Day Three: Traveling

Before all the trouble with Mel’s (mentioned in yesterday’s post) we had a very busy day. Before getting to San Fran we had made two tour reservations for the day with Super Sightseeing Tours. They picked us up right at our hotel door in the morning and took us back to “base” where we would leave for our different tours. Even the ride there was a mini tour every time we passed something interesting or old we learned the history of the building and/or the events that took place there. Every bus we rode on was very nice, new and clean. I was a little weary at first because a few previous experiences, but they were very enjoyable. Our first tour was to Muir Woods National Monument with our tour guide Jay. He was great, tons of knowledge about the area locally and at the woods. You could tell he had a real passion for the area. The area was so peaceful and the trees were remarkable. These sequoia sempervirens aren’t the biggest trees around but they are the tallest. The national monument was created by President Theodore Roosevelt on January 9th, 1908. Muir Woods is the 7th National Monument and the first created from privately donated land. While there we also saw the historic place where the UN had their first meeting and tribute to FDR. There are a few trees on the path that you can walk right underneath. Jay schooled us in all the history of the woods and its founders William Kent and Gifford Pinchot.

Afterwards our group headed to Sausalito. There we stopped at the Finger Hut Gallery and grabbed some food at Hamburgers. Their cheeseburgers are first-rate huge beef patties with all the extras. Once the quick stop was done it was back on the bus for some more of Jay’s vault of vast knowledge for the trip home. Once we made it back to San Francisco we had an hour to shop before hopping on another bus headed to The Winchester Mystery House. This guide was slightly more erotic then Jay. In our hour drive to the house she spent time making fun of the people on the street and off based comparisons between Americans and people from other countries. Needless to say it was an interesting ride that ended with her openly asking for tips. In the end it was worth it because we were able to see and tour The Winchester Mystery House. Our sixty-five minute tour was lead by an enthusiastic Matthew which just made the whole adventure so much better. I wish we would have had time to do the underground/Behind the scenes tour but since our bus was twenty minutes late leaving we were a little rushed as it was. The house was nice it was interesting to learn the history of the house and Sarah Winchester’s obsession with the number thirteen. Also sad to see the house wasn’t very furnished and the furniture that was there wasn’t original because the house was heavily looted after Sarah’s death in 1923. So after another exciting hour ride home hearing about how churches are older in Germany than the U.S. (DUH – people have been living and practicing religion there longer) we made it home and had our dinner experience at Mel’s. On a positive food side we ended up eating at Round Table, a pizza joint a few blocks down the road. Good taste at a decent price and who doesn’t love pizza?

Overall the day was great and we learned so much not only about our destinations but the city itself. If you decide to book with Super Sightseeing Tours ask for Joy he’s worth it.