Hanging out in the Sierra Nevadas, you can't help but hear and think about John Muir. I was going to spend most of the day Wednesday driving to San Francisco, so I decided to stop and get a few more stamps that are John Muir related.
My first stop was his house. It was such a beautiful mansion! The informational video was hilariously awful, but I enjoyed the tour of his house. A sweet older lady showed me around, and we had a nice conversation.
My next stop was not John Muir related, but it was on my way. I stopped at Rosie the Riveter National Monument, which was cool because it is brand new and because it is in the actual shipyards where they built ships for WWII. It was exciting driving through the busy docks. Their informational video was really great, and I learned that, prior to WWII, it was illegal for married women to work in 26 out of 48 states. They showed how the government used propaganda to convince women to work, and how the war helped launch women's and civil rights movements. After the war, surveys showed that 60-83% if women wanted to keep their jobs, but they were almost all laid off. I also learned that my grandma was a Rosie! They used that nickname for all women who went tot work during the war, and my grandma was one of them. She worked in an office at a factory (I think).
My next stop was Muir Woods National Monument. BEAUTIFUL, but so crowded. These woods kind of reminded me of Olympic NP- lush and green and magic. The redwood trees are really amazing.
I looped around and took the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco, then drove through the city to get to my cousin's house in Alameda. I was definitely a little creeped out on the bay bridge... It seemed to go on and on, and I kept picturing a huge earthquake happening, and all of us falling into the water. Sometimes I wish I didn't have such an imagination...
Traffic was insane because of a public transportation strike, so it was such a relief to get to Beth's house. Beth is one of my heroes, and that is not even an exaggeration. She's literally changing the world. Beth, her partner Marci, and her daughter took me out for dinner at one of my very favorite restaurants, Burma Star. I'm not sure how it's possible for Chicago to not have a Burmese restaurant, but they need to get one. The tea leaf salad is the best salad I've ever had.
It felt kind of nice to be in a real bed last night, and it's so great to be spending time with family I don't see often!
My first stop was his house. It was such a beautiful mansion! The informational video was hilariously awful, but I enjoyed the tour of his house. A sweet older lady showed me around, and we had a nice conversation.
My next stop was not John Muir related, but it was on my way. I stopped at Rosie the Riveter National Monument, which was cool because it is brand new and because it is in the actual shipyards where they built ships for WWII. It was exciting driving through the busy docks. Their informational video was really great, and I learned that, prior to WWII, it was illegal for married women to work in 26 out of 48 states. They showed how the government used propaganda to convince women to work, and how the war helped launch women's and civil rights movements. After the war, surveys showed that 60-83% if women wanted to keep their jobs, but they were almost all laid off. I also learned that my grandma was a Rosie! They used that nickname for all women who went tot work during the war, and my grandma was one of them. She worked in an office at a factory (I think).
My next stop was Muir Woods National Monument. BEAUTIFUL, but so crowded. These woods kind of reminded me of Olympic NP- lush and green and magic. The redwood trees are really amazing.
I looped around and took the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco, then drove through the city to get to my cousin's house in Alameda. I was definitely a little creeped out on the bay bridge... It seemed to go on and on, and I kept picturing a huge earthquake happening, and all of us falling into the water. Sometimes I wish I didn't have such an imagination...
Traffic was insane because of a public transportation strike, so it was such a relief to get to Beth's house. Beth is one of my heroes, and that is not even an exaggeration. She's literally changing the world. Beth, her partner Marci, and her daughter took me out for dinner at one of my very favorite restaurants, Burma Star. I'm not sure how it's possible for Chicago to not have a Burmese restaurant, but they need to get one. The tea leaf salad is the best salad I've ever had.
It felt kind of nice to be in a real bed last night, and it's so great to be spending time with family I don't see often!
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