




The experience was exciting. I've never seen a flight show before. The blue angels flew right over our building at one point. The sound was so loud, we all covered our ears and looked up in surprise. It gave me a big rush and a slight tinge of fear as it zoomed over head.



This is a picture of my roommate and his wife on the roof at sunset gazing at the view... I've been friends with both of them since college. We shared a dorm. It's great to be all living together again.

******



Today we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge.



It was late afternoon when we started. The walk both ways is about 3 miles in distance. It was windy and a fog was rolling over the top of the bridge.



When you hold the railing, you can feel it tremble beneath your hand. The wind whipped through my hair and I peered down at the water swirling below.

The vibration underneath my feet made me think of an impending earthquake

...and of course I thought of how the 1989 earthquake made a part of the Bay Bridge collapse...



There was a teenage girl in the middle of the bridge curled up in a ball on the ground with her face buried against the railing. Her mother was trying to calm her down. Her mother explained to me that she was afraid of heights.

I really felt for her.. and I wondered why on earth her mother took her up to the Golden Gate bridge in the first place

But the walk was exciting and invigorating.... the fresh air, the beautiful view of the bay area, hearing the fog horns from the ships below... I recommend it to anyone living in the San Francisco area or coming to visit. It's just something you have to experience once.

Be sure to bring a jacket though. It can get so cold when the fog moves in and it will come over you so suddenly. I lost feeling in my fingers.

Here's some VIDEO footage. If you look closely you'll see my hubby squinting and peering up at the top of the bridge in the beginning. click on the link to view it.



Now it's getting late. I need to wrap this entry up and get some sleep. I'll update with more pictures soon!



I posted this pic for you, Brendell. I walked to the spot where James Stewart pulled Kim Novak out of the bay. Right beneath the Golden Gate Bridge! It was so exciting to see the location of that famous scene in Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO.

I took this snapshot during my walk back, The beetle gave the whole shot a 60's vintage feeling...:)

Here is a recap of our first week in San Francisco, day by day..

First full day in our new home. - A new chapter begins



This is the entrance to our building, We have five flights of stairs to get up to our friend's penthouse apartment. It's an old building, dating back to the early 1900's.

By the time I reach the top level, I'm exhausted and panting for breath.

But I'm definitely getting into shape.

*****









We entered a sushi bar that had sushi on little boats going around in circles. You pick up the plates you like and pay for it on your way out. I could just sit there for hours with wide happy eyes watching endless sushi floating by my vision!!

*****

We put up an FOR SALE ad on Craigs list and within one hour we had 52 responses.





Day 7



After a week of living in San Francisco, I decided it was time to ride on a cable car.

My friend, Celine and I walked down Powell street to Union Square and bought a five dollar ticket to ride all the way up the hills to Fisherman's wharf.


It was exciting to step on this rickity contraption for the first time. It rocked back and forth with the weight of passengers climbing on. There was a man in the center and he controlled two large levers connected to the bottom of the cable car. It seemed to be what moved it forward and also the brakes.

I was tempted to hang off the side of the cable car like the Tanner family in the opening credits of "Full house", but I opted against it because of all my shopping bags.

I was surprised at how unstable this mode of transportation seemed. We banged and clunked along the road. Going up the hills was a little scary because he would pull on the brakes while te cable car slid backwards slightly at the same time. I imagined the brakes giving out and all of us flying down the steep hill at full speed into the oncoming traffic.

It felt like an old fashioned rollercoaster ride from the 1800's.

And it's the fastest way to get up some of the steepest hills leading towards our home.

We jumped off at Fisherman's wharf, and walked through the all the tourist traps. Ghiradelli square, bought fresh crab sandwiches at the fisherman stands, and gazed at the seals at Pier 39.

It's what EVERYONE does when they visit San Francisco, but somehow the idea of living here without at least once seeing all the tourist sights feels wrong.

I still haven't seen The Mission District, Castro, Golden Gate Park or Haight-Ashbury. .

Or even tried out the BART system yet.

Baby steps...

Now what you've all been waiting for.

We made it!!!!

We actually made it!!!

We are in San Francisco!!

I'm sitting here in my new home, with the view of the Golden Gate Bridge outside the open livingroom window. I can hear the cable cars clanging outside and the soft breeze on my face. Our luggage is piled up against the wall.

Our new home.

It still hasn't fully sunk in yet. I have to keep pinching myself.

We drove 3,083 miles all the way across the country from New York to San Francisco. We passed through 13 states in 7 days.

All of this with "Marty" our little 10 year old Toyota Corolla with 200,000 miles on it, no working air conditioner and no tape deck/cd player.

Right now he could really use a car wash, he's covered in dust, dirt and bugs. He's dented and wheezing, but he's still alive.

Some people said we wouldn't make it across the country with our car...They shook their heads at the idea and told us that it was a major risk. But we did it anyway.

I'm so glad we did.

It was the greatest journey we made in our entire life. An experience I will never forget. It's something I had always dreamed of doing but never imagined I'd have the opportunity.

****

We hit the California border at 3 P.M. yesterday afternoon





The landscape became greener and more lush. The sky was big, blue and open wide for us. We cruised around the mountain landscape, past the endless pine trees...





It was gorgeous and we were so insanely happy.

Even the fact that our brakes were making funny noises (kind of like a little raptor stuck inside our car screaming at moments during the final 190 miles) didn't take away from our blissful state

Windows open, KFOG, the San Francisco radio station blasting... It was heaven while we drove over the Bay Bridge into S.F.



We meandered over the steep city hills and the victorian homes towards our final destination



Our friend greeted us at his front door with a warm tight hug and said "Welcome home"
So now here we are.

It's the first day of the rest of our lives. A new chapter begins



WE MADE IT!

We are now in Reno, Nevada!



Last night we drove around in search of an affordable motel in town with vacancy. A lot harder than it sounds especially since it was a Saturday night. We found a little motel called "Desert Rose Inn" with one room available. We dragged our luggage up the stairs and collapsed on the bed in relief.

After taking a shower, we went into the city area and checked out the different clubs, casinos and hotels. We put 40$ into the slot machines and walked away with 75$. Not a major winning but I skipped all the way back down the road afterwards. "we won! we won!"



I'm not much of a gambler. I put a dollar in the slots and then cash out any winnings. I pour it it into a cup and Then put in another dollar. I never put my winnings back into the machine. Boring, I know...

But we used our winnings to eat dinner at Mel's Diner. A 1950's style diner in the center of the city. So a little gambling spree led to a free dinner in Reno.


****

Yesterday we left Elko at 12:30 after having breakfast in an Italian Cafe.

The drive to Reno was beautiful.







we pulled over to the side of the road whenever we saw an interesting exit.







We wandered down railroad tracks, walked through the desert and explored different areas.



The weather was incredibly hot and we don't have air conditioning. We had to keep the windows down and just wipe the sweat off our foreheads. There were barely any radio stations available and our cellphone service kept cutting out.

It really felt like being in the middle of nowhere!


We saw a few abandoned cars on the side of the road, I wondered what had happened to those people. Perhaps they broke down 60 miles from the next gas station and just hitch-hiked to the next place. Never bothering to return for their vehicle...

I was praying that this wouldn't happen to us.

It didn't

I also didn't like the mini-tornadoes dotting the landscape on all sides. they swirled and danced along the desert.



We made it to Reno as the sun was setting over the mountains.





***

Now it's the last day on the road.

We are about to embark on our final stretch of road.

THE ROAD TO SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

We're so close now... so close....

Right now we're in a motel in Elko, Nevada. When I look out the window I see nothing but rocks, dust and mountains rising in the distance. The motel is located on a small cliff on the edge of town. It gives the illusion of being in the desert in the middle of nowhere.

This is the final stretch on our road trip to San Francisco

We were supposed to be in Reno by now, but we're running behind schedule. We encountered some car troubles yesterday. (big surprise?)

But let me back track and recap our last 24 hours on the road, picking up where I left off in my previous journal entry

******

Yesterday We haphazardly threw our luggage back into the car at 10:45 A.M. and checked out of the Prairie Inn in Evanston, Wyoming. The view around the motel is beautiful. I didn't want to leave.







We ate at breakfast/lunch at a chinese buffet in town. I was just thrilled to discover a chinese restaurant at all in Wyoming. I anticipated Shrimp, crab legs, Sushi, stuffed mushrooms... But all we got was a little set up with a couple of pathetic looking piles of chinese looking rice dishes to choose from. There wasn't even a salad. Desert consisted of slippery and cloudy yellow jellow cubes.

Yuck. But it was cheap and filled us up so I can't complain.

Then we checked out downtown Evanston. It was charming and beautiful. Older buildings lined the mainstreet and mountains surrounded us on all sides.



We looked at the watch and realized we had to hit the road in order to make it to Reno by 9 P.M.

Unfortunately, it was that moment where "Marty" our little corolla started acting up. He began grumbling and bucking back and forth. At every stop light he started bumping up and down.

Crap.

So we pulled into a car supply shop and asked for advice. The guy said it was probably dirty spark plugs and the car might be in need of a new oil filter... or something a long those lines. I can't say I understand much about cars, but luckily my husband DOES. He nodded in agreement. So we purchased new spark plugs and a new oil filter.

Hubby stuck his head under the engine and started puttering around. I stood there in the hot sun pacing back and forth.



One hour later (after some internal wire tore apart and needed to be replaced - a very expensive wire apparently.. and then some tool fell into the car and we needed to buy some magnetic stick to pull it out of the engine area again...) the spark plugs were replaced but not the oil filter and the car was still stop and go..bumpy and choking.

We drove around and eventually found a Jiffy lube. We showed him the new oil filter we had just purchased (expensive) and asked him if he could replace the old one with this new one that's made for our car.

"Sorry, We can't use the one you purchased. You have to buy one of OUR oil filters and we'll install it", the Jiffy lube guy explained

"Okay, fine whatever... just do it"

He typed some stuff in the computer and shook his head "Sorry we don't have that part for your car at this time in our storage room"

My husband held up the oil filter "We have it here. Can you put it in? This is the part you need, right?"

"Yep that's the part", The Jiffy lube guy said "But...No. Sorry"

"How about I SELL this oil filter TO YOU and we will BUY IT BACK from you?", My husband suggested

"No. Not possible"

"What if I place this oil filter in your storage room and you pretend to find it, you install it and we'll pay for it again?"

"Nope"

JIFFY LUBE SUCKS. WE WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN.

So we had no choice but to hit the road with our car and prayed that it would make it to the next rest stop.





The View was breathtakingly beautiful during this drive. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the passing scenery or stop taking pictures. I'd never seen anything like this before. It felt like a dream!







We reached Utah and the view became more amazing and stunning. This was the best part of our drive so far... It made this whole road trip worth it. Just to see what we saw.. The mountains, the rivers, the cliffs, the rocks...



We stopped in Salt lake City, Utah and began searching for a mechanic. We found one and he was willing to put in the part we had bought.



"It's gonna take an hour or two though..", he informed us rubbing the grease off his hand with a dirty rag.

So we wandered around Salt Lake City aimlessly while Marty was being fixed. We ended up in an Arby's. (Believe it or not, my first time in an Arby's EVER)

The lady behind the counter was sweet. "You're a photographer", she said pointing to my camera "That's how you say it right.. Photo-gra-pher?"

I smiled "Yes, but It's just a hobby. we're traveling cross country to San francisco and I'm taking pictures"

We got in a long conversation with her and before we knew it, everyone in Arby's was asking us about our trip and involved in the discussion. It helped pass the time and everyone was so nice!
We returned after an hour and Marty was still being fixed. We sat in front of the mechanics shop on a bench feeling like potential parents in a hospital waiting room. the heat beat down on us and we wiped the sweat off our brows. This wait seemed to stretch on for eternity.



An hour later, Marty was back on the road. We paid the bill... (so far, all the car repair costs equaled about 250 dollars... a minor unexpected financial setback, still a little discouraging)

But the view more than made up for the wait. The rest of the stretch was gorgeous.





We stopped to take pictures in different rest areas...



Marty is driving great again, but we took it slow just in case. It's more important that we arrive there ALIVE then fast...

As we were driving through the final stretch of Utah, we hit the Salt desert. Endless stretches of Salty white desert for as far as the eyes could see.



We stopped and walked through it. Our feet sunk into the ground, the salt was damp... hard and clumpy in some parts.



It was gorgeous and surreal. I've never seen anything like this.

we held hands and took it all in. This is a once and a lifetime experience... this entire road trip. It all feels like a dream. Sometimes I truly can't believe this is all happening and I don't want it to end. I could live like this forever...



when we drove in Nevada, the landscape became more sandy and arid.
We stepped into our first casino, right at the border.


We put a dollar in the slot machine and lost it.

Maybe we'll have better luck in Reno?

Another long stretch of endless road until we reached Elko.

We were relieved when we pulled into the motel parking lot. The only room available had two beds and filled with mirrors...



Not the prettiest place.

But no complaints. It's cheap! We stopped at a bar and grill that had some of the most amazing food. The best food of the entire trip...

Now we have to pack up the car and start our drive towards RENO. There will be a lot of mountains and desert a long the way. I'm a little nervous about driving through BATTLE MOUNTAIN. But I'm sure we'll be fine. As long as we take it easy and keep the gas tank filled.I'll update again once we reach Reno and find some lodgings for the night. (Fingers crossed)

Until then....