Monterey-San Francisco

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March 12 - Monterrey to Santa Rosa
Things didn't work out as I had planned at the Travel Lodge in Monterrey. When I had checked in I had wanted a room where I could park my truck next to it so I could unload/load it easily. No queens were available that fit my criteria so the clerk gave me a King room with a discount. Fine. But when I went to renew my room for a couple of more days a different clerk on duty then said that they had booked the King room that I was in but I could move to a queen room and stay. I was very annoyed and told her that if I was going to have to go to all the trouble of moving I may as well move up the road to Santa Cruz. So I loaded my truck and controlling my annoyance left after checking out. I got to Santa Cruz but instead of going into town to check out the motel I had looked up on tripadvisor just said heck with it I was beached out for now and I would just go to San Jose and get a room there and do some homework on San Francisco.
Hwy 17 between Santa Cruz and San Jose is very winding with steep climbs and downhill grades. I would stongly suggest someone with a trailer or Motorhome use the 101 between Monterey and San Jose.
In any cast when I got to San Jose I just kept on going, planning now on trying to find a motel near a BART station in Oakland. Not knowing a thing about Oakland really I pulled off at somewhere there with gang paintings all over the sides of warehouses and with doors locked and keeping a wary eye for anyone who approached my truck looked at my map. I decided this really wasn't a good idea and wandered around till I found my way back to the freeway.
I decided to Just drive over the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge into San Francisco and then over the Golden Gate Bridge and to the Point Reyes National seashore and find a campground. (I found out later that they had no campgrounds except "hike in" primitive campgrounds so this wouldn't have worked anyway.)
On the map it looked to be a simple matter and I would get to enjoy the view from two bay bridges. So I got back on the 880 South (by now I was North of the bridge) and went West on 80 and over the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge and into San Francisco. However once you get into San Francisco the freeway going North ends...........!!!?? You get on the 101 to go to the Golden Gate Bridge and it becomes Van Ness Avenue for about 30 blocks then you go left on Lombard Street for another 14 till it feeds up onto the Golden Gate Bridge. I had the added advantage of being caught up the middle of the Saint Patrick's Day Celebration with hundreds of revelers in green crossing the street ect.
Still......I took it as it came and finally got up onto the Golden Gate Bridge and across the Bay. It was really a nice view going over and had hundreds (maybe thousands) of People walking and Jogging on the walkways on each side. Immediately after crossing the bridge on the right side there is a very nice viewing area with parking, restrooms, and a splendid view of the Golden Gate Bridge as well as San Francisco and Alcatraz Island etc. There were lots of people there but they didn't stay long so the parking kept opening up for others as they arrived. This was partly because there was a cold wind blowing. I wished once again I had brought a warmer hat. But it was still an extremely enjoyable stop.
After viewing the Bridge and San Francisco from the overlook I continued north looking for the turnoff to Hwy 1 but must have missed it and ended up driving all the way to Santa Rosa and stayed at the Motel 6 at 3145 Cleveland Ave. The other Motel 6 which is also on Cleveland really looked rundown. It cost me $50.89 with $3.00 for Internet access included in that. I spent most of the evening doing homework on the San Francisco area using tripadvisor to try and find a motel under $50 that was reasonably safe and near a BART line. I actually never did but I did find out that one of the best places for someone with a car would be Dublin which according to the BART webpage cost $5.50 each way from Dublin to the Embarcadero and back as well as it has free parking. I was horrified to find out that some San Francisco hotels charge as much as $35-$45 a night for parking on top of what they charge for a room. And while I was driving through San Francisco I had seen signs for parking for $20.
In any case I decided in the morning I would drive back South on the 101 and over the Richmond-san Rafael bridge on the I-580 and stay on the I-580 to Dublin the next morning.
More on that in my next entry.

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Comments

[Laura]

surprise
SOUNDS like you found out all the little secrets , you have to have money to be here , oakland is a very poor area , iyour truck need rest