Just before the appointed time, a Big Red Bus pulled up beside our hotel. We had expected a van, so we didn't pay much attention to it until the driver called out our name. We had the entire double-decker to ourselves, for a while. Then our driver made several other stops before we for to the terminal
At the terminal, we got our tickets and met Igor, our driver and tour guide for the tour. Igor was very knowledgeable, but his heavy eastern Europe accent made him very hard for us to understand.
Because it was Sunday morning, traffic was very light, so he took us through the Presidio prior to going across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a beautiful area.
The bridge itself was enclosed in fog, so pictures were not what we wanted. But we made the best of it anyway. The bus stopped on the north side of the bridge so we could enjoy the view and take pics. From that vantage point, it was clear that everything was clear except the bridge! Weird....
Then we left and headed north to Muir Woods. Igor was a very good driver, handling that big bus like a sports car. He drove it faster than most of the cars were moving, including hairpin curves and steep inclines. It was a fun ride!
Once in the park, we had 90 minutes to see what we could. We walked the entire time, following the path and admiring the gigantic trees and lush ferns. Words can't describe the majesty of those trees. Just amazing in size 
Along the way, we met two ladies from our bus who were moving at the same pace as us and enjoying them as we were. Patti from Asheville and Kim from Florida became our friends along the way. We thoroughly enjoyed talking, laughing and admiring God's creations in the forest.
After the 90 minute walk, we boarded the bus, headed for Sausalito. There, we found a local restaurant, the Fish and Chips, where we had a great lunch. Our new friends also ate there, although not with us.
After lunch, we window-shopped a bit before Janice found a Pandora charm as a souvenir of San Francisco. The Cable Car charm is cute.
Since time was running out for Janice to put her feet in the Pacific Ocean, we found a spot where she could do it there. Actually, she wet her hand only, but that still counts in my book.
Next was catching the ferry back to San Francisco. Whew, the line for tickets was long and slow--we had 10 minutes to buy tickets and to board the ferry. Tickets were dispensed from a vending machine, and it was not working properly for people with prepaid cards. Finally, just as time was running out, a couple gave up and stepped aside so we could try. Voila, it worked; tickets showed up, and we RAN to the gate. We were the last people who got on-board! It was a very close call...The ride to the ferry terminal was uneventful.
Next on our list was the Japanese Tea Garden, across town from where we were. So, we caught a bus for the 45 minute ride to Golden Gate Park to see the gardens. Wow, it was nice. All of the vegetation was trimmed and manicured to perfection. It was very nice, and both of us were amazed at the serenity and beauty there.
We had not done a Cable Car ride, and it was already dark outside, so we decided that it was time to do it if it was going to happen. So we took a bus back to the ferry terminal (actually that's what we intended to do). However, the driver misunderstood my question and dropped us off about ia mile early. Walking in the dark, not knowing exactly where we needed to go was frustrating to say the least.
We finally found the starting place for the Cable Car and waited about 10 minutes for it to show up. When we boarded, it took off with a lot of clanking and banging noises. The ride itself was fairly smooth, but it was pretty noisy. We rode to the end and stayed on-board for the return trip and paid another $6 each for that ride. But it was fun, and an experience we both wanted to do.
Our final item on the list was some ice cream from Ghirardelli Square. So we walked down to the waterfront and towards our destination. It was getting pretty chilly, and we were over a mile to Ghirardelli Square. After walking many blocks, we discovered that we could catch one of the old timey streetcars to the end of the line, about 5 blocks from the store.
The store was packed with people, eating all kinds of ice cream. We both decided on a sundae with hot dark chocolate and a super rich brownie. They were our dinner for the day! Did I say DELICIOUS????!!!! Gosh they were good. Not very healthy or nutritious, but we wanted to splurge on something good and sweet.
From there, a short 7 blocks back to the hotel.
This post is being spread over two days; last night we were just too tired to finish writing. We'll post another segment later tonight from Honolulu.
Beautiful gardens. What fun meeting someone from NC. Love the pictures.
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