Seaplane Ride - Sept. 8, 2012

Walking Distance: N/A
Walking Time: N/A - 4 p.m. flight
Parking: Seaplane Adventures parking lot, Mill Valley, CA

Today, to celebration my birthday this week, I took a plane ride. Seaplane Adventures (Mill Valley, CA), in Marin Country (north of Sausalito), was located a few dozen steps from the San Francisco Bay Trail, and I remember passing them on my first walk around the bay thinking this would be a fun thing to do.

Once aloft, I was able to get a bird's eye view of where I'd been walking these past few years around the San Francisco Bay. While I could spot a few stretches of Bay Trail below, this ride was mostly for fun.

And the ride did not disappoint. It was a great, clear, calm day for flying, with very little wind. Our pilot, Glen, taxied the 1955 DeHavilland Beaver seaplane out on the water, and took off headed toward San Francisco. I felt fortunate to sit in the co-pilot's seat with a good view for taking pictures. A newly married couple sat in the backseat of this sturdy plane, which the staff referred to as a real "workhorse."

We flew over the Golden Gate Bridge, and had pretty spectacular views of tiny white sailboat shapes, a few massive cargo ships and their smaller tug boat companions in the water below. On the way out (roughly South), we could see Sausalito, the Tiburon peninsula, Belvedere and Angel Island; the Marin headlands; San Francisco and other city skylines; Fort Mason; and later, Alcatraz Island and the Port of Oakland, and other North Bay landmarks.

Our only restriction was air space over San Francisco due, in part, to a Giants baseball game that was happening today.

Wildlife:
1 sea gull (by San Francisco Bay, before taking off in plane)