California's Best Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

(Brent) #1
of the 1906 quake. The
short paved trail reaches
a 16ft gap between the
two halves of a once-
connected fence line, a
lasting testimonial to the
power of earthquakes.
A few miles north, the
12-mile long Tomales Bay
estuary straddles the
San Andreas Fault. The
thin channel teems with
curious harbor seals, and
Blue Waters Kayaking
(%415-669-2600; http://www.
bwkayak.com; kayak rental
2/4hr $50/60), in Inverness
and across the bay in
Marshall, offers various
bay tours. Or you can
rent a kayak and paddle
around the secluded
beaches and rocky
crevices on your own.

54 p67


The Drive » Backtrack to
the stop sign in Olema and
take Sir Francis Drake Blvd 15
miles southeast to San Rafael,
where you can join I-580 and
head to the East Bay over the
Richmond–San Rafael Bridge.
Continue south on Hwy 580/80,
and take the University Ave exit
to the campus of UC Berkeley.

3 Berkeley
A national hot spot of
(mostly left-of-center)
intellectual discourse, and
with one of the most vocal
activist populations in the
country, this infamous
college town has an
interesting mix of graying
progressives and idealistic
undergrads. The campus
is good for a stroll, and
nearby Telegraph Ave is
chock-a-block with shops
and cheap eateries.
Talk about baaad
planning. Memorial
Stadium, which dates
from 1923, is UC Berkeley’s
71,000-seat sporting
venue, and the Hayward
Fault lurks just beneath
it. Modeled on the Roman
Coliseum, it boasts a
spectacular setting in
Strawberry Canyon with
a backdrop of the forested
Berkeley Hills. A recent
$321-million retrofit and
renovation project tackled
the stadium’s ability to
withstand a major temblor.
On alternate years, the
iconic facility hosts the

famous football frenzy
between the UC Berkeley
and Stanford teams.

5 p67


The Drive » Head south on
College Ave and then Claremont
Ave to get onto Hwy 24/980.
Take the freeway about 3.5
miles south and exit on Jackson
St to reach the waterfront at
Oakland’s Jack London Sq.

4 Oakland
In Jack London Sq, try
to get your bearings at
Heinold’s First & Last
Chance Saloon (www.
firstandlastchance.com; 48
Webster St). You really
have to hold on to your
beer at this 1883 bar
constructed from wood
scavenged from an old
whaling ship. Keeled to
a severe slant during the
1906 earthquake, the
building’s 20% grade
might make you feel
self-conscious about
stumbling before you
even order. Its other big
claim to fame is that
author Jack London was
a regular patron.
A mile and a half
northwest, 42 people
died when the Cypress
Fwy collapsed in West
Oakland, one of the most
horrifying and enduring
images of the 1989 Loma
Prieta quake. The Cypress
Freeway Memorial Park
at 14th St and Mandela
Pkwy commemorates
those who perished as
well as those who helped
rescue survivors. A large

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

FAULTY TOWERS


One of the region’s biggest earthquake sites
sits in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. The
Bay Bridge (www.baybridgeinfo.org) was rendered
useless during the 1989 quake, when a small
segment of the east portion collapsed. More than
two decades later, much of the structural steel on
the suspension side has been restored, while the
entire eastern portion is simply being replaced.
The cost has shot past $6 billion.

NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA

3


(^) EARTHqUAKE TRAIL

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