On my second day in San Francisco, I had intended walking from my hotel all the way past the Golden Gate Bridge to try to get one of those iconic shots of the bridge from the beach that’s just south-west of it. By the time I got to the Fisherman’s Wharf area, though, two things were apparent. Firstly, it was going to be a long way (there are hills in San Francisco!) and secondly, it was going to be completely pointless since the clouds were covering the bridge (I didn’t see any part of the bridge that whole day).
Rather than call the day a dud, I decided to take a wander into the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. Am I glad I did! What a fascinating place that is. They have half a dozen or so historic ships, all beautifully preserved (or under renovation) and all set up with loads of fascinating information boards. It’s definitely worth the visit if you are even slightly interested in maritime history.
This particular image shows the steam ferry “Eureka” which is powered by a fabulous and enormous single cylinder “walking beam” engine.