Running the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

 

#Running_Golden_Gate

Here we are in San Francisco with my goal to run the famous Golden Gate Bridge (2.7kms or 1.7 miles)
The day i head out for this challenge it was typical weather for the City by the Bay, as in damp, foggy & windy.
 What i did not realize was how much care was needed once on the span; as with the crosswinds plus the wet surface & tourists (who cut you off as they only see the picture they want to take & not you) so easily you could get knocked over the 1 meter/3 foot high railings
With all of those factors you really needed to run with focus plus heavy feet ( so to speak 😄) & plant your runners into the decking for balance as its a long way down to the water. (75 meters/245 feet) 

 KeyTip; If you do not want to walk or run the Golden Gate you can rent a bicycle at the Fishermans Wharf & cycle over the bridge to the ferry pier in Sausalito then take the boat back or cycle the roundtrip at a cost of around $20 US for a hybrid bike 

There are rules to cross the span;
 A) All pedestrians are only allowed on the east sidewalk (the side facing the city)
 B) Cyclists must yield to pedestrians; this is especially important around the towers because of the limited space
 C) There is a 15mph limit for bicycles 
 D) Finally eBikes have the same rules to follow as pedal bikes

There is new construction at nights for a Suicide Deterrent System ( netting)
 as unfortunately the bridge (remember i mentioned the short railings on the Golden Gate) has averaged 30 deaths per year for the last twenty years 😞 

Some Fun Facts on the Golden Gate;

A) The color of the bridge (International Orange) was widely used in the aerospace industry (lighter than what you would see on an astronauts suits)
 It is formulated to be rust resistant because of the ocean spray plus the color makes the bridge more visible in the thick fog that is too common in San Francisco
B) When the one billionth vehicle crossed the bridge (1985) the driver was gifted a case of champagne & a hardhat, now that number has surpassed two billion crossings
C) During the 50th anniversary & celebration of the Golden Gate there were 300,000 people that crowed onto the bridge which temporarily flattened the curved arch by 2.1 meters / 7 feet
 D) The Golden Gate was hit by an earthquake in 1935 but withstood it because of the parallel wire construction
 E) The only other bridge in the world painted in International Orange is in Portugal (Abril Bridge)
F) The Golden Gate is the most photographed bridge in the world plus has been featured in films like James Bond (A View To A Kill) & The Rise of the Planet of the Apes 

Things to do once your in Sausalito;

A) Stroll along the Bridgeway which is the street that runs along the waterfront
 B) Go to the Visitors Centre at Historic Ice House to start your self guided tour
 C) Around 3 miles from the ferry are the famous floating homes (houseboats) of Sausalito that has been part of the waterfront scene since the 1880s. 
 D) There is a old schooner ship (Freda B) that offers cruises
E) In the same area as the houseboats there is a 1.5acre 3D model (that was built for the army in 1957) of the San Francisco Bay.
It was to test the impact of suggested changes of the waterways nearby & now is an interactive exhibit for all us visitors which is free to view 
 F) Seaplane Tours that you would see Baker Beach, Pt. Bonita Lighthouse, Alcatraz, Angel Island, AT&T Park & Golden Gate Bridge
 G) Gallery 111 Art Studios with the works of around 85 local jewelry makers, photographers, painters, sculptors & weavers

Four-Wheeling in the Cook Islands

#4Wheeling_Cook_Islands

My adventures has led me to Rarotonga  which is the largest of the 15 Cook Islands scattered across 2,200,000 square kms (850,000 square miles) of ocean in the South Pacific
   
So this is why i included a map to show you how remote is part of our planet is
How far you ask; it would be another 6+ hour flight from Hawaii (4700kms (2900miles) to The Cooks, but i like different so i decided to visit here before heading to Australia 
  
Now the Cook Islands is a self-governing & in-free association with New Zealand;
so basically it means Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens who can live or work in either area but also the islands do have its own currency with some unique $2 triangle coins (cool souvenir)

Because the islands main industry is tourism it has felt the effects of the downturn in travel because of COVID, its far away location & just availability of flights (as it is not easy to get here from North America as i found out) 

 

My two guides, who were great with the information on the history & culture of the island.

They told me because the population is so small with 17,000 citizens  (with 65,000 Cook Islanders now living in New Zealand with another 30,000 in Australia because again of the downturn in tourism) that it creates a lower tax base to support the administration & infrastructure costs, plus because of rules it has a limited private sector activity
For example, if you wanted to retire here you would need to apply for a visa or permit.
For this to happen you would have to prove sufficient funds for all of your stay, medical coverage & not be allowed to work or own a business

Now part of the tours fee was to include a lunch, so when i asked about it ( as i could not see any coolers in the vehicle) the guide said its at our next stop
Well he walked around to the front & pulled off a few bananas that got suddenly ripe from its green beginnings with the heat from the engine 

So much for what i read about the local seafood, tropical fruit or some taro or cassava.
But all in fun as i got to experience engine cooked bananas 😂

Now there is a road called the Ara Tapu that circles the Island of Rarotonga (32kms / 20 miles long) which has no traffic lights & will take you maybe 45 minutes to drive
 But my guys had other plans & took me on what they called roads 😀

I was told there is a government bi-law that no building can be higher than a coconut tree
No such worry on this road as i see no civilization 😄

Fun Facts;
A) Captain Cook never was on Rarotonga & only physically walked on the other island of Palmerston.
 He actually named the islands The Hervey Islands but it was the Russian explorer & map-maker Adam Johann Von Krusenstern ( an admirer of Cook ) who changed the name to his idol
 B) The Cook Islands has a combined landmass of 236 kms (91 miles)
 C) There are 9 airports in the Cook Islands with only two that are paved, as a lot of runways were built during World War Two
 D) Survivor Season 13 was filmed in Aitutaki
E) No poisonous snakes or spiders on the Cook Islands, but of course lots of mosquitos & red ants to feed on you
 F) The Cook Islands are worlds second largest producers of black pearls & all from the Island of Manihiki

As my guide keeps an eye on things 😀 you understand why you need a Four-Wheel Drive Vehicle on this tour

The island is known for its lagoons, coral reefs, isolated beaches, rainforests, waterfalls, caves & so on

Some great spots for snorkelling here in Rarotonga ;
 A) Tikioki is one of the permanent Marine Parks; so an array of parrotfish, butterflyfish, puffers, surgeon, moray eels, angelfish etc
B) Aroa Beach; the location has water that is shallow & the lagoon is a smooth sandy bottom
Expect to see moray eels, schools of trevally, butterfly fish, wrasse & sea bream
C) Blackrock is one of the calmest places to snorkel, it also has the black volcanic rocks surrounded by the sand, plus has a Social Centre for families

While at any of these sites;
 A) Do not leave valuables in the open on the beach or inside the rental scooter seats
 B) Do i need to say this 😏 please do not feed the fish or touch the living coral reef
 C) Avoid the sunscreen with Oxybenzone as that chemical harms the coal reef as it causes bleaching & stops reproduction
D) The water does contain some poisonous fish; Scorpionfish, Stonefish & Lionfish but most times they are located in the coral or rocks

The first Polynesians arrived in Rarotonga around 800AD sailing from the now French Polynesia & were the only inhabitants until the 1800s
 (There were a few Spanish explorers visiting in the late 1500s plus Captain James Cook in 1773-1777 but no one ever stayed)

Then in 1821 some English & Tahitian missionaries were the first to settle
 They then established a theological college plus had an influence on the type of government for the next 50 years
Fearing on what had happened to some of the nearby islands with a French takeover & with the help of the United Kingdom (with a protectorate) New Zealand eventually annexed the islands

Grand Canyon & Hoover Dam by Helicopter

#Grand_Canyon_Helicopter

The cost of the tour is depending on what you want to see with your flight destination.
I chose the aerial views of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead & Grand Canyon with a landing on a private plateau to see the Colorado River, plus meal with a roundtrip shuttle from my Hotel to the Las Vegas Airport

KeyTip; I was here in the off season so reduced pricing or you can just drive out to see the Hoover Dam ( 48 kms or 30 miles from Vegas) or Grand Canyon (442 kms or 275 miles, so an overnight trip )

 

From above in the helicopter we can see the visible examples of the rock strata created millions of years ago

The Hoover Dam was built to control the flooding of the Colorado River, plus supply water as the population in the west continued to grow & of course to provide hydroelectric power to millions of nearby residents since 1936

During the five years of construction (1931-1936) at least 138 men died, 96 due to accidents & 42 workers from illnesses on the site
Some believe additional staff passed away from their long term exposure to carbon monoxide that was present in the tunnels which created health issues, long after the work was done here at the dam
Also finally putting rumors to rest, no one was buried alive in the 4.3 million yards of concrete that was poured

On average 3500 men worked daily at the dam with wages from 50 cents to $1.25 per hour under extreme conditions, especially the heat where the average temperature was over 37C or 100F  plus add another 17C or 30F in the poorly ventilated tunnels  

The dimensions of the dam is insane, 221 meters or 726 feet tall, 379 meters or 1244 feet long plus the base is 201 meters or 660 feet thick of concrete.  To use a comparison you could build a standard four lane highway from San Francisco to New York with the concrete that was used during this project.

 Some interesting facts of the Hoover Dam;

 A) At first the structure was called Boulder Dam (named after Boulder Canyon that was in the area) then was named after the President at the time, Herbert Hoover
B) Nevadas Boulder City did not exist until it was built in 1930 to house the workers for the dam. It had no local mayor or elected officials & was managed by a US Bureau because the land was on government property.
Finally after 30 years (with the construction of the town) the control of the area was given to Boulder City & it was officially incorporated as such
 C) During World War Two it was found out the Nazis plotted to blow up the dam.
 It would of had a disastrous effect on the Southern California airplane manufacturing industry with the loss of this electrical grid.
After America entered the war (with the attack on Pearl Harbor) the dam was closed to all visitors until after 1945
 D) The Hoover Dam was the tallest (726 feet) in the world until the Mauvoisin Dam was constructed in Switzerland (820 feet)
E) Because concrete needs time to settle from liquid to solid ( the Hoover Dam would of taken over 125 years for this process because of the amount of concrete poured on this project) the engineers built a large refrigeration system to produce 1000 tons of ice per day
 Then they embedded one-inch pipes within the concrete which allowed the ice water to circulate thus allowing the cooling process to take only two months to fully set, plus an added benefit it made the concrete less susceptible to cracking    

Landed on the floor of the mighty Grand Canyon

KeyTip; We were warned that the canyon can create its own weather (so dress for all conditions)
 As for example the temperature can change by 25 degrees depending on your location & plus it has many ecosystems within its rock walls 
Also there is wildlife here; Gila Monsters, Bighorn Sheep, Rock Squirrels & Pink Rattlesnakes (which blends into the rocks around it)
So please remember WE ARE the guests here on their property so act accordingly 

The Grand Canyon National Park (3064 kms or 1904 sq miles) is bigger than the State of Rhode Island (1934 kms or 1212 sq miles) plus in some areas could be 1.6km or 1 mile deep or 16kms or 10 miles wide

The canyon has an estimated 1000 caves with only 335 have been recorded plus only 1 is open to the public
Also it is home to the most remote community in the continental United States, the Supai Village with a population of 208

KeyTip;  You will get weighed before your flight for weight distribution & for no other reason
I got lucky & got to sit up front 😃

Heading back to The Strip (which has its own history 😀)
Fremont Street was paved in 1925 & it was the Old Strip, once the ban on gambling was lifted in 1931 it created a massive casino development in the downtown, which was later known as The Strip