Alcatraz!!!!!!!

I saved the best for last!!! For years, I've wanted to visit Alcatraz and about a decade ago I was in San Francisco and planned on doing it. What I didn't know then is that you have to have your tickets days in advance. I went home disappointed that time. But, not this time! Up and early in the morning we stroll along the pier taking lots of pictures and picking up souvinirs for our family. Plus, we all have to buy a jacket or a sweatshirt, cuz it's freezing. Ok, not exactly freezing, but it is 58 degrees and we've only brought summer clothes. Then, it's time to get in line -- a long line. I'm obviously not the only morbid person who's fascinated with visiting this island, with its long history and ghostly legends.

Sitting like a beacon in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, between San Francisco and Oakland, California, is Alcatraz Island. Though most prominently known for the years it served as a maximum security prison, the “Rock’s” history stretches far beyond those infamous days, and its legends and stories continue to find their way into American lore, complete with a number of ghosts who are said to remain upon the island.

Long before Alcatraz became home to some of the most notorious outlaws in the country, it was known as a place to be avoided by Native Americans who believed it to contain evil spirits. These Native Americans, called the Ohlone (a Miwok Indian word meaning "western people"), often utilized the island as a place of isolation or banishment for members violating tribal laws. Despite the legends of evil spirits, Alcatraz was also used by the Indians as an area for food gathering, especially bird eggs and sea-life.

There's lots more to the story, check it out.

Alas, it's time to start making our way back to a hotel in Sacramento. Then, a very early day tomorrow. Flight at 6:00 a.m. Though traveling is always a blast, there's a lot to say for going home.