Alcatraz

Only a few days in SF, how do I see it all? We bought a tourist package - Alcatraz in the morning, bus tour in the afternoon. Normally I'm not one for bus tours, but this would let me see a lot of the city at once.

I'm beginning to realize that I am one of the few people I know who has been to "The Rock." Friends keep telling me they tried but it was always sold out. Our secret: book a tour online two weeks ahead.

I was expecting to learn just about the prison - for I thought that was the only thing Alcatraz was until it became a tourist spot. I got a whole new history lesson - one I had never heard of before, even with my studies with Dr. Brokenleg.

The picture above is the first thing you see on the island when getting off the ferry. I thought the "Indians Welcome" graffiti was rather odd.

The first thing to do is watch a short documentary on the history of Alcatraz. That's when I found out what the graffiti meant.

I learned about Richard Oakes and other activists. This was one of the seeds that started a movement for Native Americans to reclaim their land. Click here to learn all about it.

Alcatraz Tour Guide "Vicki."

Actually, it is a self-guided tour with a cassette tape. Due to a small detour of our own, we missed getting the tape players.

While catching the ferry to Alcatraz requires boarding a ferry at a certain time, once on The Rock, you can stay for however long you want, catching any ferry back. The ferries leave the island every half hour. With the weather so good and the flowers in bloom, a couple of hours was actually not long enough for us. But we had to get back to catch the bus tour.

K-Lyn and I with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. See our pale Northwest skin? See the blue sky with no clouds? Yup.

There are lots of lovely flowers and interesting birds (and sea gulls) on the island. And being there in the middle of March, everything was in full bloom.

A flock of cormerants.

Gangsta-stylin'