During Becky’s April Bright Square photo challenge I opened the archives to December 2019 and January 2020. Now I’m sharing more of our pre-pandemic holiday in California and Nevada with stories that just couldn’t be squared!
Postcards from America
The views from our Airbnb home in San Francisco were fabulous. In one direction we could see ships on the sparkling waters of San Francisco Bay.
Further round, we looked out across the suburbs and the always busy freeway to the Sutro Tower, high atop a hill between Mount Sutro and Twin Peaks.
While we thought this outlook was great, we were even more impressed when we visited Twin Peaks.
Perfectly positioned at the geographic centre of San Francisco with an elevation of 282 metres, the two hills of Twin Peaks have unrivalled views of the city and its surrounds.
Our walk from the car park up to Christmas Tree Point went right past the Sutro Tower, a radio and television tower which was once the tallest structure in San Francisco.
Although we could have stayed at the lookout at Christmas Tree Point, we couldn’t resist the challenge of climbing to the top of the hill. We were glad we did, because the 360° panoramic views of the city were spectacular.
On this clear winter’s morning, we could see the skyscrapers of downtown San Francisco, Alcatraz Island and its formidable prison and the glowing orange spans of the Golden Gate Bridge.
As well as the lookouts, there’s a short walking track which follows the curves of the road. Apart from the communications towers and a water reservoir the area is a designated wilderness reserve, dedicated to preserving the habitat of the endangered mission blue butterfly.
We spent almost as long looking for butterflies as we had looking out over the city, but our search was futile.
The only creatures we saw were a few birds. From their perches high above the city, they seemed to be enjoying the views too.
Joining Jo for Monday Walks
Carol, these views are amazing. Your climbing always pays off. The colors were so cooperative for you. Such brilliant blues. I also admire your great bird pictures. Glad they enjoyed the bird’s eye view as well. 🙂
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We were so lucky with the weather the whole week we were in SF. The skies were gorgeous every day.
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I haven’t ever lived in SF, but my experience has been cloudy. 🙂 Lucky visit. You got fabulous pictures on your trip.
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Wow! What extraordinary views of the city. Fantastic 😍
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I think we could have stood up there all day looking out at the views. The day was so clear. I would love to go there at night and see the city all lit up.
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Do you think you’ll ever return so you can?
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Probably, but not for a long time yet.
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Absolutely fabulous, Carol! What a finale 🙂 🙂 Thank you so much!
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I’m glad you enjoyed it Jo. It’s always an honour to participate in Monday Walks.
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The views are stunning from up there. I went up on a coach trip which was great value. I’d never have gone up there otherwise.
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We got an uber to the bottom car park and walked up the rest, then walked down to Golden Gate Park afterwards. It was a great day.
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That must have been some walk!
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It wasn’t too bad and we took our time.
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Great photos! HAven’t made it to San Fran…yet. 😉
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It’s a fabulous city to visit. Allow a few days because there is so much to see. I hope you get there one day.
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Me too, but I’d have to allow a month the way I travel! 😉
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We had six days and covered a lot of territory. But if you wanted to go beyond the city you would definitely need more.
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Lovely shots and memories. We’ve all had to draw on those memories this past year, and you have a wonderful selection. 🙂
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We’ve been fortunate to do a few short trips here in our own state in the last few months and I’m looking forward to sharing those stories soon.
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I was lucky enough to go to America in late 2019 and San Francisco was one of those places! 😀
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We were there end of 2019, start of 2020. So lucky to go when we did.
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Fabulous views, Carol. Those birds look really at home up there. 🙂
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Imagine having those views at your front door.
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Lovely pictures! Thanks for sharing!
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Hi Isha. This lookout was the best place to see the city! Glad you enjoyed the photos.
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So amazing scenery 👌🌹😍 lovely birds and the stunning city and roads 👍🏼🌹🙏🌍
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I’m glad you enjoyed seeing the wonderful views!
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Yes ,true 👌🌷Thanks for sharing 🌹🙏
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What amazing views you had from everywhere you visited, and all of them are so interesting. It must have been wonderful to have been staying somewhere with those great views from you windows.
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I loved sitting with my morning coffee beside the window. And the night time view with everything lit up was pretty good too.
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Wonderful photos of a wonderful city. Really like SF, one of our favourite US cities. SO much character and so much to see all around. Brilliant.
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Yes, we had a wonderful week exploring the city.
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One of our favourite cities in the world. You have captured the views beautifully.
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Thank you Sue. It was the perfect vantage point for seeing the city and the bay.
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