Angel Island

I drove up to Tiburon on Sunday morning. It's a little bayside community with a name that's fun to say. The town was bustling with activity due to Opening Day on the Bay, the first official day of the boating season in San Francisco. I was there to catch the ferry over to Angel Island for a hike and barbecue. The trip took about twenty minutes and the ferry docked in Ayala Cove.

As soon as we dropped off the food and drinks, we hiked the Sunset Trail to the peak of Mt. Livermore, which offers a beautiful panoramic view of the bay. It would have been nice to stay up there longer, but hunger struck and we were soon heading down the Northridge Trail back to the group picnic area.

After eating, a couple of us decided to venture over to the Immigration Station museum. Unfortunately, the station was closed for restoration. From 1910 to 1940, it not only served as the entry point for nearly a million immigrants, but also as a detainment center for thousands of Chinese immigrants. In fact, the government built the station to help enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The facility gained national landmark status in 1997.

Visiting Angel Island was a relaxing way to spend a Sunday and we stayed as long as possible, but the last ferry eventually arrived to take us back to Tiburon and real life.

Sometimes I can hear this old earth shouting
Through the trees as the wind blows
That's when I climb up here on this mountain
To look through God's window
Now I can't fly
But I got two feet that get me high up here
Above the noise and city streets
My worries disappear

- "Mayberry" by Rascal Flatts