Today, we headed for San Francisco to cross the bridge and then to a place that I had never been - Alcatraz.

The sun broke through the clouds while we were on the boat ride to the island, and it was a beautiful, warm afternoon. The tour was well done, with an informative greeting from a park ranger as soon as we got off the boat, followed by a short movie, and then the climb to the top of the hill. There, we were handed an audio device that told us stories as we walked through the prison -- seeing where the prisoners spent their days, where they ate, where they played in the exercise yard, as they enjoyed some of San Francisco's most spectacular bay vistas.