Day 10 - Alcatraz Prison, California
2008 Summer Road trip to Northwest USA and Canada
Trip duration: 15 days (May 9th to 23rd)
Total distance: 9000km/5560miles
Camera: Canon 40DLenses: 12-24mm f4 wide angle, 45mm f2.8 Tilt Shift, 70-200mm F2.8 IS
Alcatraz, the maximum security prison just a couple miles off the shore of downtown San Francisco. Now de-comissioned, it is a favorite amongst tourists because...
Everyone wants to go visit a prison some day! :P
Alcatraz, view from San Francisco
Day 10, woke up and hung around the hostel until the last minute. I walked from the right of the panorama (where the trees are, that's the hostel I stayed in at the Fisherman's Wharf) to near the left of the picture where the ships leave for Alcatraz at Pier 33.
I almost missed the non-refundable ship, I had 15 seconds left before the ship left the dock, phew :D
San Francisco downtown pano taken from Alcatraz, click for larger size (warning, HUGE file)
And the first sights of Alcatraz up close. My most vivid memories of Alcatraz were from watching The Rock, so this brought back the scenes of Nicholas Cage injecting those anti-venom thing in his chest inside one of these rundown buildings xD
Isn't it ironic how prisoners couldn't wait to get off this island, and now people are flocking and paying money to see a prison?
Yeah, because everyone's first reaction when they see a dead end is to smoke, eat and drink!
Alcatraz is under the supervision of the national park rangers, so there are lots of birds nests and stuff
Yep, that's an egg
Giving me the stare down
The huge amount of bird s*** gives Alcatraz its distinct roof colors
The water tower
The welcome room... Clean towels, just like a hostel, but free :D
Okay this is a bit gross... but some hostels are like that too? xD
Creepy
The long gone shouts and yells and gate slamming sounds seem to echo silently still...
not a luxury hotel that's for sure...
lots of tourists, we weren't allowed on the top 2 floors tho
The maximum security area for the badass prisoners!
Heres me, imagining the darkness when all the bars and doors are shut....
(btw, hanging around my neck is the self guided tour mp3 player, stories and tales and information about Alcatraz, it's great :D)
This used to be the library
Some of the art the prisoners made
Hopeless is the word that sprung to mind
An example of what a prison warden looked like (and my tripod too!)
In my imagination these are bullet holes created by the gangs raiding Alcatraz
The sight of freedom must be so tempting
The outdoor court
Very windy on the island
The roof has fallen and only the walls remain...
So close yet so far
You could almost hear the city from the island
After Alcatraz, I left San Francisco via the golden gate. The bridge is constantly under such thick fog during my 2 days there...
The other side of the bridge
Up north on California #1, what an amazingly fun road... if only more traffic used the turn offs and let me by!
As night nears I was still far far away from my planned destination in the Red Woods forest....
Had to pull over and take some pics of this gorgeous sunset :)
The MINI enjoying the view
And so, the end of day 10, I ended up somewhere in northern Cali, Garberville, about 100 miles short of the Redwoods forests...
Next: California Redwoods
Go back to previous road trip entries....Day 1: Montana
Day 2: West Yellowstone
Day 3: Yellowstone National Park 1
Day 3: Yellowstone National Park 2
Day 4: Yellowstone/Salt Lake City
Day 5: Salt Lake City
Day 5: Arches National Park
Day 5: Canyonlands National Park
Day 6: Capitol Reefs National Park
Day 6: Bryce Canyon National Park
Day 7: Cedar Breaks National Monument / Zion National Park
Day 7: Nevada desert and Death Valley
Day 8: Central California and Giant Sequoia National Monument
Day 8: Monterey California sunset
Day 9: San Francisco Sunrise panoramas and wallpaper
Day 9: San Francisco downtown Part 1 of 2
Day 9: San Francisco downtown Part 2 of 2
Day 10: Alcatraz, San Francisco
Day 11: California Coastal Redwoods
Day 11: Northern California Coasts
Day 12: Oregon and Washington
Day 12: Wayne's house
Day 13: Pike Place Market, Seattle
Day 13: Vancouver sunset and night shots
Day 14: Interior BC and Squilax Hostel
Day 15: Suqilax Hostel and Alberta
San Francisco downtown pano taken from Alcatraz, click for larger size (warning, HUGE file)
Comments (46)
ahh breathtaking as usual..
do people look at you funny when you whip out a tripod in the middle of some place? haha
@ch0w - I didn't whip it out, I carried it along with a big ass camera on my shoulder :D haha
I didn't care, people got out of my way, it was great :D
LOL. whip it out. sounds so.. dirty . XD
=3 alcatraz. its so windy in the outdoor workout area thing. i almost fell off the stairs.. which has no hand rails!
gah. gotta love that sf/dc fog. tehee
I love the hue you gave to the first few photos
very artsy :3
hmm, that is one magnificent looking seagull..
and the that evil grin on your face is hilarious XD
you carry a tripod along with a big ass camera bag?? XDDD lol you're so lame and hardcore
I Think...
... That This ...
... Needs ...
... to Be ...
... Featured ...
=]
@memail_dot_com - hah thanks :)
good luck to us... i don't think it'll happen :P
@Sk1z0fr3n1c_Fr3d - I loved the fog too, it made the landscape feel so alive.
@azn_x_strike - haha don't call me lame... one day you shall become like me xD
But yeah, without a tripod it's not possible to take any decent pictures in dark places like inside Alcatraz.
Thanks for all the pictures. I think You have always chosen the right things to photograph on your trip.
Sure It's worth a trip of lifetime
Lol, I've never been to Alcatraz Island, and I live(d) so close to it! Haha.
I've never driven on highway 1 either! Lmao, I just know it's really pretty. XD
Lovely photos, as always.
GREAT shots. really beautiful, although, i am not sure that is the word i want to use...
Excellent photography and very intresting tour. Thanks for sharing!
can't wait until i get home on my own connection so i can actually see the remaining 3/4 of every picture... but i'm sure they're fantastic!
i'm glad You didn't miss the boat hun, coz then, we would miss out on Your art =]
you look good as a convict. ;]
nice indie pics.
@dinhtrinh - Hey thanks :D More pics to come on the trip :D
@KathrynMichael - Hah yeah, haunting, maybe?
@Donna7 - You're welcome :) I'm glad you dropped by!
@Feythe - hah, yeah they're pretty awesome I say :P
@absurdlyHANdaft - Hey, I look good, that's all that matters!!!
Don't know much about this place (probably have seen it in the film)!
Will check it up, interesting to know a bit of the history ... sad though but don't we always forget what war IS!?
(reminded me something I saw in Namjing)
As many have said, great picturesssss!
Your hair's getting long ... :)
@littlelamblittlelamb - you think that's long? I haven't cut it for 4 months now xD
another 3 inches til it touches down on my shoulders, hahaha
@XtremePsionic - You better take a picture now and then, hahahaha........
WOW! I LOVE the one you labeled as "The other side of the bridge."
And I love the last one!
Now I want to visit Alcatraz!
giving you hugs for this awesome post =D
the prison was cool! its hard to imagine having to spend the rest of my life on an island like that
Amazing photos, and they brought back so many memories! I lived in Vallejo for a couple of years in the 80s and we'd go exploring in SF on weekends, or up into the mountains around Yosemite to visit my relatives. We did the Alcatraz tour once and it's seared into my memory. I really, really love the second bridge shot and the moonrise. Gorgeous!
Beautiful pictures. Some of them are rather haunting.
You know I love your photos! I think that you are one of the best on Xanga.