Summer '22 Trip - Part 3

Dates: 7/13/22 - 7/15/22

Crew: Jen Mah, Monica Mah, Yisha Ng

Locations: San Francisco (city and Maritime NHP), Pinnacles National Park

Culture and Vultures

We made our way down to the end of the line and walked to Fisherman's wharf, aka tourist trap central. It was cool to walk around the different regional-feeling shops, and the outdoor farmer's market was amazing. Fresh fruit of every variety; cherries, apples, blackberries, blueberries... it felt like summertime fruit crops in Michigan!

I also tried my hand at some artsy photography, with the bright colors in the markets popping out compared to the gray and foggy day still developing in the bay. I'm partial, but I really like the results. A lot of the centered/anchored objects in the foreground with bright colors and varying degrees of symmetry makes me think of Wes Anderson's style. An unintended copycat technique, but one I find visually appealing and fun to shoot! Ghiradelli square also had shops nearby with interesting alleyway colors and the delicious scents of fresh bread and chocolate in the air.

Anyone who knows me knows I'd be remiss if I didn't get to see at least something nautical while in San Francisco. Standing on fisherman's wharf overlooking the bay, I spotted familiar WW2 battleship-gray paint in the distance and immediately dragged everyone in that direction. Lo and behold, SF has two gorgeous warship museums! We didn't have the time or inclination to take the full tours, but getting to walk by and smell that familiar oil and diesel smell every sub I've ever toured has was a great surprise. 

The sub is USS Pampanito, a Balao-class submarine that completed 6 war patrols in the Pacific theater. The boat is now a National Historic Landmark, which was a cherry on top as I always enjoy finding those and taking pictures of the plaques (what will I do with these pictures? Maybe a new collection page here, or maybe nothing at all). The other ship is a liberty ship, one of only three surviving examples. The SS Jeremiah O'Brien was one of 2,710 Liberty cargo ships built for the war effort and served in the Atlantic, Pacific, and is a D-Day survivor. Apparently, she even made the voyage back to France in 1944 for the 50th anniversary of D-Day and was the only large ship that took part to return. It was incredible to see floating and looking brand-spanking new moored right behind Pampanito. 

Just when you think, "TWO ships? How could this possibly get any better?" I discovered the existence of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. With free entry, I did convince the group that this was worth a visit. We strolled along the docks and passed some charter fishing/tour boats as well as an adorable fleet of bite-size sailing ships trimmed out in every color of the rainbow.

Entering the park, we were rewarded with views of tall ship masts towering over us, heavy antiquated-looking machinery, and real wood boatbuilding happening right in front of us. SFMNHP (for brevity) has Balclutha, an 1886 square-rigged sailing ship, C.A. Thayer, an 1895 Schooner, Eureka, an 1890 steam ferry, Hercules, a 1907 steam tug, and Eppleton Hall, a 1914 paddlewheel tug.

Hercules and Eureka convey a real sense of raw power when you stand in front of them. Masses of iron and steel, they look heavy and mighty. In contrast, Balclutha and the other sailing vessels are elegant and streamlined. She looks ready to slip into the jet stream and cruise. Bristling with line, sheets, pulley blocks, chain, and spars at every possible point, it's a wonder to look at and think about sailors climbing the rigging and getting underway. Lucky boys of old, they were. I took the time to just stand on the end of the public dock, listening to the creak and groan of wood and rope, the seagulls, the dull roar of the wind and waves, and the smell of fresh sea air. What a difference to the environment awaiting us in Pinnacles that same day.

Ships of SFMNHP stand proudly under the now-blue skies of the bay.

Wrapping up our day in San Fran, we said goodbye to Jen and drove across the bay bridge to head south for Pinnacles National Park and the desert. We got there with light fading and set up camp, quickly falling asleep in the hot air.

I particularly enjoyed following a bevy of California Quail  with their recognizable forehead feathers around as they strolled by in large numbers, climbing logs and picking their way through the brush. They ran from me, but never too far. A game of tag to start the day!

With so much exposed rock, our goal in Pinnacles was to find some climbing. We had camped just off from the visitor center on the East half of the park (the east and west halves are disconnected and must be approached separately from each other. Construction prevented us from getting to the west half at all). We brought our harnesses, draws, rope, helmets, shoes, and water and set off down moses spring trail to Bear Gulch reservoir.

Along the way we passed Bear gulch cave which was closed off, but we were able to inspect the upper part of the cave and feel the cool air trapped beneath the rocks. It literally flows out like a blast of A/C, a massive relief from the 100 degree temps in the bone-dry rocky desert above. Finally we reached the reservoir, an unlikely pool of deep blue water resisting evaporation against all odds. Banks of green rushes and brush crowd it on all sides like the oasis that it really is. Watching chipmunks and lizards scurry between the shade of adjacent boulders, I got the sense they appreciated its presence as much as I did.

We continued along the trail from the reservoir up to the rim trail loop, which took us past high rock formations, talus caves, and up stairs and switchbacks to gain great views of the golden hills and alien-looking pinnacles and mountains crowding us in. As we wound past Discovery wall, a well-known rock climbing area, we finally found some local climbers who were kind enough to share their guidebook and fill us in on the area. They were bravely climbing a face in the full sun, and it felt to the touch like a stovetop. We considered for a while if we wanted to torch our bodies on the first day of a long trip and decided against it (the climber's son coming down with nearly-burned hands and a very sunburned everything else was a good argument to keep moving).

Unfortunately, every area we passed was in full sun, and even coming from Houston this place was HOT. We decided against climbing here, and thought if we drove to the west side of the park we might find shaded walls or it would at least cool down for the evening. 

Then, fate decided we weren't going to the West side at all when we went to pull out of the parking lot and got a nasty flat tire from a roadside rock. The tire was gutted on the sidewall and we all had a moment of panic before rational thinking kicked in. While Monica called AAA and the rental company, Yisha and I changed the tire with the help of a very kind passerby who delayed his hike to help us. We had to unload the entire car to get the spare out and it was hellish changing it in the sun in the boiling blacktop of the hundred-degree parking lot, but we got it done and regrouped to figure out what to do. An eventful first day!

Driving back to the site, we decided to just cool off in the pool (yes, there was an in-ground pool at the visitor center, very out of place for a desert and for a national park, but SO WELCOMED in the afternoon heat) and relax for the night. The stars peeked out through the mesh of the tent, and we enjoyed the low desert air for the final night.

Before leaving to do the rental car exchance, we did one last hike to get the most out of this hidden little park. Taking the Condor Gulch trail to the main overlook, we hiked beneath and up individual towering pinnacles and coagulated piles of them making up the ridges.

The higher we got, the closer we were to the kettle of vultures that parked themselves in lazy orbit over the highest collection of pinnacles in the park. Riding invisible air currents, the vultures are able to stay aloft seemingly forever without lifting a feather to do so. They just spread their massive 10-foot wingspans and circle up and up on the rising hot air. The bald red and gray heads make a strange contrast to the black and white plumage. We believe we saw both Turkey vultures (white feathers all the way to trailing wing edge) and the elusive California Condor (only a white triangle on leading wing edge) but frankly it doesn't matter to the prey or the birds. Just to us human trophy collectors.

Coming down the trail and leaving the park behind as the air started to superheat for the day, we embarked on the long drive down the Central valley, the true breadbasket of America (sorry, Midwest). The whole valley seemed to be filled with heavy, hazy air and it was oppressively hot. Driving through that gives you a massive respect for the agriculture workers in the fields and selling fruit at numerous roadside stands.

 We stopped to get some white cherries and they were incredibly delicious. Then we drove through Gilroy, CA, the Garlic capital of the world. Gilroy was our rental car swap point, where we amazingly got a Kia that housed our gear far more efficiently than our lumbering Toyota, and actually saved us money as it was technically a smaller vehicle class! Life hack: destroy the tire on your rental car to save money (or don't. Please don't.). The only thing that gave us pause: the new car didn't have a spare tire. Not that we were traumatized or anything...

Then we began ascending as we approached our next target: Sequoia National Park awaits!