Angel Island Picspam
Nov. 17th, 2010 02:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
effexYesterday I planned on heading out to Angel Island, only to find out that the ferry only stops twice a day - at 10am and 3:10pm (fortunately I found out at 9:30am, eating a bagel in my Aunt and Uncle's kitchen, at not at the ticket booth). So this morning I got up, rode a train, got some coffee, rode a streetcar, and got my ticket. Before 9am (I over compensated a little. It gave me time to buy a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, at least).
And then I boarded the ferry (I love ferries) and rode out to the island. It was an impossibly beautiful day - mid 70s, sunny, clear skies, with lots of pine and eucalyptus trees scenting the air - and there were very few people on the island (15 on the ferry, plus state park folks) so it was like having the place to myself.
I walked/hiked the perimeter of the island - about five miles - and took photos.
So many photos. I'm still figuring out the white balance on my camera and don't have access to Photoshop, so you're getting these unaltered and a little washed out. Apologies!
I took what would be the first of many photos of the Golden Gate Bridge while the ferry pulled away from the dock.
Approaching the south side of the island.
Circling around to the north.
The harbor at Ayala Cove.
Here's my trusty map of the island. Ayala Cove is that cluster of icons on the north-east side - I started from there and took the red-marked perimeter road south. I originally planned to hike the highest point, but the ridiculously steep trail up the the perimeter road put paid to that. I was not up for more climbing.
Looking down at the cove from the road. Now imagine a 40 degree incline leading up from that.
Looking north-west at Belvedere and Tiburon.
Looking west at Belvedere. You can just see the top of the Golden Gate Bridge to the left.
Part of Camp Reynolds.
More Camp Reynolds.
Looking down at Perles Beach.
Looking south at San Francisco. That's Alcatraz there in the foreground.
Looking east at Point Blunt and Oakland and Berkeley beyond it.
Turning around to look west again. At this point I realized I had forgotten 1) a hat and 2) sunscreen, which was exciting. I came out only mildly red, no idea how.
Looking east and down from the half-way point (2.5 miles). I saw this incline coming from a ways off and did a lot of swearing. Steep roads are not my friends.
Taken at Battery Drew, where the view is phenominal - you can see everything from Sausalito to Berkeley. I took a bunch of photos, but I need Photoshop to stitch them into a proper panorama.
Those where the first people I saw since I started. Turns out that when I went south, everyone else went north - crossed paths with a bunch of folks just after the half-way point, but after that it was mostly people-free (except for the dudes who came out of the woods at Fort McDowell, carrying what I sincerely hope was a deer spine).
Got to this slope and took back all the bad things I'd said about the others. At least I was going down - everyone else (including a bunch of cyclists) had to go up.
You can just see Fort McDowell from here.
Fort McDowell's pitching green.
A bunch of old officer's quarters had been turned into (or were in the process of being turned into) housing for Angel Island (State Park) employees.
The old hospital. This is where I saw the guys with the hopefully-a-deer-spine, for that added creepy touch. It's also where I ate lunch (well, at the picnic tables a little past it).
Looking north-east - you can just see the John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge through the trees.
The gates to the Immigration Station. I walked down and hung out for almost an hour (seemed like a good place to take a break and call some folks), but didn't take many photos.
View from my bench at the bottom of the Immigration Station.
This was the third deer I got photos of - they weren't particularly scared of people.
I took a *lot* of photos of Tiburon. It's very photogenic!
Almost full circle! A little sign said "To Ferry ->" and the map showed it as a shortcut. So I went down...
And down...
And down.
Eventually getting back to the docks!
A couple bonus photos from the ride back:
And I went to Pier 39 and ate chowder, then eventually found my way home. I'm sore but whatever, SO WORTH IT.
And then I boarded the ferry (I love ferries) and rode out to the island. It was an impossibly beautiful day - mid 70s, sunny, clear skies, with lots of pine and eucalyptus trees scenting the air - and there were very few people on the island (15 on the ferry, plus state park folks) so it was like having the place to myself.
I walked/hiked the perimeter of the island - about five miles - and took photos.
So many photos. I'm still figuring out the white balance on my camera and don't have access to Photoshop, so you're getting these unaltered and a little washed out. Apologies!
I took what would be the first of many photos of the Golden Gate Bridge while the ferry pulled away from the dock.
Approaching the south side of the island.
Circling around to the north.
The harbor at Ayala Cove.
Here's my trusty map of the island. Ayala Cove is that cluster of icons on the north-east side - I started from there and took the red-marked perimeter road south. I originally planned to hike the highest point, but the ridiculously steep trail up the the perimeter road put paid to that. I was not up for more climbing.
Looking down at the cove from the road. Now imagine a 40 degree incline leading up from that.
Looking north-west at Belvedere and Tiburon.
Looking west at Belvedere. You can just see the top of the Golden Gate Bridge to the left.
Part of Camp Reynolds.
More Camp Reynolds.
Looking down at Perles Beach.
Looking south at San Francisco. That's Alcatraz there in the foreground.
Looking east at Point Blunt and Oakland and Berkeley beyond it.
Turning around to look west again. At this point I realized I had forgotten 1) a hat and 2) sunscreen, which was exciting. I came out only mildly red, no idea how.
Looking east and down from the half-way point (2.5 miles). I saw this incline coming from a ways off and did a lot of swearing. Steep roads are not my friends.
Taken at Battery Drew, where the view is phenominal - you can see everything from Sausalito to Berkeley. I took a bunch of photos, but I need Photoshop to stitch them into a proper panorama.
Those where the first people I saw since I started. Turns out that when I went south, everyone else went north - crossed paths with a bunch of folks just after the half-way point, but after that it was mostly people-free (except for the dudes who came out of the woods at Fort McDowell, carrying what I sincerely hope was a deer spine).
Got to this slope and took back all the bad things I'd said about the others. At least I was going down - everyone else (including a bunch of cyclists) had to go up.
You can just see Fort McDowell from here.
Fort McDowell's pitching green.
A bunch of old officer's quarters had been turned into (or were in the process of being turned into) housing for Angel Island (State Park) employees.
The old hospital. This is where I saw the guys with the hopefully-a-deer-spine, for that added creepy touch. It's also where I ate lunch (well, at the picnic tables a little past it).
Looking north-east - you can just see the John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge through the trees.
The gates to the Immigration Station. I walked down and hung out for almost an hour (seemed like a good place to take a break and call some folks), but didn't take many photos.
View from my bench at the bottom of the Immigration Station.
This was the third deer I got photos of - they weren't particularly scared of people.
I took a *lot* of photos of Tiburon. It's very photogenic!
Almost full circle! A little sign said "To Ferry ->" and the map showed it as a shortcut. So I went down...
And down...
And down.
Eventually getting back to the docks!
A couple bonus photos from the ride back:
And I went to Pier 39 and ate chowder, then eventually found my way home. I'm sore but whatever, SO WORTH IT.
