San Francisco, what a great city that is! So different from the last city we were in, Vancouver in Canada. Vancouver is a modern busy city full of skyscrapers, but it also has its own charm. San Francisco has only a few skyscrapers, is spaciously set up with beautiful Victorian houses and is located on a hill. It is a really atmospheric city, with a cozy, but maybe a little too touristy, port and cute little trams. The people are different. No rough people here in pickup trucks, instead we saw the first electric cars (since we are in the USA). We now also see organic shops everywhere. San Francisco was a Spanish mission post with the mission of course to convert the native Miwok population, with no more than 800 residents. The city is named after the patron saint San Franciscus (yes the same from animal day) Then the Goldrush came in 1849 and the city was flooded with miners and Chinese people. That did not go well together and the Chinese were banished to one neighborhood, Chinatown, which is now one of the tourist attractions. In 1906 the city, which is located near the Andreas fault line that we visited last week, was largely destroyed by an earthquake, but due to the great decisiveness of its inhabitants, the city was completely rebuilt in 1915. In the Second World War, San Fran became a drop off station for soldiers who were suspected of being homosexual. That was the founder of the large LBGTIQ community in the city. And of course here in 1967 “the summer of love” was a phenomenon / gathering in Haigh and Ashbury street (and in many more places in the world) where young people from all over the country came to be together, more than 100,000 to be precise. Young people with new ideals, against the Vietnam War (which killed almost 100 soldiers weekly in that summer). Against the consumerism and for a lot of love, peace and happiness hihi.
Continue reading “San Francisco – Santa Cruz”Gualalalala, 1 month on the road and San Francisco
After the holy campground we drove on along the Avenue of the giants, with even more huge sequoias. What shall I say, it was beautiful again! Beautiful times three, because we had forgotten to refuel. And the nearest gas station was a long way back again, past the campsite we just came from. So we drove the Avenue of the Giants three times. It was a super-hot day but in the shade of the trees it was a nice and cool. Picked up an iced coffee in Miranda and then continued on the 101 again. However, the heat was too much for us. So hot .. and with that heat you no longer benefit from the wind while driving, that wind is still there but it is more as if you are driving into a hot hair dryer. I love those silly gadgets from the outdoor sports store. So I have an emergency whistle / thermometer / magnifier / compass thing hanging on my jacket. It said it was 35 degrees Celsius. After fifteen minutes of blow-drying we gave up and stopped at the first shady campsite we came across. It was ugly and we were the only ones there .. but there were trees ..
read moreWe are in California baby…
We stayed two wonderful nights at the motel in Coos Bay. With clean sheets, a soft bed with countless unnecessary pillows, and your own hot shower! yes what a luxury! But we hit the road again because we missed the squirrels and chipmunks. Secretly it was a pleasure. For a few days no setting up tents and take showers for as long as you want (on campsites you often pay with coins and then sometimes you still are allowed max. 12 minutes). And a vegan lunch cafe right next door, with rhubarb pie! After almost a month of camping, this was really a treat. All those things that we take for granted at home are suddenly very much appreciated haha. What a comfortable home we have in the Netherlands ..
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