We got up early on Thursday morning. Bea had had a rough night with her eyes and sinuses. She felt like she was getting a sinus infection and we decided that she needed to see a doctor soon, meaning that day.

Before we left the site, we walked on a path to Lake Tahoe. After pondering how cold the water is, I eventually went in and cooled off. The lake is so clear — supposedly there are areas where you can see 67 feet down the lake — and it’s the second deepest lake in the U.S. behind Crater Lake in Oregon. Nice.

Finding a hospital

We left and drove up the west shore of Lake Tahoe, and eventually came to Tahoe City. We found a place called Syd’s Bagelry in the town that had free WiFi, so we ordered some breakfast and settled in to search the Internet for a doctor for Bea. Eventually we decided to just go to the hospital, and ended up at the Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee.

As Bea suspected, she had a sinus infection. I can’t believe that she’s been able to keep traveling and sleep in tents this whole way with how she’s been feeling. I probably would have ended this trip long ago if I was the one who was sick. So the doctor prescribed her some medicine and we were off again, headed for San Francisco and Petaluma. Along the way, we stopped in Sacramento to pick up Bea’s prescription. We saw the State House and were hoping to catch a glimpse of Ahhnold but no luck there.

If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair (and go to Taylor’s), on the jump…


San Francisco

So we got to San Francisco at about 4:30pm. We wanted to take a cruise to Alcatraz but the tours are all sold out until — get this — Monday afternoon. The MLB All-Star game was here this week so we figured that’s what was causing the craziness.

We went to Boudin Bakery at the Fisherman’s Wharf and Bea bought a couple of kitchen towels. Then we walked to one of our favorite places in San Francisco: Taylor’s Refresher.

We discovered this place when we were here last year. It’s in the Ferry Building on the water. Now we’re no gourmet foodies, but Taylor’s is a great, old-fashioned hamburger place. Reminds me a little of In-N-Out but with a wider variety on their menu.

So I got the cheeseburger and Bea got fish and chips, which she turned into a fish sandwich. But the best part about Taylor’s, by far, are its milkshakes. Creamy, thick but not so thick you can’t use a straw, and just yummy. Man, just writing about it makes me want another one right now, and it’s after 1 a.m. here. Anyway, I got the chocolate and Bea got the special coconut shake. I’m not a big fan of coconut, but that shake was divine.

On to Petaluma

We walked back to the car and drove north, heading over the Golden Gate Bridge. We were able to walk this structure during our visit here last year, and it was cool. This time around we settled for photos in the car. Maybe on the way back south we’ll stop there.

We continued on north and into the Petaluma KOA. We both really hate it here. The campsites are small, so small that we had to set up our tent on the gravel driveway. No privacy, tons of RVs, a bright lamppost right outside our tent. But hey, who am I to complain — they have shuffleboard! We’re both longing for a state or national park right now. At least this place has Internet access. That’s about the only positive right now.