Nike Missile Site SF-93A/L/C - San Rafael, California: 11 October 2015

 I spoke with an Army veteran who described his experiences when he was stationed at Nike Missile Site SF-93L in San Rafael, California. I had little knowledge of the San Rafael Nike site, and listening to the veteran describe his time at the site convinced me to locate and view both the launching site and the radar site. After reviewing some maps of the area and recording the necessary latitude and longitude coordinates on my GPS, I was ready to do some exploring!

Click on an image to view the full-size photograph.

A view of SF-93A, the Nike Missile Site Administration Area. It is now occupied by a drug and alcohol detox center. 

This photo was taken sometime between 1956 and 1971, when the missile site was active. A view of the Administration Area (SF-93A) is seen in the foreground, and the Launching Area is on the top of the hill  (SF-93L). The Launching Area is at an elevation of 97 feet, and the Administration Area is at the height of 10 feet. This view is looking southeast. San Francisco Bay is at the upper left of the photo (GGNRA).

A Google Earth view of the launching site. The red line shows the route I took as I explored the area. The blue circle indicates where the missile launchers were located. US Route 101 (aka Redwood Highway) can be seen on the left. 

Here is a view of the SF-93L Launching Site. The picture is looking northeast. The three launching areas and underground missile storage areas could launch four missiles simultaneously. They have all been covered with up to seven feet of dirt. A little concrete and asphalt are the only indication of what was once there; it is not easy to locate. 

The launching site, looking west. Mount Tamalpais is in the distance. 

I left the SF-93L launching site and drove a few miles south to a trailhead on San Pedro Mountain. My plan was to ascend single-track hiking trails and dirt fire roads to 984 feet, the elevation of SF-93C, the radar site. This picture was taken during my hike up Gold Hill Trail on San Pedro Mountain. Downtown San Rafael is conspicuous, with beautiful Mount Tamalpais gracefully overlooking the scene. The view is looking southwest. 

This view is looking south. San Rafael Creek is visible, as is the industrial/warehouse area of San Rafael. 

Here is a Google Earth view of the route I took to and from the radar site. The approximate distance traveled was 5.3 miles. The approximate cumulative elevation gain was 1,249 feet. The blue circle depicts the location of the radar site. 

A graph of the elevation changes encountered in the route. 

SF-93C radar site. 

I noticed this survey marker at the radar site. The marker was installed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1975. 

SF-93C radar site. 

Hamilton Airfield was initiated in 1932 as an Army airfield. It then became an Air Force airfield and finally reverted to an Army airfield. In January 1976, it was placed in US Government caretaker status. The airfield was located just above sea level, as seen in this photo. This photo was taken from the SF-93C radar site. The view is looking north. 

The Marin County Civic Center was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Construction began in 1960, and the building was completed in 1962. This view is from the Scettrini Fire Road on San Pedro Mountain. The view is looking northwest. 

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 "A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera." Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs that were posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com  

San Francisco – from the Ferry Building to the Marina District: 6 October 2015

The San Remo Hotel was constructed in 1906 after the earthquake, and is unchanged today. The hotel is located at 2237 Mason Street. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

Angel Island and Alcatraz Island as seen from Chestnut Street. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

Looking west at the Marina District. The treed area in the distance is part of the Presidio. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

The route. The approximate distance traveled was 3.6 miles. Click on the image to see the full-size map.

“A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.”-Dorothea Lange

You are welcome to visit my primary website  www.mishalov.com

A ramble from the east portal of the Sunset Tunnel to Geary Boulevard: 19 September 2015

This walk started at the East Portal of the Sunset Tunnel and concluded on Geary Boulevard at 20th Street.

The East Portal of the Sunset Tunnel is located adjacent to Duboce Avenue at Noe Street. The tunnel opened for streetcar use on 21 October 1928. 

A six-unit apartment building located on Noe Street at 14th Street. 

1450 Masonic Avenue. 

The route was tracked by GPS. The distance traveled was approximately 4.5 miles, and the approximate cumulative elevation gain was 413 feet.

"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs that were posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com

San Francisco's Chinatown: 30 August 2015

I did a walk through Chinatown after reading "San Francisco Chinatown, A Guide to its History and Architecture." The book, written by Phillip P. Choy and published in 2012 by City Lights, is well written and informative. Mr. Choy passed away in 2017.

Click on an image to view the full-size photograph.

Portsmouth Square is located on the first public square established in the early 19th century in the Mexican community of Yerba Buena, whose name was changed to San Francisco in 1847. Captain John B. Montgomery of the USS Portsmouth was ordered to seize Yerba Buena during the Mexican-American War. On 9 July1846, the first American flag was raised near the Mexican adobe custom house in the plaza that would eventually be named Portsmouth Square in honor of the ship.

Many historical events have happened at the plaza. In 1847, the first public school in California was erected at the plaza's southwest corner. On 11 May 1848, the discovery of gold was announced when Sam Brannan showed his gold to a crowd. On 12 June 1849, a group was gathered at the plaza, demanding the election of delegates at the Monterey Constitutional Convention. On 29 August 1850, a memorial service was held after the death of US President Zachary Taylor. The First Admission Day celebration was held on 29 October 1850, when California became the 31st state of the United States.

Portsmouth Square Park is located in the heart of Chinatown. 

A view from Portsmouth Square looking west, as seen on 22 June 1851. "Near harbor in 1851 — San Francisco during the Gold Rush. Early daguerreotype. Signs visible in the image include Book and Job Printing, Louisiana, Sociedad, Drugs & Medicines Wholesale & Retail, Henry Johnson & Co, Alta California, Bella Union." 

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"Constructed in 1858, this elegant brick building played a major role in the financial and entrepreneurial development of frontier San Francisco. From his offices in this building, William M. Lent, President of the Savage Mining Company, organized the financing of the Comstock Lode located in Virginia City, Nevada. The wealth created by the successful mining of the Comstock provided capital for the development of the West in the years following the Civil War. The Society of California Pioneers." The building is San Francisco Landmark #27.
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I have an unbounded interest in Virginia City and have visited Virginia City many times.

Here are my photo galleries from Virginia City, Nevada.

1. Virginia City, June 2002.

2. Julia Bulette's gravesite, plus the Masonic and Catholic cemeteries of Gold Hill. September 2011.

3. A steam train ride on the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad right-of-way. September 2011.

The route through Chinatown. The approximate distance traveled was 4.5 miles.

"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera." Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt 

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com.

A San Francisco walk from the Ferry Building to Cow Hollow: 29 August 2015

This was a nice 8.2-mile ramble from the Ferry Building to Lyon Street, the eastern boundary of the Presidio, on a cool and foggy Saturday morning.

Click on an image to view the full-size photograph.

Gracious home on Lyon Street at Pacific Avenue. The area behind the home is the eastern boundary of the Presidio.

This building is the location of the former Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. It was built in 1924 and is located at 400 Sansome Street. The building is no longer the location of the Federal Reserve for the Twelfth District in the United States. In 1983 the bank relocated to 101 Market Street, San Francisco. The building is now privately owned. 

A Pacifico beer ad and the Transamerica Pyramid are both reaching for the sky. 

1409-21 Sacramento Street. This attractive structure appears to be a twelve-unit apartment building. The location is Lower Pacific Heights. 

This house is located in Pacific Heights on Pacific Avenue. The cross street is Broderick Street. 

As seen on Pacific Avenue. 

Buena Vista Park is straight ahead. It is the oldest official park in San Francisco; It was established in 1867 as Hill Park and later renamed Buena Vista Park. The park is situated on a hill that peaks at 575 feet. From where I took this picture, there are four peaks visible behind Buena Vista Park... except when the fog is as thick as pea soup! Here they are for the record: Twin Peaks (Noe Peak and Eureka Peak), Mount Davidson, and Mount Sutro. This view is looking southwest. 

Here is a flower shop on Union Street. 

This is a view looking north from Pacific Avenue in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. Angel Island is straight ahead and, a small portion of the Tiburon Peninsula is visible on the left side of this photo. The Marina District is visible along the bay. During the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the part of San Francisco that received the most damage was the Marina District. The Marina District is located on mudflats. When the earthquake occurred on 17 October 1989, the mudflats liquified, and several apartment buildings collapsed, some of which caught on fire with a loss of lives. All of the destroyed buildings have been rebuilt. 

This is the Palace of Fine Arts, as seen from Broadway Street in Pacific Heights. The Palace of Fine Arts only occupied a small portion of the land used by the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This year is the 100th anniversary of the Exposition. Belvedere Island is on the right side of this photograph, and the Tiburon Peninsula is in the background. This view is looking north. 

A view of Telegraph Hill with Coit Tower on the summit, as seen from Union Street in the Russian Hill neighborhood. The view is looking east. 

Here is a view of the Transamerica Pyramid.

The approximate distance traveled was 8.2 miles. The approximate cumulative elevation gain was 992 feet. Click on the image to see the full-size map.

This graph shows the elevation changes encountered during this ramble.  

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"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com.  

San Francisco's North Beach: 24 August 2015

A ramble in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco on a cool and cloudy morning.

This is the iconic and well regarded City Lights Books. It is located on Columbus Avenue; the bookstore was named a San Francisco Designated Landmark in 2001. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

La Boulange was a locally owned french bakery and coffee shop... until 2012 when Starbucks purchase the company for 100 million dollars. In June 2015 Starbucks announced that it will close all 23 retail outlets. What a dreadful decision, 745 people will be out of jobs and a beloved San Francisco coffee house will be gone. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

The Fireman's Memorial statue; it is sited in Washington Square Park, which is  located about 1/4 mile from Telegraph Hill, upon which Coit Tower stands on the summit. The statement on the base of the statue: "To Commemorate The Volunteer Fire Department of San Francisco 1849-1866. Erected 1933 By Bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit." Ms. Hitchcock Coit, who died in 1929, also bequest Coit Tower to San Francisco in 1933. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

The route. The approximate distance traveled was 7.6 miles. The approximate cumulative elevation gain was 603 feet. Click on the image to see the full-size map.

The graph shows the elevation changes encountered during the ramble. Click on the image to see the full-size chart.

“A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.”-Dorothea Lange

You are welcome to visit my primary website  www.mishalov.com