I’d never planned on walking across the Golden Gate Bridge twice. After walking 3 miles just to get to the bridge, the last thing I wanted was to walk across the bridge both ways. After all, isn’t that was buses were invented for?

It’s true. I’d wanted to walk across it for years, but just once was all I had in mind. I mean, it’s almost 2 miles long, and there’s a bus stop at the other end. No problem, right? Well, apparently the Universe had something more in mind for me that day.

The day’s adventure had begun at the intersection of Haight and Asbury, a neighborhood that had become famous during the 1960s as a haven for psychedelic rock and counterculture. Famous musical acts like Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, and the Grateful Dead all lived short distances from the intersection at the time.

Since then, the spark of the neighborhood had seemed to fade. In fact, after wandering into one of the t-shirt shops and taking the photo above, I was told that I was only allowed to take one photo of the shirts inside.

That’s it. One photo. Try taking another, and you’re out of there. And this is coming from a shop that exists right on the proverbial Holy Land of Counterculture.

One can’t help but ask, “What happened?”

The Golden Journey & The Surprise on the Other Side

I kept moving. I had a long hike ahead of me. My path took me across the city, up to the Presidio of San Francisco, and north to the entrance of the Golden Gate Bridge.

When I finally arrived over an hour later, San Francisco actually seemed small in the distance, it’s skyscrapers appearing like tiny pencils reaching toward the sky. And just beyond the entrance of the bridge, I noticed that the Fort Point lighthouse that had seemed so large about a week before now seemed incredibly tiny when seen from this new vantage point.

Now, let’s be honest.

Until you’ve seen it in person, you really can’t appreciate how huge the Golden Gate Bridge is. It’s over 2.7 km (1.7 mi.) long and services around 300,000 vehicles every single day. And as I made my way across, looking up at it’s two massive towers, it was obvious why this was the most photographed bridge in the world. The bridge itself is nothing less than a work of art, and I felt honored to be able to walk across it. And for free, no less!

When I reached the other side, I found myself at Vista Point Overlook. I’d been here about a week before when I was heading up to the Muir Woods. But this time I was surprised to see a large biker group, all covered in black leather, taking a group picture with the bridge behind them.

Of course, I couldn’t help but sneak a picture of the moment.

Missing the Last Bus

After taking some time to enjoy the view and overall energy of the overlook, I knew I had to hurry if I was going to catch the bus back. I followed a narrow road that cut through rocky hills and expected the bus stop to be easy to find. It wasn’t. I found what I thought was the stop, but as the minutes passed, the reality of the situation settled upon me: I had missed the last bus to San Francisco.

There was only one option now. I had to walk back over the bridge in time to catch the train back to San Jose where my host lived.

Thankfully, the walk back turned out to be a positive experience. Despite my tired legs and feet, I was given a spectacular view of the sunset and the flickering city in the distance. A gibbous moon hung overhead, and I even met a Canadian woman who was also crossing back over the bridge. She was from Vancouver and found the idea of Couchsurfing intriguing. Thankfully, the conversation made the time fly, and soon we were back in San Francisco where we parted ways.

I only barely caught the bus to the train station, but I had done it. I had finally walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, and my San Francisco explorations finally felt complete, at least for this particular West Coast journey.

But that wasn’t the last amazing experience I had in the Bay Area.
Not by a long shot.

Photos

— Bonus —

Marco the Spacefarer appears in all 21 photos in the accompanying photo gallery. If you’re new to the “Where’s Marco” game, it’s similar to “Where’s Waldo” or “I Spy”, and it’s totally fun!

But this time something was different. He left is cloak on the entire time, which means he appears completely black in all of the photos. (I suggest looking for him in the shadows.)

Learn how to play →
Then find him in the photos! →

Coming up Next:

With my San Francisco explorations complete, I returned to San Jose to arrange a carpool to Las Vegas. But before I left California, an incredible opportunity to bicycle across South Bay manifested itself, and it turned out to be a blast:

See what happened next →

All accompanying photos are in the Golden Gate Bridge photo gallery. With so much free, high-quality content, why not tell a friend and share this article?

On the day I reached the summit of San Francisco, I was given a rare gift: to see all of northern San Francisco in a single glimpse. It was the perfect midpoint to that sunny day since I’d watched the sun rise out of the eastern trees that morning. And though I didn’t know it at the time, by the end of that day I would see it set behind crashing ocean waves.

Apparently, they called this place Twin Peaks, but they might as well have called it The Summit in the Sky; because after a short drive to the top, the entire city was laid out before me in all its beauty.

Mere photography couldn’t capture its radiance.

From here, its lightly colored buildings contrasted uncounted numbers of verdant trees. To my left, the Golden Gate Bridge itself seemed to bow upward slightly as it spanned the Golden Gate in the distance. And to my right, I could see straight down Market Street, all the way to the bay. The cars zipped down the boulevard like distant blood cells transporting oxygen down an artery. And in a way, that’s exactly what they were, moving to keep the economy of San Francisco alive.

Entering the Ruins

Soon afterward, I arrived at the Sutro Baths. Once a famous bathhouse, all that remained now was a long-abandoned concrete ruin on the western coast of the city. Strangely enough, no one else I’d mentioned it to had even heard of it, including a few people who had lived in San Francisco for years. So it came as no surprise to me when I arrived to find only a handful of people exploring its tortured stairwells and walls, as they were constantly barraged by crashing waves.

By now, not much was left of the ruins, save for a scummy pond, a few walls, a stairwell, and a shallow cave. I followed a steep, rusty path down.

As I approached the cave I noticed that the sun was low now, reflecting off of the waves that forever washed up over a lower path.

I thought I saw a man down there, but I can’t imagine how he could have held on.

Entering the Cave

I entered the cave, and inside I found a small tunnel which kicked up ocean spray whenever the waves crashed in. At the far end of the cave, the floor dropped off into the ocean. Two thin ropes holding up a warning sign were all that was between me and the torrents crashing on the jagged rocks below.

I walked back, noticing for the first time the small half-moon that hung high above the Cliff House farther down the beach. From here I could also see the famous Seal Rocks formation.

To my great surprise, it contained the hollowed out shape of a heart within.

Recap

You need to come here.

Having been destroyed by a fire in 1966, the ruins are mysterious and sad, yet somehow truly beautiful. My only regret is not ever finding anyone who knew what was beyond the seemingly ancient sealed-off door that led deeper into the rock. Perhaps it is nothing, I thought. Or perhaps it contains long rusted-away mining equipment. Or perhaps it contains something entirely more secret and sinister.

What do you think is inside?

— Bonus —

Marco the Spacefarer appears in all 24 photos in the accompanying photo gallery. If you’re new to the “Where’s Marco” game, it’s similar to “Where’s Waldo” or “I Spy”, and it’s totally fun!

Learn how to play →
Then find him in the photos! →

Coming up Next:

I complete my exploration of San Francisco with a walkabout that takes me across the Golden Gate Bridge. I nearly got lost in the process but managed to make it back to the bridge as the sun set behind me, meeting a Canadian in the process:

See what happened next →

All accompanying photos are in the Sutro Baths photo gallery. With so much free, high-quality content, why not tell a friend and share this article?