Managed to sort out my hotel for San Fran before I left Santa Cruz. I got totally lost on the way out cos the GPS kept sending me on the fastest route, but I wanted the scenic Highway One. However the good thing was that I did see another side of Santa Cruz instead of the awful beachfront & pier. There are beautiful old houses in the historic part of town & these are well kept & gorgeous.

The road was narrow & twisty, but there was also a terrible mist that was rolling off the sea. It seemed to go on for miles & in some cases, I had to really slow as visibility was quite poor.I almost ran out of petrol & only just got to Half Moon Bay in time as the light was on. $36 to fill the tank - not too bad indeed.

The roads widened and developed into many, many lanes with people driving like maniacs. My palms were sweaty and I was dreading it. However, I made it to the hotel in one piece & only cut one person up and turned left where I should not have... ooops!!

Parked up, checked in and set off to tourist info. There are tours that I can do to Yosemite, but after speaking with the lady behind the desk, it appears they only really take you to the rest room & picnic areas and you then have plenty of time to hike... yeah like hell will I be doing that. I walked (& boy its far!!) all the way from Market, down Powell to Bay and then cut to Pier 33 where the tickets for Alcatraz are sold. b***** but the next evening tour is 22 Feb... Great!!! However the kind lady mentioned that the one leaving in the next 10 mins had a space free. I jumped at the chance - $31.50 later and I was queuing to get on the ferry. Mistake was that this is winter and I was wandering around in t-shirt & jumper (thin at that) and by the time we were due to return I would be frozen stiff. No matter... hardy traveller that I was, off we set. What a great tour. We wandered around the ground floors listening to the personal audios and staring into tiny cells. I must admit to being very surprised by exactly how small these cells really are. Also, only 1,545 men actually served time in the prison and it closed in 1963.

Teeth chattering & back stiff, I headed via the streetcar back to the hotel. Dinner in hotel dining room of steak & glass of red. Delicious.