Golden Gate Through Space Time

1600 miles and 12 months earlier I was back in San Francisco, here’s a single day’s post of the Golden Gate Bridge, including a panorama that I think turned out quite well. Tomorrow I’ll be back in Alaska. Shot on iPhone X.

Nature v Alcatraz

With a bit of help from humans, of course, the beauty of nature really has turned a worn and dated piece of America’s history into quite the thing of beauty. I’m particularly fond of vines or thin bushes growing up along a wall, here I suspect they were curated that way. The succulents reaching out from the darkness to grow in the light is also interesting, though I suspect that if they all did that as apparently as the one is it would look kind of freakish. Shot on iPhone X on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. Back to Canada tomorrow.

Path of Plants

Some flowering plants along the path from the dock up to the main entrance (modern entrance for tourists, the original entrance is down by the dock) of Alcatraz Penitentiary. Penultimate Alcatraz post. Shot on iPhone X on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay.

Alcatraz’ Tower of Jewels

Echium Wildpretii on Alcatraz Island. More commonly known as Tower of Jewels, unfortunately not blooming at the time, but still pretty nonetheless. Shot on iPhone X.

Botanical Walk on Alcatraz

More views of flowering plants along the path up to the main level of the Alcatraz facility. I particularly like the old(ish) stone rail that’s obscured among the plants as though a remnant if a forgotten time being replaced with a thing of beauty. Shot on iPhone X.

The Gulls of Alcatraz

Among the gardens and perched on the rooftops (and pretty much anywhere else they can find, they are seagulls) were quite a few of the island’s more recent inhabitants, I imagine many of the previous occupants wished they could fly. Seagulls on Alcatraz Island, shot on iPhone X.

Alcatraz Succulents

In 1985 Alcatraz Island was designated a National Historic Landmark, I went there for the visit to the historic Alcatraz Penitentiary. What I didn’t expect was how much of the exterior land is well maintained as a floral and botanical garden. Seen here are some relatively large succulents, the specific breed I didn’t note (that spot there didn’t have a plaque labeling the plant, though as I recall several places did). The colorful arrangements across the island look nice against the stone walls and concrete backdrops. Unfortunately it was cloudy most of the day and rained as I was leaving so some shots have poor lighting, but most of them came out well (I think due mostly to iPhone’s HDR photography feature). Shot on iPhone X. Shot on Alcatraz Island.