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Road tripping USA 2023
  • Paula King-Foullie
  • Paula King-Foullie

Road tripping USA 2023

A 43-day adventure by Paula Read more
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  • Paula King-FoullieRoad tripping USA 2023Traveler
    Friedel Klussmann Memorial Turnaround
    Heading up Hyde StreetHyde StreetLooking back at the Golden Gate BridgeSlow going up the hillsPassing another Powell & Market Cable Car on the way back downHelloDave enjoying the rideBay Bridge in the distanceAnd we had to go down this big hill

    San Fran turning on the goods

    March 15, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We woke early to some amazing clear skies, the first we have had since arriving.

    First port of call was riding the cable cars. We had purchased our tickets yesterday however the wind and rain got too heavy so we put it off to today.

    We did the Powell Hyde Cable Car route which took us up and down lots of hills, past Lombard Street, outlooks to the bay and Telegraph Hill, past the Cable Car museum, through Chinatown ending at Market place. The driver was a little overbearing which put a bit of a dampener on the experience for Kenzie and I, however Dave thought he was great.

    From here we set the Apple Maps to the Painted Ladies which was about 2 kms away so off we set on foot. The walk was mostly flat until we came to the last 800m which was basically all up hill but we made it.

    It wasn’t the best time of day to get a good photo as the sun was in the wrong position. I don’t know what I expected, but reality really wasn’t it. I think I expected them to stand out more and be brighter. If you didn’t know where to look for them you would drive/walk straight passed them. Glad we got to see them though.

    It was now time to go the Golden Gate Bridge. Kenz downloaded the Muni app on her phone and purchased us all day tickets for the buses/trams. First it was one bus to Fisherman’s Wharf then another to Golden Gate.

    We felt very privileged to have seen the Golden Gate on such a fine clear day as it is normally covered in fog. We spent quite some time here, photographing, walking the bridge and then down to the pier.

    Back up to the parking lot to get the bus back to Fisherman’s Wharf for a quick bite to eat at our room then back down to the wharf to take in more of the amazing fine day. Of course I had to see the sea lions again and there were many more out basking in the sun.

    From here we walked further up along the water to Pier 14 which is very close to the Bay Bridge which is one amazing sight to see. Dave says he was more amazed with the Bay Bridge than the Golden Gate. We sat out at the end of the jetty for about an hour before it got too cold.

    We made our way back to Pier 39 for an early dinner at The Wipeout to celebrate our last night on this amazing adventure.

    Back to our room to do some washing then pack our bags for our flight home.    Read more

  • Paula King-FoullieRoad tripping USA 2023Traveler
    One last look over the bay'
    So peacefulYou spin me right round baby right round like recordStreamlinedEnjoying the sunHaving lots of fun in the waterGoodbye San Francisco - we have left a little of our hearts herePier 43 Ferry ArchSaying goodbye to the sea lions

    Can’t believe our holiday is over

    March 16, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    As we didn’t have to be out of our room until 11.00am we had a sneaky sleep in before getting up and packing the rest of our stuff.

    We got a suitcase trolley and loaded it up with our 5 fully packed suitcases, 3 fully packed carry-ons and a camera bag and left it with reception so we could take one last walk around the Piers at about 10.30am.

    There is a $10 hoodie shop that we had been wanting to visit again but it had been closed since Monday. We have found a lot of shops close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the piers, really odd. We got there and it was shut however we saw one of the shop assistants outside so we were hoping it would open.

    To fill in some time, we went for a walk to the water and took one last look at Alcatraz Island before going to the sea lions to see them for one last time.

    Dave and Kenz tried out the Crepe shop on the pier before we headed back to see if the hoodie shop was open. Kenz was super happy it was and we bought a few last items.

    It was then time to head back to our hotel, collect our bags and order an Uber to take us to the airport. The airport is quite a distance out of San Fran and as it was dark and raining when we came in, we didn’t really get our bearings on where it was.

    On our way to the airport, we got to see so many more sights that we hadn’t seen. At the airport we had to do a final pack of the last few souvenirs we bought, pack away our big warm jackets, one last weigh to see if all the suitcases were all under weight before printing our boarding passes and bag tickets.

    Handed our bags over, had a quick bite to eat of the last few things we had left from our hotel room then it was time to go through security and wait for our flight.

    The 4 hour wait went by really quickly and we were on our way to Vancouver. This flight went by quickly and before we knew it we were in Vancouver.

    Another 3.5 hour wait before our next flight so we did a bit of shopping for snacks for the plane, looked at duty free but didn’t buy anything, then before we knew it it was our 10.00pm boarding time ready for our 10.45pm long haul trip home.

    About an hour into the flight they served dinner and then it was time for sleep. We all slept quite well, solid 1 to 2 hour stints at a time. I only got to watch 2 one hour long tv shows and the rest of the time I was asleep.

    We landed early into Brisbane however we couldn’t disembark until medical officers came to the aid of a passenger. About 20 minutes after landing we could disembark, fill in our custom form as they didn’t have enough on the flight. We collected our bags, went through customs, stripped off a few layers due to the awful heat and walked out into the heat to get our Uber to Ruby and Michael’s place in Banyo to get our car.

    We landed at 6.30am in Brisbane and we were home in Highfields by 10.00am.

    It will take us a while to fully appreciate everything we have seen and experienced but for now all I can say is we had one amazing holiday, with so many memories made to last us a lifetime and many small souvenirs to remind us of our time over there.    Read more

  • Trip end
    March 18, 2023
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