San Francisco - Bay Area Attractions
San Francisco Bay is one of the world's major bays and harbors which is now almost entirely ringed by urban development. The mouth of the Bay is spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge while the Oakland Bay Bridge, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, the Dunbarton Bridge, and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge crossing the width of this north-south body of water. All these bridges have a toll in one direction.The area is partially served by the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART) with a tunnel which runs under the Bay between San Francisco and Oakland plus Berkeley.The Peninsula upon which San Francisco is the tip has many high-tech businesses areas between Stanford University and San Jose are called Silicon Valley.
San Francisco - Angel Island State Park
Angel Island, 740 acres/300ha in area, lies north of the city in San Francisco Bay. In the course of the last hundred years it was used as a quarantine station for immigrants from Asia and as a coastguard station, becoming a prisoner-of-war camp and anti-rocket site during the Second World War.The uninhabited island is now a municipal park .Motor vehicles are banned from the island which, with its pleasant cycle tracks and footpaths and large picnic areas is a favorite spot for excursions from the city.
San Francisco Bay Area - Northern Area
The area just north of the northern arm of San Francisco Bay contains many barely settled hills and valleys, and coastal inlets which still show the wilderness history of the region. The area provides many day trips for those visiting the Bay area.
Sonoma CountyLocation and originLittle Bodega Bay is part of Point Reyes National Seashore and lies roughly on the spot where Francis Drake dropped anchor in the year 1579. In 1809 Ivan Kusko of the Russian-American Co. established a settlement here for the purpose of growing wheat and catching otters. In order to halt the Russian advance the Mexican governor Vallejo gave three American sailors some land on the borders of the Russian settlement. After the Russians had withdrawn the land was sold to John A. Sutter.ImportanceBodega Bay, where Alfred Hitchcock shot the film "The Birds", is today an important fishing-port. The University of California also has a laboratory of marine biology here.
Sonoma CountyLocation and importanceSituated in the heart of the vine-growing region, Glen Ellen lies on the CA 12, between Santa Rosa and Schellville.
Jack London State Historic Park
Only 1mi/1.6km from Glen Ellen stretches Jack London State Historic Park, where the writer, who committed suicide is buried, and where the ruins of the house he built, Wolf House, are to be found; shortly before it was completed on August 22nd 1913 it was destroyed by fire, the cause of which was never discovered.In his novel "The Valley of the Moon", published in the same year, London provided a literary memorial to the region around Glen Ellen, and at the same time revived the old Indian legends, according to which the name Sonoma means "many moons" in the Indian language.In 1919 London's widow had the "House of Happy Walls" built, and today this is the Jack London Museum, with many documents relating to the life of the author, his collection of South Sea Island artifacts, some of the furniture saved from Wolf House, as well as all the contents of his intended workroom (one of the 26 rooms in the destroyed house).
Opening hours: 10am-5pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (Jan 1), Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, Nov), Christmas - Christian (Dec 25)
Entrance fee in USD: Vehicle plus all occupants $8.00
Facilities: Gift shop
Typical Visit: 1 hour 30 minutes
Oakland - Jack London Museum
Jack London grew up in Oakland. The Museum in Jack London Square has displays and artifacts from his life and writings. It is housed in the House of Happy Walls built from 1919-1926. Much of the furniture in the house was designed by the Londons and custom-built for the house.
Salt Point State Park
Running along the Sonoma Coast for six miles the Salt Point State Park has beaches with excellent diving. There are also hiking trails through the park with a plethora of wildlife. The park is located 20 miles north of Jenner on Highway 1.
Jenner (pop. 300) is the location of the Fort Ross State Historic Park. It is on the mouth of the Russian River.
Hot Air Balloon Rides, Sebastopol
The small town of Sebastopol was the center of applesauce production in the late 19th century. The balloon rides depart at dawn on a daily basis.