Saturday 25 June - the San Francisco Cable Cars are a truly remarkable feat of engineering with cables running several miles driven at a steady 9 miles per hour from a single engine room, and individual cars clamping onto and releasing the cables as they make their progress through town. They can pull up to 10 tons per car with numerous cars running at once - and all planned, laid out and running getting on for a hundred years ago by a man from London. Alcatraz ...

26 June - having eventually escaped the traffic and people chaos caused by the Pride celebrations and parade in San Francisco, we picked up bikes and cycled across the Golden Gate Bridge and twenty odd miles further round the Bay to Tibulon where we gratefully caught a Ferry back to SF. Golden Gate Bridge looked like a painted backdrop to a stage scene - always slightly misty and never seeming entirely 'there' (except when we we're on it I'm pleased to say).

24 June 2011 - slight frustrations on arriving four hours late at our hotel yesterday following train journey from Chicago were put firmly into perspective by news today that next day's train was rammed by a large twin trailer truck at a level crossing setting it on fire and killing at least two people. We were originally booked on that train and are very thankful to be here in San Francisco safe and sound. SF is busy, very hilly and a little cool in the evening...