Travels with haRVy

From Oakland it’s a fairly easy ride on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)  into the city of San Francisco, so once the stormy weather had passed, we decided to head over for a day.

A couple of scenes as we walked along the Embarcadero. Coit Tower above. Oakland Bay Bridge below.

Our primary objective for the day was a visit to Alcatraz Island, a former military garrison that eventually became a State Penitentiary, and is now part of the National Park Service. Al’s niece’s husband, Chad, captains the Hornblower Cruise boats that take tourists out to Alcatraz, so we were given a bit of VIP treatment onboard. Thanks, Chad, we really enjoyed our time on the bridge!

Chad showing Al the controls aboard Alcatraz Flyer, which is a hybrid utilizing wind and solar power as well as diesel engines.

Note solar panels and wind generators on the roofs.

Chad at the helm.

Approaching Alcatraz with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

In the late 60’s, after the prison closed down, Native American Indians occupied the island to protest their treatment by the US Government.

The warden’s house has seen better days.

We learned that this is the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast.

Conservation and restoration is ongoing…

Some areas are in worse shape than others.

A terrific audio tour made being in the cell block a bit too realistic with the voices and sounds from prison times.

This cell is styled after one occupied by a prisoner who tried to escape. He gained access to the central utility corridor by painstakingly scraping at the cement surrounding the air vent with a spoon.

I occupied this solitary confinement cell very briefly. An eerie feeling indeed.

The prisoners could occasionally view downtown San Francisco from this small bullet-proof window in the hallway.

Hospital operating and treatment rooms.

Gardens planted by families of the original Army post, and later by families of the prison guards are maintained by volunteers today.