Day 25 - Oakland Stopover - July 7, 2015

Sightseeing in Oakland

I took advantage of my new sleeping pad on the floor of the Amtrak baggage car. I didn't turn over too many times. This points to the fact that it was a good purchase.

Damage

We headed to the dining car for a quick breakfast before getting off the train in Emeryville. Rocco's bicycle box had seen better days. Luckily, nothing was broken or missing from any of our bikes.

Climb out of Suburbia

My good friend Andrew picked us up shortly after we arrived. He was kind enough to offer his place in Oakland as a jumping off point for our adventure. While he met with an overseas client, we explored the immediate area around his home in Oakland. We started by cycling up his neighborhood hill to a dirt road that offered views of the bay. After cycling back down, we checked out the Leona Lodge. I found the construction of this particular building interesting. A large portion of the common area was suspended over the forest with cables. It would be interesting to learn more about the inspiration of the architect in this case. We also rode our bikes to an old observatory on the site of a public alternative school. I liked the contrast between hard science and new graffiti art on the portable walls of the school.

Leona Lodge

Later in the afternoon, Andrew treated us to several unique experiences while we were in his care. I very much enjoyed visiting Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon. This small establishment has been preserved in its original form and has recently been placed on the historic register. We sat at the same table that a young Jack London used for reading. Later, the current owner took her time to speak to us about the history of the place. I've always enjoyed London's work, so her words were of great interest to me.

Visit by the Owner

In the evening, we all barbecued different meats at Andrew's place. I have always been interested in music, so I was happy to listen to Andrew talk about the Beach Boys' album "Pet Sounds" as well as Ween's "The Pod." I am certainly going to give both of these works my time in the future. Later, he played music performed by many lesser known punk bands. To this day, we both continue to enjoy the genre.

Observatory