Maps, Day Fourteen

At the Hotel

The gardens at the hotel were rather meager, with a few exceptions.

Street Musician

This musician looked Chinese to me but the music he was playing sounded more like Japanese.  There was a small crew filming him.

Knob Hill from Pier 39

Pier 39

Carousel on Pier 39

Our "lunch" consisted of soft serve from Ben and Jerry's.

Tourist Visiting an Icon

Red Crown of Thorns

I had never seen a deep red crown of thorns before and this was a large one.  The pink one is another special flower.

Submarine

Because it was Memorial Day, they were conducting a special ceremony on the submarine here in the harbor.

"She" Can Do It!

Look at those pipes!

Stepping to the Music

I sought these out after reading about them.  They actually make music.  They were designed by Remo Saraceni, the artist we also designed the piano keys that Tom Hanks played/danced on in Big.

Cormorant

This guy was "guarding" the sea lions.

Okay, More Sea Lions

Sea Lions at Pier 39

This was the best part of visiting Fisherman's Wharf!  We spent considerable time allowing them to entertain us.

Alcatraz

Euphorbia

Not another plant!  Yes, there were beautiful gardens along the Embarcadero, as it should be.

Sailboats

There was a marina full of sailboats.  We bought one on a whim.  LOL

Monday, Day Fourteen

  

We packed up and took off across the Golden Gate Bridge, our target--Fisherman's Wharf.  Here the outside and inside of two different piers.

Map Day Thirteen

Bridge over Richardson Bay

We walked under the bridge before returning to the hotel.

Black-Crowned Night Heron

Besides this handsome poser, we saw mallards ducks and a snowy egret in the salt marsh.

A Walk along Bothin Marsh Preserve

This walkway was right outside our hotel.  It ran across Picklereed Inlet, which is part of Richardson Bay, which is off San Francisco Bay.  We took a walk after a delicious meal at Frantoio Restaurant right next to the hotel.

Bird of Paradise at the Hotel

Not so much gardens, but there were various interesting plants around the hotel in Mill Valley.

Stinson Beach

I'd have more pictures of our trip to Stinson Beach but the trip was nothing if it wasn't harrowing, again winding up, around and over the mountains to get there because route 1 was out of commission.  Oh, yeah, it was also swarming with people--Memorial Day weekend and all.

At the Village at Corte Madera

There were also beautiful gardens at the mall where we did a little shopping when we reached our destination.

Along Route 20

Redder Than Red

Did I say the hotel gardens were beautiful?

Sunday, Day Thirteen

The hotel in Fort Bragg had beautiful gardens, which we left via route 20, winding ourselves around, over and through the Coastal Range.

Map Day Twelve

Where's the Beach?

Beauty on the Rocks

The Surf at Noyo Bay

Fort Bragg is on Noyo Bay.  After dinner, we did a little exploring.

The View from Our Hotel Balcony

We stayed the night in Fort Bragg.

Lovely

Sculpture in the Garden

Interesting

We couldn't find the label for this fascinating plant.

Rhododendron

Some of teh rhododendron were past their prime but other were still stunning.

The Long View

Mendocina Coast Botanical Gardens

We arrived at the Mendocina Coast Botanical Gradens only an hour before they closed, but it was worth it.