Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

As many times as we’ve been to San Francisco, it wasn’t until August 2017 we finally got around to riding our bikes through Golden Gate Park. Created in the 1870’s from sand and shore dunes known as the Outside Lands, the park drew its name from nearby Golden Gate Strait. This large urban park covers 1,017 acres of public grounds, and is similar in shape, but 20 percent larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a mile wide north to south. With 13 millions annual visitors, Golden Gate is the 5^th most-visited city park in the United States.

Aside from the natural beauty and coastal environment of the park, there is something for everyone here. Home to the De Young Museum, Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden, Conservatory of Flowers, Botanical Garden, lakes, Bison Paddock, windmills, Hippie Hill, and numerous walking paths and bike lanes. We even saw a motor home with a garden growing on it's roof! we took our time riding through the park, taking pictures, and soaking up the good vibes. 

Stairway to Stardom

What is Stairway to Stardom? Sponsored by Skip’s Music, a musical institution in Sacramento since the 1970’s, Stairway to Stardom is “an eight-week Summer music program for young, non-professional musicians. Each participating student is placed in a band of fellow student musicians with a professional music coach and given the opportunity to create, develop, and perform original music on a professional level. Each band is required to perform two original songs and one cover song for the final concert.”

In 2017 our grandson Colton (at the time just 11-years old, and an incredible drummer) was lucky enough to be part of this educational, inspirational, and fun experience, which culminated in a competition between the ten bands in an outdoor concert in the park. Colton’s band, The Dynamics, rocked the crowd with their two original pieces and a cover of “Go Ask Alice”, and ended up coming in 2nd place. I was so happy we were in Sacramento for this very special event.