I have been to San Francisco three times in my life. Each time, I have taken what I think are some cool pictures of the Golden Gate. My last trip out was in July of 2009. I got in early enough on a Sunday that I was able to do a mini-roadtrip from my hotel (near Fisherman’s Wharf) across the Golden Gate and all the way up to Point Reyes. I am not a big fan of lighthouses per se, but this seemed out of the way, so I thought “what the heck?”. That’s the kind of tourist I like to be sometimes, going well off the beaten path. First things first though, had to get an updated shot of the Golden Gate.
I drove across it this time, which I had not done before. Exited at the visitors center on the northeast side of the bridge, and patiently waited for a parking spot. It had good views, but wasn’t providing the kind of shot I wanted. And there were a TON of people there. Back in the car, I crossed the highway and started driving on Conzelman Road. If you have driven this road, you know it requires your complete attention, especially after you pass the bunker at the summit and start going down the one lane road towards Nike-Hercules complex on Field Road. That said, I could tell I was seeing same new (to me) vistas with the Golden Gate in them. I drove on the road to the summit, and then hiked around the World War II bunker at the top. Interesting stuff, but with the wind and intermittent fog, nothing super compelling. I continued onward via car, down Conzelman to Field, then circling back around on McCullough to Conzelman and headed back to the 101.
Going back this way was breathtaking. Whereas the Golden Gate had been to my back before, now it was right in front of me. A few pullouts along the way offered interesting perspectives, but still not “the shot.” I continued on, finally stopping at Hendrick Point – the closest elevated point to the Golden Gate on the northwest side of the 101. I took the short hike to the old barracks/ gun emplacement and continued on right up to the fence. Clearly I wasn’t the first person to want a shot from here, as a pretty large hole had been made in the chain link. The wind was blasting pretty good, but I steadied myself on the fence and shot the above image through that hole. Came out pretty good I think. The color version of this image won a photo contest earlier this year. I didn’t expect to win anything, I was just proud of the shot.
If you like this image, it is now available for purchase (along with the color one). And between today and 1/1/10, use coupon code “powgg” for a 10% discount on these or any other prints in my photo gallery.
