Cécile, from Big Sur to Sausalito (page 2 of 2)

After a night in Battle Mountain, here we are in the heart of the Far West, in Virginia City.













It’s in a dusty atmosphere that we head to Reno as evening falls.

Last day on the road, we stopped in Old Sacramento—huge disappointment. During my first visit, the streets were clear of cars and the old wooden sidewalks were open. Now it’s a fairground, the old shops are barely accessible, and only the docks are manageable.



We hit the road again for a long traffic jam all the way to San Francisco, which we approach from the north and Sausalito, where we make a gloomy stop in the town center. Frisco is on the other side of the bay.



We step into a boutique in the town center, a specialist in... Tintin!



And an old toy from our childhood: the TV screen!



We get back on the road and cross the Golden Gate in the rain....

Sunday morning in SF, the cold and rain push us to take the car



to reach Castro, its theater.



its gay neighborhood







and to have a thought for Harvey Milk, the well-known LGBT rights activist



before heading to downtown, a must-stop at 3841 18th Street, the blue house that cradled my adolescence





We park for free downtown and head to Pier 39, the worst of San Francisco

The advantage of this weather is being able to enjoy the scenery without burning your eyes from the sun! Alcatraz emerges from the fog



As everywhere, lovers leave padlocks

The elephant seals, drawn to the bay’s warmer waters compared to the ocean, seem unfazed by the herds of tourists snapping photos of them



Pier 39 is a huge shopping center with not much interest, but it offers a view of SF’s towers

The triangular Transamerica Pyramid and Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill, shaped like a fire hose nozzle donated by a billionaire in honor of firefighters in 1933

We grab a pretty ordinary beer for $12!!!!

This morning, big blue skies! We’re spending a few hours in Chinatown. It’s nothing like the one in New York—here, color is everywhere!

















Couldn’t grab a drink at the French Café, right across from the Dragon Gate—it’s closed! 😕

we're back on the docks



Time for lunch and a coffee



and we're stepping back in time, to the Summer of Love in 1967



A flashy neighborhood, certainly more so than back in the day!!!!











We leave the neighborhood via the ladies





and cross the whole city to reach the Golden Gate

Cable car ride watching the turnaround maneuver at the terminus





Before heading to the Golden Gate by bus

Last morning in SF—our flight’s not till later, so we’ve got time for one final stroll. Since the hotel’s on Lombard Street, we walk down it.



Let’s go say hi to Master Yoda.



Then we head up to northern Sausalito and its houseboat village, a throwback to the hippie era.















One last look at the bay.



And off we go… with just one question on our minds: when are we coming back??? Mazatlán 2025…

Hi there! I started your trip backwards—seems like Sausalito is really cool!!!! Especially with that blue sky. I’m heading to SF without a car—how do I get there? Thanks

Question about Death Valley, please.

Last time I visited, I didn’t have the best memory of Rhyolite. Is it really worth it now with the Goldwell Open Air Museum?

I was planning to visit Scotty's Castle, but since it’s closed...

It’s a matter of taste... we really liked those statues in the middle of nowhere. A man came to open the access gate to the bottle house this year—we’ll spend less time there. I saw on Roadtrippin’ that some of the buildings were still not too run-down. Since we’re doing LV - Beatty, we’ll head up for a quick detour to Goldfield to see the mining town and the cars stuck in the ground—then full west to Bishop.

Hi there I started your trip from the end Sausalito looks really cool!!!! Especially with that blue sky I’m going to SF without a car How do I get there? Thanks

Hey Rent bikes Sausalito is just past the Golden Gate. And biking across the bridge is a great chance to take some cool pics safely

Thanks Christian for this travel journal!