A Golden Gate New Years walk – Travel Photo Mondays

 

How does one spend a new day in a new year without being to cliché? Surprisingly, it didn’t come as a surprise that I had never walked across the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco to greet 2015….and what an amazing morning it has been. Clear and bright blue skies greeted me when I arrived – I was here with a group of runners to run across to he bridge, excepting a few that were walkers. Fortunately, I opted to also walk since I really wanted to enjoy the morning, views and of course take some fun shots of the stunning panorama of the bay and skyline views of San Francisco.

 

 

Morning view of the Golden Gate Bridge

Morning view of the Golden Gate Bridge

 

I’m in awe – the views of the entire bay and city are spectacular this morning, why haven’t I done this before, I wonder? The combination of sunny and blue skies, crisp and clear views of the bay – it really is California lifestyle at its best – an it is New Years day. I’m truly hoping that the year starts off so effortlessly and positively in the right direction and I’m very optimistic about 2015.

I make it through booth spans of the bridge and take some interesting detailed shots that I’ve never noticed before, but having a new camera to play with made it more fun to experiment and capture things different that pop up in front of you and really make an interesting composition. So many interesting details make this a wonderful study, especially all the deco inspired designs.

 

Photo highlights from the Golden Gate Bridge:

 

Original visitors center at the Golden Gate Bridge

Original visitors center at the Golden Gate Bridge

 

 

 

 

Deco details at the Golden Gate Bridge

Deco details at the Golden Gate Bridge

 

 

Fort Point from the Golden Gate Bridge

Fort Point from the Golden Gate Bridge

 

Looking from above down below is Fort Point, one of the oldest and well-preserved forts protecting San Francisco Bay since its creation in 1853 to 1861, during the Gold Rush Era.  The fort had never been under attack and was later converted into military housing, detention barracks and turned into a National historic site and museum in 1970 under the National Parks Service. There are many programs, tours and events at the museum and grounds, you can check the calendar on their main website here for more information.

 

Fort Point and the Golden Gate Bridge

Fort Point and the Golden Gate Bridge

 

 

 

Lamp detail at the Golden Gate Bridge

Lamp detail at the Golden Gate Bridge

 

 

Funny, I’ve never noticed these bright yellow boxes before, but suddenly the color pop made me check the signage and how appropriate,  they are painted in a bright yellow color so you notice it right away. Also, if you are one of those questioning in a moment of hopelessness, there is help available just on the other line – what a fantastic life line this is don’t you think?

 

 

Emergency box at the Golden Gate Bridge

Emergency box at the Golden Gate Bridge

 

 

Cyclists at the Golden Gate Bridge

Cyclists at the Golden Gate Bridge

 

Why the orange-red color you wonder, I had to Google this since I had forgotten the reason for the iconic color of the bridge. The official color of the bridge is ‘International Orange’ after  intensive color studies by the consulting architects, engineers, artists and planners to have the bridge be a distinctive color but yet blend in well with the natural environment of the Golden Gate headlands. They also considered black, grey and aluminum and finally settled to the International Orange hue. Not surprisingly this same color is used for many engineering and aeronautic/Nasa projects to separate them from the landscape.

 

Bronze placard at the Golden Gate Bridge

Bronze placard at the Golden Gate Bridge

 

There is so much recreation and activity buzzing around the bridge and even below. Ocean side is reserved primarily for bikers, while the bay side-walk ways are mostly for walkers and runners.  Far below is an ongoing parade of sail boats, Ocean liners and cargo ships coming and arriving into the busy port of Oakland.

 

Between the railings at the Golden Gate Bridge

Between the railings at the Golden Gate Bridge

 

 

 

Between the railings at the Golden Gate Bridge

Between the railings at the Golden Gate Bridge

 

 

 

 

 

Bronze details at the Golden Gate bridge

Bronze details at the Golden Gate bridge

 

 

Along the coastline on the Marin side of the Golden Gate Bridge is Fort Baker, an area that has been preserved through the park service and remains intact from its charge as a fort built to protect the Marin area and headlands.  Beyond is the small and scenic town of Sausalito – a very picturesque town with a beautiful downtown, great restaurants and stunning views of the Bay Area and San Francisco skyline.

 

Views to Fort Baker at the Golden Gate bridge

Views to Fort Baker at the Golden Gate bridge

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting and reading about my A Golden Gate New Years walk – Travel Photo Mondays. Hopefully it has been a wonderful day for you also, meanwhile I wish you a fantastic and healthy 2015 New Years ahead and thanks for joining me today. Please do check out the other bloggers contributing for Travel Photo Mondays on the links below.

Sharing is caring!