Golden Gate Park - Day 49

Today was supposed to be a rainy day, but it turned out to be mostly sunny. So, after breakfast at the hotel, we headed for Golden Gate Park to take advantage of the weather. We started by a visit to the Conservatory of Flowers in the Park. It is the oldest wooden conservatory of its kind in the U.S., having been built in the 1878. We saw a GIGANTIC philodendron that is over 100 years old, and a lot of orchids. Their special exhibit was a model train going through historic sites in San Francisco, all made by artists with discarded, recycled materials.

Afterwards, we drove through the Park, parked the car at the beach and biked up to a spot we'd never visited before where we had a great vista of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Along the ride, we saw the remnants of the Sutro Baths, what was a Victorian era, million dollar multi-leveled bath house. It later became a skating rink and the giant structure eventually burned in 1966. Today, the waves were huge and crashing against the rocks and cliffs. The trees were beautiful and shaped by the winds.

We then went to a grocery store, bought a baguette, cheese and ham and went back to Golden Gate Park for a picnic by a lake.

So, all in all, our "rainy" day turned out to be quite a treat.