January 25, 1999
On this page, I will retrace my
steps while lighthouse hunting in the San Francisco area. We arrived there on a
Saturday, and did all the usual tourist stuff. We visited all the different
souvenir shops, went to Alcatraz Island, etc. on Sunday is when we really got
into the lighthouse stuff.
When we started out, we went to the rental car place,
and got our car, a Dodge Neon. Once in the car, we were on our way North to
Point Reyes, and it was late in the day; about 4:00pm. However, we thought we
lost the camera, so we back tracked to the hotel and the rental car place, but
neither place had it. Fearing the worst, (ie, thinking we lost the camera) I
turned in the rental car, since I was sure I didn't leave it in the hotel room.
Well, a long story short, we get back to the hotel room, and there it is on the
bed. So we went back to the rental car place, and got the car.
Now, back on our way to Point
Reyes, we decided to take the scenic route. This would be following Califronia
Route 1. There is some scenery for you....it is so dramatic. Well, by the time
we got to Point Reyes, it was dark. I see why they say that Point Reyes is very
isolated. Once inside the park, you still have to follow the road about 20-25
miles out to the tip. So, we eventually made it to the very end, and the
parking lot for the lighthouse. We then hiked the half-mile to the lighthouse,
in the dark, only to see the revolving light. It sits quite a ways down on a
ledge, hovering above the ocean. We tried taking a few photos, that didn't come
out since I haven't quite figured out how to work the shutter speed stuff on the
camera. We left.
The night when we got back to the hotel, I planned my
trip, using my books and the maps to minimize my back tracking and mileage. I
mapped the most direct routes, etc to cover the 6 lighthouses in the northern
half of the Bay Area.
Monday morning, I got up about 7:30am and had breakfast.
I was on the road by about 9:30. This time, I decided against the scenic
route and jumped on Highway 101 North. This took me across the Golden Gate
Bridge. My first stop was just across the bridge at the scenic overlook area.
Park your car and walk towards the retaining wall. Look down to the base of the
bridge and you will see the Lime Point
Lighthouse. Normally, I think you can go down to the base of the bridge, but
the area was closed due to some sort of construction.
To get to the next lighthouse,
take 101 to Sir Francis Drake Road. Once on Sir Francis Drake Road, head west
through the towns of Fairfax and Ross. This is a good 30 or so miles. You will
eventually come to CA Route 1. Make a right, then a left. You will see signs
telling you to turn left for the Point
Reyes Lightstation. This is where you will go past the Ranger's station...it
will be on your left. You will come to a stop sign next and be faced with a
decision to make either a left or a right. (NOTE: THERE IS NO SIGN TELLING YOU
WHICH WAY TO GO.) Make a left, and you are back on your way to the lighthouse.
You will be driving for a little bit, it is about 20-25 miles to the tip of
Reyes. You can easily see how this would be a problem for mariners...a piece of
land sticking 25 miles out into the Pacific.
Once you get to the tip, after you pass
all the Historic Ranches (letters of the alphabet), there will be a parking
area. Park your vehicle and take whatever you will want while visiting the
lighthouse since it is a hike. I would say maybe a half-mile to a mile from the
parking area. Follow the path towards the water (west) and it will lead you by a
few apartments and over to the top of the lighthouse area. If you go on a nice
day (ie. not windy) you will be allowed to walk down to the lighthouse. It is
closed to the public, but it was neat to hear the fog signal working. The bad
part is going back up all those steps and inclines. There is a sign at the top
that says it is equivalent to 31 STORIES...
After leaving there, obviously follow the
same way back to CA Route 1 and then Sir Francis Drake back to Highway 101
South. Follow the signs to Interstate I-580 and the San Rafael Bridge to
Richmond. The next light we are on our way to is the East Brother Lighthouse. Once over the bridge, stay in
the left hand lane. You will be getting off at the first exit. Then follow the
signs for the East Brother Lighthouse. What happens is they have you get off and
then get back on I-580 heading west and get off at the last exit before the
bridge (Western Drive) Follow Western Drive through and old military base...it
will lead you back towards some old oil tanks, etc. I pulled over in a little
dirt lot and parked. I crossed the street and got the pictures that I wanted. I
also chatted with two very nice ladies that were painting the lighthouse.
Follow the same road, Western Drive, back out and get on the I-580 west. If you
got on heading the right way, you will immediately be at the toll booths for the
bridge. If my memory serves me, the toll was $2.00.
Once across the San Rafael Bridge, get
off on Sir Francis Drake Road and follow that to 101 South. We will take this to
Tiburn Blvd, (CA Route 131.) Follow this south for some ways until you come to
Beach Road. Take Beach Road to Blanding Lane. From Blanding Lane (really
skinny road) you will be able to see a Point Blunt Light on the side of Angel Island. It is on the north west side of the
island. I used a 500mm zoom lens, but a 1000mm would have allowed a better
picture. There is access to the
island, but only during the summer months.
Follow Beach Road back out to CA 131,
back to Highway 101 South. Take 101 south to the last exit before going back
over the Golden Gate Bridge. This should be Alexander Dr. Follow this road up
into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This area provides some great
views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. You are actually higher than
the bridge itself. Follow this all the way to the top. Once at the top, there is
a one way road that will lead you to the lighthouse. Look closely, it could
easily be mistaken for a dead end. Follow the one way road, Conzelaman Road, all
the way to the end. Once at the end, you will be at the parking area for the Point Bonita Lighthouse. Park your
vehicle, and once again, take everything with you, it is a long walk to the
lighthouse. This one I would say is easily a mile or more. It is an
interesting walk though, you walk across a mini suspension bridge and through a
tunnel. Once out of the tunnel, you will see another suspension bridge and the
lighthouse. The day I was there, it was quite windy, so be careful.
One a side note,
if you look south you can see a striped cylindar out in the water...this is the
remains of the old Miles Rock
Lighthouse. I used a 500mm zoom lens to get my pictures.
Once done visiting, head back up
through the tunnel, etc to the parking area. You will not be able to follow
Conzelman Road back out. Follow Bunker Road back out and it will meet back up
with Conzelman Road via a right onto McCullough Road. Once at the end of
McCullough, make a left onto Conzelman and follow that back to the entrance of
the Golden Gate Rec. Area. This will allow you to jump back onto Highway 101
South. You will cross the Golden Gate Bridge (toll $3.00)
Get off at Lincoln Blvd. and
follow that to Long Ave. I never did find Long Ave until after I found a dirt
parking lot at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. I hiked down the path until I
found the remains of a brick wall and climbed up onto that. From there I was
able to get a good view of the Fort
Point Lighthouse that sits atop Fort Story. From here, it was back down the
path to the lot. I got in the car and headed back up Lincoln Blvd. to another
overlook. From here I was able to get a very distant shot of the Point Diablo light.
From here, it was back to
Thrifty Rental Car to drop the car off. One thing to note, it is very expensive
to park a car in San Francisco. The car rental was $27.00 / day, and it was
$29.00 to park it. Since we were close to the rental place, it was easier and
cheaper to just take it back.
January 27, 1999
I went back
down to Thrify Car Rental and got the Dodge Neon again. This time I
headed South out of San Francisco on Highway 101. Follow 101 south
until it cuts off, then you will want to follow I-280 South. Stay on
280 south for about 65-70 miles. You will see a cut off / exit for
CA Route 17 (Santa Cruz.) Follow this, it will take you through the
Santa Cruz Mountains and lead you right into the town of Santa Cruz.
Ok, once in Santa Cruz, my directions might not be to accurate. I
will try to remember exactly what I did, but these aren't set in
stone. The easiest way is to get to CA Route 1 and head North. Don't
go to far, you will see a brown sign (I think) saying something
about a bike trail. Follow those signs, it will take you through an
office park and lead your right to West Cliff Drive at an Ocean
overlook.
Take West Cliff Drive south and it will
lead you right to the Santa
Cruz Lighthouse. I had a hard time finding a parking spot there
since it was a nice day out...maybe about 50-60 degrees. That
temperature doesn't stop the surfers though. I snapped a few
pictures and made my way back to CA Route 1 north. I followed this
for awhile and eventually the Pigeon Point Lighthouse popped up on the horizon.
I
pulled over into the muddy overlooks just south of the lighthouse to
snap some distant shots. After that, I made my way up to the road
(Pigeon Point Road) and made a left. I pulled up in front of the
hostel area and snapped a few pictures. Then followed the road along
and parked again. I climbed down a few of the rocks to get to the
beach area to take a few more pictures from a different angle. Then
I jumped back out onto CA Route 1 north again.
I was on Route 1
again for some time until I came to the town of Pacifica,
California. This is where the Point Montura Lighthouse is. Don't be driving too fast or
you will zip right by it. It is a fairly small lighthouse and is
blocked by some of the houses that sit on the hostel grounds. When I
was there, the grounds were closed to the public. I pulled over on
the opposite side of the street and walked across to the roadside. I
used a 210mm zoom lens and snapped a few shots off.
Once again, I
was back off again heading north on Route 1. I then followed the
signs for the I-280 north. My last lighthouse was Yerba Buena Lighthouse.
Follow the signs for the Bay Bridge to Oakland. This is one part
that I didn't document that well, but how hard can it be to find the
Bay Bridge. :) Once I was on the Bay Bridge, I stayed in the
right-hand lane to get off at Yerba Buena Island. I found the Coast
Guard Station, but there was no viewing point at all. The lighthouse
sits at the south end of the island.
I got back on the I-80 and
headed over to Oakland. I got off at the first exit, Maritime Drive.
This whole area encompasses the Port Of Oakland. I just kept
following the roads to the different terminals and ended up parking
the car and walking out onto the pier. But you couldn't see anything
from there. So I got back into the car and drove to the Army base. I
stopped and asked the Military Police if they knew of any area where
the lighthouse could be seen, specifically from on their base. The
guard said that they didn't back up to the water, and to go check
over by the Cal-Tran area. He said to go out back onto
Maritime Drive, and make a left onto Burma Drive. This will end up
back into a terminal on the Port Of Oakland, so you make the first
right by Cal-Tran and then a left onto that street (No Name.) Follow
it all the way to the end, and you will end up right under the Bay
Bridge. I got a really distant picture by using a 500mm zoom lens,
but a 1000mm lens would have done much better. You will agree when
you see the picture.
After that picture, I was ready to call it
a day. I burned a lot of time finding these lighthouses, so I really
hope that the direction I have presented here help any would be
lighthouse hunter wanting to retrace my steps.