Angel Island

Ernie's summer adventures continues with a recently completed camping trip to Angel Island State Park. For many of you, this name might ring a bell. It has a long history serving many different functions since the San Francisco Bay Area was discovered by non-natives. Angel Island is a large island in San Francisco Bay. Much like it's more famous sister, Alcatraz, Angel Island can only be reached by boat. However, Angel Island looms much larger and has much more to offer than the prison structures of Alcatraz. In its time, Angel Island was considered the Ellis Island of the west. It processed many Chinese Immigrants through its Immigration Station. The United States Military claimed possesion to it in the early 1900's, through the cold war. Angel Island was the launching point and return point for military men who served in the Asian theater. Many of those structures stand, albeit in no habitable condition, today. Between 1952-64, there were three Nike missile sites on the island. These missles had a range of 25 miles and were eventually rendered obsolete when ICBM's were introduced. Sometime between the 60's and now, the island was turned over to the state of California and turned into a State Park. On the island, there are 8 environmental (no fires allowed) campsites that can be reserved for $20 a night.

My friend Richard and I, after a number of my friends flaked out, set out to spend a couple nights on the island. If you check out this map you will see that our campsite was just above the word "Perimeter" just above Pearl's Beach on the south side of the island. The south side of the island faced San Francisco and here are some pictures of our campsite.

The city of San Francisco directly ahead

The Golden Gate Bridge off to the right

Richard trying his hand at his star chart and SF in twilight

Richard surveying our picnic table. We ate like kings.

My sleeping bag and a fog shrouded Golden Gate Bridge in the distance.

Strange fog patterns such as this morning shot where Alcatraz is the only landmark shrouded in fog.

What I was struck by the most is that the San Francisco Bay Area is still a working port of great magnitude. We saw large container ships enter and exit the Bay by sailing underneath the Golden Gate Bridge almost continuously. The city and surrounding region was originally settled because the Bay provided a calm port to load and unload ships and that is a huge part of the areas economic foundation to this day. I think we here in the SF Bay Area tend to forget that it is the basics such as shipping that what undergird our regions huge success and fortunes.

What the ships also provide is a symphony of foghorns when visibility is low to nothing. Early on during the second morning we arose to a wall of white. We could see nothing beyond the tops of the trees below. However, we could hear all the ships emitting their horn sounds. Usually, one wouldn't even pay attention to these but I was attuned to the different ships' sounds and it was fascinating. It also put a smile on my face.

Thanks to Richard for a great trip. We should do it again sometime!