Zippy knew Doc Gurley had something special in store for him for his last day with her, but he wasn’t sure what. When she woke him and told Zippy the two of them were going to hit the road, he got a bit panicky and wouldn’t come out of his tent. Doc Gurley had to explain that “hitting the road” had nothing to do with trauma, but was a classic California experience – a day driving to see the glorious sights of the Bay Area.
Zippy had his eyes glued to the windshield. Everything was so beautiful. There was water everywhere. He knew there would be bridges, he just never realized how many. What surprised him the most was all the tunnels. You can’t get hardly anywhere without zipping (so to speak) through a tunnel. Don’t go toward the light, Zippy!
But on the other side of the tunnel was another classic Bay Area experience – fog. So what could be so important here?
When the fog cleared, Zippy’s eyes sproinged out on their stalks (well, even more than they normally do). It was (gasp!) the Golden Gate Bridge!
Just like Zippy, the Golden Gate Bridge is more colorful and impressive in real life than it can ever be in photos.
Zippy wanted to take his own picture for his holiday cards. Shoot! – he always forgets and leaves his thumb claw in a corner of the lens.
The underside of the Golden Gate Bridge was what Zippy found the most amazing. Maybe because of all the glorious Zippy-color, criss-crossing back and forth. Or maybe it was the sound of the Pacific Ocean thundering up below. It was a gusting day on the Bridge, so Doc Gurley (who’s very careful about safety with little ones) wouldn’t let Zippy climb on the rail.
But look at the views. What a sight! There’s Angel Island in the distance – a place where Zippy would feel right at home.
Looking a little more to the west, here’s the City of San Francisco in the distance, with Alcatraz in the Bay. Zippy said he really didn’t want to
go somewhere that used lobster traps on people. Doc Gurley tried to explain the difference, but had some trouble saying exactly how. Zippy wouldn’t budge, and the words “Fisherman’s Wharf” only made things worse. So no Alcatraz – at least not this visit.
Here’s Zippy on one of the superb Marin Headlands trails. Cypress and redwoods are everywhere, and Muir Woods was breathtaking.
Zippy didn’t want to come out of the tree to head home.
It was a tired and happy Zippy who dozed off in the back of the car on the way home. Zippy woke up as he was carried tenderly inside and said there was one last thing left for him to say before he heads off to his new mystery destination:
