I Left my Heart in San Francisco
San Francisco has only one drawback - 'tis hard to leave. - Rudyard Kipling
Yesterday was our last day in San Francisco. During this trip whenever we have been near San Francisco we stayed at a hotel in Mill Valley, right by the Muir woods. So in the morning, we went exploring in the Muir Woods. The website for the Muir woods had two sets of directions - an address and GPS coordinates. We tried the address first and took a scenic drive in the area around the Muir woods, but instead of a visitor center, we ended up by a shack in the middle of a neighborhood. Once we got the coordinates in our GPS it took us right to the visitor center.
While we were in line waiting to pay our entrance fee we overheard a couple in front of us asking the cashier about hikes. When it was our turn Alison asked the cashier about what she told the couple. She was so excited to tell us about the trails at the Muir Woods. She even gave us a map that was for sale free of charge because she could tell we were interested in the hikes.
The Muir woods are stunning. The redwood trees are tall and majestic. There are trees you can go inside because they are so big. Many of the trees are charred because they have survived fires. We learned that redwood trees are extremely fire resistant and that fire helps redwood trees because it clears out the other vegetation. It is amazing to think that many of the trees in the forest are hundreds of years old. The first part of the trail was paved and there were lots of people walking around. Before we really got started we stopped to get a little snack - cornbread and a brownie. Then we were off. Right away we saw two baby deer running through the trees. We stopped for a few minutes and watched them play until they were scared off by all the people.
Once we got off of the paved trail onto the Ben Johnson trail we were alone. We didn't see anyone else until we were on the other side headed down. It was a really fun hike. It was also pretty challenging. There were many steep stretches and it could be muddy since it had rained earlier during the morning. By the time we were hiking the rain had all cleared away and it was nice and sunny. Because we were climbing so much we got hot enough we ditched our jackets. As we followed the Ben Johnson trail we climbed over 1000 feet to the top of the Muir Woods. When we were at the top the view was amazing.
Near the top, the Ben Johnson trail meets with the Dipsea trail, which we followed down to the parking lot. On our way down we saw more wildlife including a turkey and a giant snail. When I first saw the turkey I told Alison and she thought I was making things up because right after I saw it the turkey ran behind a bush. As we continued down the trail she finally spotted it and admitted I was right.
We ended up hiking for around three hours and a distance of almost 5 miles. It was so much fun. We decided that when we get home we need to go hiking more. We live in such a beautiful state and we want to enjoy the hikes around Utah.
After our hike we were starving so we stopped in a nearby town at Pearl's Phatburgers. They were close and got good reviews on yelp. They were so good. We got some burgers and garlic fries and it was delish. It was one of the best burgers I have had - ever. I would go out of my way to eat there again.
Our last stop in San Francisco was the Golden Gate Bridge. We found some parking just past the tollbooth and walked around. There are so many breathtaking views in the area. We walked around and enjoyed the beauty of San Fran. There really is nowhere else like it.
We walked over to the bridge and walked part of the way across. We were pretty tired from our earlier hike so we didn't go all of the way across. We still walked far enough to get the experience. It was my first time ever walking on the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a cool experience.
“One day if I go to heaven … I’ll look around and say, ‘It ain’t bad, but it ain’t San Francisco." - Herb Cain
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