Airstreaming to Alaska – Chapter 4: Santa Cruz to San Francisco

Posted May 24, 2022 – Narrated by Carmen

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Magnificent bridges,

beautiful public gardens,

the oldest Chinatown in North America,

an old island prison,

and we don’t know a soul who lives there.

That’s all we had on San Francisco.

We figured The City would be cold, foggy, crowded and expensive.

Not so.

We arrived in mid-February as a dry, warm front moved in and SF (in the early stages of re-opening) had no crowds at all, and prices were competitive even in the touristy areas.

This was my second visit to SF. Twenty years ago I flew in for a weekend with friends, Lori and Marsha. But in almost fifty years as a California couple, we never visited The Bay Area together, and that’s a shame.

San Francisco is beautiful.

As with New York City, we were surprised by San Francisco’s compact size. At only seven-miles by seven-miles everything is within reach.

We explored the city on foot …

from the top deck of a tour bus …

and with our folding Dolphin eBikes.

Getting There

Bundled up like French trappers, we pulled out of Santa Cruz. It felt odd to wear our “Canada Clothes” in central California, but our artichokes were freezing off.

Coffee cup clenched to my chest I whimpered, “Who’s idea was it to travel north in winter?” Then, in Living in Beauty tradition, Jim played Willie and my spirit gradually lifted as we sang together…

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“Suck it up, Buttercup,” I thought. Adventure means high stakes and bizarre weather events are par for the course these days. I just hope that, up the road, there’s never a reason to name a pass after us.

Winter cold fronts in California are usually periodic events. Within hours or days the sun pops out as if to say “Just kidding!” and the shorts and t-shirt rut resumes. Californians use cold weather as an excuse to stay home and remind ourselves why we live here.

Entering San Mateo County, we felt transported. That seventy-mile span of coastline took us from rolling grasslands to lush evergreen forests, and finally to …

The Edge

Pacifica

We pulled off Hwy 280 at Pacifica, our home for a week.

We stepped out of the truck and the warm California breeze hugged our bones like a good old friend. Tony Bennet is right, the golden sun really does come out. Of course the freeze was a joke. Haha. Good one. We couldn’t shed our coats fast enough.

The Campground is all about location. San Francisco RV Resort is merely an asphalt parking lot on a cliff overlooking the Pacific.

In fact, part of the campground is actually in the Pacific but you try not to think about that as the white horses kick the rocks. Sea cliff erosion is a decades-old issue for this surfing community with an unquenchable c’est la vie vibe.

The breathtaking riviera threw us off our mission. With only a week here, we reasoned, “Why go into the city at all?” This is relaxing. Cities are tiresome.

We took a long walk to sort out our priorities.

The beach was winning by a mile.

But then, a little bird suggested that if we take small steps we can enjoy both the beach and San Francisco: Pacifica during the best beach hours (morning and evening) and San Francisco in the mid-day.

“And,” this amazing and articulate little birdie added, “You will like the food.”

Yes. Small steps. What a wise bird.

If we get weary with sightseeing in SF, we can simply BART home.

Thinking about all that fine San Francisco cuisine made us hungry. So we walked home to toast our arrival and whip up an early dinner of Pasta Pesto Presto …

and settled in for the sunset show.

We were on a roll.

Downtown San Francisco

Every morning began with an oceanside walk to The Chit Chat Cafe where we dug into flaky freshly baked croissants, strawberry preserves and coffee …

From there we Uber’d to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport) …

into downtown where Second Breakfast …

fortified a San Francisco walking tour.

Then, we BARTed back to Pacifica for Happy Hour featuring our own homemade Nekid Lady Greek Salad at Pedro Point Brewing.

We got into a routine

The itinerary worked beautifully, every day, with few variations: Morning Chit-Chat;

BART,

San Francisco,

Pedro Point,

Sunset.

We love cities, all of them. Big and small.

But rushing around can be exhausting …

and the details, which are key to a city’s character, are overlooked.

If we miss something spectacular, we can return someday.

There will always be plenty to see.

Cities are worth exploring.

They are humanity’s cluttered workshops where the best and worst ideas share dusty corners

where myth, rumor, legends and secrets beget cultures;

where outdated technologies that once served as cutting edge solutions continue to function beside the latest high-tech digital can-do creations;

where obsolete and failed attempts at progress still inspire utopian dreams.

Cities are a solution to the problem of alienation

and a place where it is easy to disappear into the crowd.

People go to the city to recreate themselves.

Take it from someone who grew up in Naples, Italy – the more dirty, raucous and complex the city is, the better.

The grimy business of rebirth may not be the city’s intent, but it is its best commodity.

The grotesqueness and chaos function like a cocoon or egg seeping with the mucus of percolating creation.

For those with ears to hear, cities are humanity’s genius holding forth.

San Francisco may be a bad place to leave your car unattended …

but it’s a great place to park your heart

If you can find a level spot.

We came to San Francisco with the question, “What took us so long?” and, though we didn’t see it all, at least we got our feet wet in The Bay Area.

On to Dillion Beach!

What’s your favorite thing to do in San Francisco? Please tell us in a comment block below.

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The “Airstreaming to Alaska” series

• Chapter 1 – San Diego to Malibu
  • Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay – Chula Vista, California
  • Malibu Beach RV Resort – Malibu, California
• Chapter 2 – Malibu to Morro Bay
  • Morro Bay State Park – Morro Bay, California
• Chapter 3 – Morro Bay to Santa Cruz
  • Santa Cruz Harbor RV Park – Santa Cruz, California
• Chapter 4 – Santa Cruz to San Francisco
  • San Francisco RV Park – Pacifica, California
• Chapter 5 – San Francisco to Eureka
  • Vinnie’s Northbay Airstream Repair – Wilton, California
  • High Water Brewery (Harvest Host location) – Lodi, California
  • Harmony Wynelands (Harvest Host location) – Lodi, California
  • Van Ruiten Family Vineyards (Harvest Host location) – Lodi, California
  • Four Fools Winery (Harvest Host location) – Rodeo, California
  • Lawson’s Landing – Dillon Beach, California
  • Mia Bea Wines (Harvest Host location) – Redwood Valley, California
  • Johnny’s at the  Beach – Eureka, California
• Chapter 6 – The Oregon Coast
  • Harris Beach State Park – Brookings, Oregon
  • Bay Point Landing Resort – Coos Bay, Oregon
  • Blue Herron French Cheese (Harvest Host location) – Tillimook, Oregon
  • Seaside RV Resort – Seaside, Oregon
• Chapter 7 – The Strait of Juan de Fuca
  • Washington Land Yacht Harbor Airstream Park – Olympia, Washington
  • Salt Creek Recreation Area – Port Angeles, Washington
• Chapter 8 – Victoria, British Columbia
  • Weir’s Beach RV Resort – Victoria, British Columbia
• Chapter 9 – Victoria to Mackenzie
  • Riverside RV Resort – Whistler, British Columbia
  • Big Bar Rest Area – Clinton, British Columbia
  • Walmart Parking Lot – Prince George, British Columbia
  • Alexander MacKenzie Landing – Mackenzie, British Columbia
• Chapter 10 – The Alaska Highway
  • Northern Lights RV Park – Dawson Creek, British Columbia
  • Former Prophet River State Park – Peace River, British Columbia
  • Hay Lake – Fort Liard, Northwest Territories
  • Northern Rockies Lodge and RV Park – Muncho Lake, British Columbia
  • Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park – Liard River, British Columbia
• Chapter 11 – Yukon
  • Watson Lake Visitors Center Parking Lot – Watson Lake, Yukon
  • Teslin Rest Area – Teslin, Yukon
  • Norsemen RV Park – Atlin, British Columbia
  • Hot Springs Campground – Whitehorse, Yukon
  • Real Canadian Superstore Parking Lot, Whitehorse, Yukon
  • Gold Rush Campground – Dawson City, Yukon
• Chapter 12 – Top of the World Highway to Chicken, Alaska
  • Downtown Chicken Cafe and Saloon
• Chapter 13 – Tok to Valdez
  • Tundra RV Park – Tok, Alaska
  • Gulkana River Rest Stop – Gulkana, Alaska
  • Bear Paw RV Park – Valdez, Alaska
• Chapter 14 – Glacier View to Anchorage
  • Grand View Cafe and RV Park – Glacier View, Alaska
  • Alaska Raceway Park (Harvest Host location) – Palmer, Alaska
  • Ship Creek RV Park – Anchorage, Alaska
• Chapter 15 – Kenai Peninsula
  • Heritage RV Park – Homer Spit, Alaska
  • Marathon RV Campground – Seward, Alaska
• Chapter 16 – Whittier to Talkeetna
  • Williwaw Campground – Whittier, Alaska
  • Talkeenta Camper Park – Talkeetna, Alaska
• Chapter 17 – Denali
  • Riley Creek Campground – Denali National Park, Alaska
• Chapter 18 – North Pole to Chena Hot Springs
  • Riverview RV Park – North Pole, Alaska
  • Chena Hot Springs Campground – Fairbanks, Alaska
• Chapter 19 – Tok to Haines
  • Fast Eddy’s Restaurant Parking Lot – Tok, Alaska
  • Gravel Turnout – Beaver Creek, Yukon
  • Gravel Turnout – Destruction Bay, Yukon
  • Haines Hitch-UP RV Park – Haines, Alaska
• Chapter 20 – South to the Lower 48
  • Gravel Turnout – Haines Junction, Yukon
  • Teslin Rest Area – Teslin, Yukon
  • Jade City Parking Lot – Jade City, British Columbia
  • Mehan Lake Rest Area – Bell II, British Columbia
  • Fort Telkwa Riverfront RV Park – Telkwa, British Columbia
  • Walmart Parking Lot – Prince George, British Columbia
  • 100 Mile House Municipal Campground – 100 Mile House, British Columbia
  • Mt. Paul Golf Course (Harvest Host location) – Kamloops, British Columbia
  • Crowsnest Vineyards (Harvest Host location) – Cawston, British Columbia
• Final Chapter – Lessons Learned
  • Philosophy
  • Preparation
  • Planning
  • Mileposts (the book)
  • Roads
  • Weather
  • Camping
  • Cash and Currency
  • Clothing
  • Food
  • Wildlife
  • Bugs
  • Fuel
  • Dump Stations and Potable Water
  • Pets
  • Internet Connectivity
  • Hiking
  • Cycling
  • Kayaking
  • Damage
  • Dangers
  • Canada Border Crossing
  • US Border Crossing
  • General Observations
  • Serendipity
  • Final Thoughts
  • Our Camp Sites

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If you want to see the exact route we travel, click here.

*photos in this post (unless otherwise noted) were taken and copyrighted by Living In Beauty.

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