Final bay area gems

We got a real break in the weather, a bright sunny day to give us a glorious hiking day in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Once we gained some of the 900 foot elevation gain, our 6 mile loop around the Marin Headlands provided almost continuous jaw dropping views.  About half the loop was on the ocean side with views of the Farallon Islands – we’re told that most days you can’t even see them despite being only about 27 miles off the coast. The other half of the hike gave us gorgeous views of the bay, the bridge and the San Francisco skyline. Spectacular!

We had the fun of finding ourselves in several hiking spots along another of the country’s historic great trails. The 550+ miles of the Bay Area Ridge Trail encircles the bay giving hikers continuous majestic views like this. While we only hiked 15-20 miles of this massive trail, the views we got to take back with us are firmly etched in our minds.

As with most of our coastal hiking we encountered many gun batteries buried in the coastal hillsides. One we visited was Battery Townsley constructed in 1938, several years before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The original gun from the battery sat alongside. The barrel of the gun was over 68 feet long, and at a range of some 25 miles, it was almost capable of dropping a shell on the Farallon Islands!

On the tip of the Marin Headlands protecting mariners since it was built in 1855, the Point Bonita lighthouse still stands and protects. Only open to visit 3 days a week, we were lucky to have visited on one of those days.

Just getting there was interesting. A hike along the rock cliffs leads to an ancient hand drilled tunnel that led to through a huge rock dome. Then, we had to cross not just one but two considerable sized suspension bridges before we could finally reach the light tower. This had to be a very cold and lonely existence for the early keepers.

The Point Bonita light was only the second constructed on the West Coast. The year before a lighthouse had been built on Alcatraz Island. The Woman wanted to know why they would build a lighthouse as part of a prison. I told her I really didn’t think the prison was actually there in 1854.

We had encountered deer, many kinds of birds and harbor seals while on the Marin Headlands. However, we were surprised when we looked and saw a domestic cat stalking along our trail only 3 feet or so from us. It wasn’t until I realized it was too big to for a domestic cat that I realized it was a bobcat. I expected the Woman to scream and run, but was proud of her as she just watched the bobcat stalk on by her and head down the hill.

We learned that we exposed ourselves to Jack London in a non-chronological way. We were first exposed to American novelist Jack London in Dawson Creek Yukon in Canada. While we had heard of him, we had never read his works. We discovered his cabin where he filed a placer claim on October 6, 1897 and mined the claim for a few years. A replica of his Klondike cabin sits in Oakland Wharf and brought memories of our wonderful times in Alaska and the Yukon. Many of the experiences London had during the Klondike Gold Rush would serve as the basis for his writings.

London was born January 12, 1876 in San Francisco, and lived most of his life in the bay area. We found the home where London and his mother lived for two years at the turn of the century. While a private residence and not open for touring, we still wanted to expand our exploration into all things London.

We visited Jack London State Historic Park. In 1908 Jack purchased a small ranch in Glen Ellen California. By 1911 he moved into a small wood frame home on his property. With his second wife, Charmian he enjoyed the expanse of the ranch. We visited this original home and learned more about this famous writer.

In 1913 he began building his dream home, Wolf House. Spending $80,000 (well over $2 million in today’s dollars) he built a 15,000 square foot mansion of stone and timber. This was the home that both he and Charmian dreamed of, and they eagerly awaited the day they could move in.

Sadly, two weeks before their move in date, the mansion was totally destroyed by fire. While not conclusive, it is believed that rags wet with wood preservative may have spontaneously combusted causing the fire. The London’s were devastated.

Jack only lived another couple of years. In 1916 at the age of 40 he died of kidney failure. Doctors believed it was likely a result of mercury poisoning resulting from contaminated medicines he had taken during his South Seas voyages on the Snark. Charmian built a new home 3 years after his death, the House of Happy Walls. Small compared to Wolf House it had similar design characteristics. Charmian continued to be a socialite, entertaining and hosting guests and having a well-publicized affair with Harry Houdini (apparently she was drawn to men of mystery, or they were drawn to her) until her death in 1955.

As he requested in his will London is buried near the terraced farm fields he tended at his beloved Beauty Ranch. Charmian was also buried at his side. Jacks request was no marble stone, he just wanted one of the massive slate slabs from his ill-fated Wolf House placed over his ashes. Charmian’s last request, in addition to having her ashes placed with Jack was that Beauty Ranch remains a tribute to her husband. While descendants still run the historic winery on the grounds, they implemented her wishes and the bulk of Beauty Ranch now belongs to the California State Park system.

We learned that while living in Oakland he frequented the wharf, and one particular bar, Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon. Built in 1880 from the timbers of an old whaling ship, it looks pretty much today as it did back then. At the turn of the century there was a ferry that ran between Alameda and the Oakland Wharf, docking almost at the door of Heinold’s. Alameda was a dry city at the time, so this saloon was truly both the First and the Last Chance commuters had to enjoy an adult beverage. During the many war years servicemen left for overseas from Oakland Wharf, so the tradition stuck.

We went inside and marveled at all the Jack London memorabilia. The saloon’s influence on him shows up in his work. Johnny Heinold and The First and Last Chance Saloon appear in his novel John Barleycorn. Heinold’s is where he struck deals on buying 3 of his ships, including the Snark in which he attempted his aborted circumnavigation of the globe, struck by a series of maladies. It was hear that he also met Captain Alexander McLean, known for such cruelty at sea that his boat was nicknamed The Hell Ship. McLean became the model for Wolf Larsen in London’s novel The Sea Wolf.

The floor and the bar actually drop maybe two feet from one end to the other, including the floor mounted stools. Perched on the stool next to the Woman, I actually towered over her by several inches for a change, even though our stools were the same height off the floor. Much of the décor was original to the turn of the century saloon, including the bar, the small stove that provided the only heat in the building, and the clock. We had fun exploring, and while it would prove to be neither my First nor Last Chance, I did enjoy an adult beverage, and made a toast to Mr. London.



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The Klondike cabin I mentioned is just outside the doors of the saloon. The Oakland Wharf surrounding The First and Last Chance Saloon has become Jack London Square, a very upscale retail and nightlife destination. The sun decided to come out as the Woman’s stomach alarms went off, so we grabbed a wonderful lunch on the patio of the Forge. The day had turned glorious!

As long as we were in Oakland we also swung by the Fox Theater. Built in the movie hey days of 1928, this 2,800 seat theater was state of the art at the time. Unfortunately you can only get in, like Bakersfield, if you attend one of the live performances held here, and there were none during our visit.

Having exhausted the bay area (at least we think) it is time to move on.

Talk to you soon!