Exploring the Marin Headlands

Let me just put this out there. Selfies. Are ridiculous.

Now, I appreciate the occasional good selfie, but when people are hanging out the sunroof of a car while driving along a road in order to get a selfie with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background—well, that’s just dumb.

I prefer, instead, to jostle with the other million tourists crowding along the narrow road winding through the Marin Headlands, and (possibly, maybe, just a little bit illegally) park on the grass, and finally, elbowing other people out of the way, get a shot. It came out okay, I think.

By the way, if you’re interested in exploring San Francisco and getting a good shot of the city, check out the Marin Headlands and Point Bonita.  The hike up the Marin Headlands is windy, but not too difficult, and you can wander to see the Point Bonita Lighthouse.  The Point Bonita Lighthouse is, in and of itself, a fun visit, but you also get to see the vastness of the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as the northern part of San Francisco.

As those of you who live in San Francisco or the Bay Area know, the Golden Gate Bridge was closed this past weekend, so these photos are from a couple weeks ago, as we were coming back into the city to meet up some friends for dinner. The sun was setting, and the bright reflection of the sun was radiant against the high rises in San Francisco. Absolutely stunning!

Some facts about the Golden Gate Bridge:

• It was completed in 1937.
• It was named “Golden Gate” because it spans the Golden Gate Strait. Capt. John C. Fremont named it “Chyrsoplyae,” or “Golden Gate,” because it reminded him of “Chrysoceras,” or “Golden Horn” in Istanbul.
• As of this post, it is the 9th longest bridge in the world. The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan, the Xihoumen Bridge in China, and the Great Belt East Bridge in Denmark are now the three longest bridges in the world.