Hello again, Cruise Director Nigel back with you.
Today I am going to be just a touch self indulgent and tell you all about a walk I went on in San Francisco on Sun 8 May! This was not just any old stroll but to, and across the mighty ‘American Icon’, the Golden Gate Bridge.
I left Arcadia at 12.30pm and had no idea how long or far the bridge was from our berth at Pier 36. Exiting Pier 36 shed I did a right turn and quickly came across the mass tourism of Pier 39 and Fishermans Wharf, it’s a great area but full of souvenir shops and burger joints, I am sure you get the picture! If you want a ‘Kiss me quick’ hat this is the area in San Fran to get it!
In ten minutes time I had passed all the tourist madness and was walking by the side of a lovely beach, which is called Aquatic Park.
At one end of the beach is Hyde Street Pier, home to the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park.
There are ten major historical vessels alongside here including the USS Pampanito, a WW2 Balao Class Fleet Submarine and the SS Jeremiah O’Brien. The Jeremiah O’Brien is only one of two surviving Liberty Ships, 2,710 of these were built during WW2! During her sea service the O’Brien made eleven crossings of the English Channel carrying personnel and supplies to the Normandy Beaches in support of D Day. Eighteen USA shipyards built these ships and they have been the largest single class of ships in history. It only took an average of 42 days to build one of these ships, and one was launched after 4 days and fifteen and a half hours!
On the lovely beach, (Aquatic Park), is the Maritime Museum which is housed in an Art Deco building that would not look out of place in an English sea side resort!
Anyway it took me an hour flat out hike around San Francisco bay to reach the eastern walkway of the bridge, this will mean from Arcadia to the bridge was 4 miles or so.
On the walk to the bridge I was greeted at every turn by views such as these:
Nothing can prepare you for the majesty of this structure, but it’s like being met by an old friend, even though I had never been on it before I found it familiar, I guess that is because all our lives we are bombarded by its image on film, TV and in photographs.
The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when completed in May 1937. A few facts about it; it carries 6 lanes of traffic and an eastern and western walk and cycle path. Its total length is 1.7 miles, and the centre span is 4,200 feet, the clearance for ships is 220 feet. The depth of water in the centre of the channel under the bridge is 500 feet, and the two towers are 746 feet high! It cost the US $35,000,000 to build. The width of the bridge is 90 feet.
Joseph Stauss was chief engineer in charge of overall design and construction, his statue now stands at the southern end of the bridge by the visitors centre.
Each of the two main cables is made up of 27,572 strands of wire, and there are 80,000 miles of wire in the main cables. They have a cross section of a cable at the visitors centre which I happily posed by! I had to ask a fellow tourist to take this shot of me as I was on my own!
Golden Gate Bridge has only been closed three times due to high winds.
Enjoy the photo gallery below.
The southern tower from the visitors centre.
From the eastern walkway looking towards the visitors centre, (top) and Fort Point, (bottom).
In the centre of the bridge where the main cables nearly reach the roadway.
This is looking north from the eastern walkway, the bridge gets an incredible 9,000,000 visitors a year - I was there on quite a quiet day! The daily vehicle traffic is 118,000 or 43,070.000 a year!!!!! The speed limit is 45 mph.
On the left of this photo is Alcatraz Island, in the centre the Bay Bridge and on the right the city of San Francisco. The top of the photo is the main cable for the east side of the bridge; the two main cables that the roadway is suspended from are 36 3/8 in. in diameter.
A shot taken from the northern side of the bridge, the towers are 500 feet above the roadway.
This photo was taken from the southern end of the bridge; Arcadia can be seen at her berth in San Fran with the Bay Bridge behind her.
On the walk back to Arcadia I came across this fine looking bird in the wetlands on the edge of the bay, I think it is a crane.
‘The Rock’, I had these great views of Alcatraz Island on my walk to the bridge and back. It is 1.5 miles offshore in San Francisco Bay, and is now operated by the National Park Service, but has served as a lighthouse, military fortification, military prison, and a Federal Prison. It is a firm favourite for our passengers and ships company to visit when we are in San Fran.
I really did enjoy my walk to the Golden Gate Bridge and back, it was an hour there, an hour to walk over and back and an hour back to Arcadia, three hours of great exercise and twelve miles walked, and an experience I will never forget.
The Golden Gate Bridge is not only a symbol of San Francisco but an instantly recognisable icon of the USA. I hope you enjoyed taking a walk with me.
All the best.
Nigel
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