Our first family holiday in the US! The last time I was in the States was 26 years ago. We landed in San Francisco on a wet cloudly morning after a 14 1/2 hours flight. Only four of us as my eldest son only joins us on Day 4 after he finishes his exams. It was a bit of a hassle getting to the car rental. The car rental centre is at one of the SFO Air Train stops, but I didn't realise that Sixt and two other car rental companies were at off-airport locations. So we had to wait for a shuttle bus to bring us to the Sixt office. It did seem cheaper though. They gave us a Cadillac Escalate which was a massive car, and it took me a while and some help from my wife to figure out which was the gearshift. It would be nice if car rental companies tell you a couple of basic things - how to start the car, where the gearshift is, how to switch on the windshield vipers and head lights, and how to open the fuel door. Thank goodness I took my friend's advice not to drive to Yosemite at this time of the year. I don't think I would have been able to manage snow chains.
The plan was to spend the first two days driving around Marin County. Our first stop was a lookout point for the Golden Gate Bridge before we headed over. We parked near the Golden Gate Welcome Centre and took in the amazing view of the bridge. We got back to the car 20 minutes later and discovered that the car had been broken into. One of the windows was smashed and we lost both our hand carries that were left on the passenger seat. The first thing that went through our minds was whether we had lost anything important.
Fortunately we had our passports, keys to the luggages and phones with us. We made calls to the car rental who advised us to report the incident to the police. When we called the San Francisco police they told us that we had to call the US Park Police instead. As we were about to make the call, the police that was patrolling the area stopped by to help us. After filing the report, we had to drive all the way back to SFO to get a replacement car. We were wet because of the rain, cold because we were missing a window and somewhat unsettled by the whole event.
We were really thankful that nobody was hurt and nothing important was lost. We joked about how disappointed the thief would be with what they took. We decided not to let the incident spoil our holiday but it was sufficiently eventful to call it a day and head straight to the hotel in Tiburon. After checking in, we went to CVS to buy a multi USB charger for our phones followed by dinner and a night stroll around Tiburon. It was only just before bedtime that I realised that my Adidas Ultraboost was in one of the stolen bags along with some other items meant for the marathon in a week's time. Still, it could have been a lot worse. Thinking through what I had almost wanted to put in those bags when we were packing for the holiday I was so thankful to God.
The next morning we got up early to drive to Muir Woods National Monument to marvel at the giant coastal redwoods. Drivers are required to reserve their parking online in advance of the trip. When I was planning the holiday, I had debated about whether Muir Woods was worth the visit. It was, like how my second son puts it, "just trees". I am glad we did - one part was aptly named Cathedral Grove. It felt like walking into a gothic cathedral; massive, hundreds of years old, quiet, and reminds you of God's presence. Even the drive to Muir Woods was beautiful.
We had to skip the Earthquake Trail because it started to rain so we drove to Sausalito for lunch. We picked Scoma's which was on the waterfront. We could see San Francisco and the Oakland Bridge from where we were seated. After lunch we went to Point Bonita Lighthouse. It is only open on Sundays and Mondays and offers an amazing view of the rugged coastline. Not to be missed.
Our final stop was Battery Spencer for the best view of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County. Can't get tired of the view no matter how many times I see it. After that, we went back to Tiburon to pick up our luggage before heading into San Francisco. I would highly recommend driving out to Marin County if you are in the Bay Area. Just make sure you don't leave your luggage in the car unattended, not even for a minute.
