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In the morning we drove through June lake loop. Its a really beautiful panoramic area. Again, it would have been more beautiful in summer. This loop consists of five gorgeous lakes. There was not much activity going though.

Our next destination was Death valley. We reached there in the afternoon and we stayed the night in Stovepipe wells village in death valley.
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On day 03, we wanted to visit Yosemite valley in the morning and then drive up to June lake. We were not planning to do any hikes as it was already winter and the time was limited.

We didn't find any breakfast place near Westgate lodge or on the way to Yosemite valley. So we had breakfast from the food court in Yosemite lodge, inside Yosemite valley. The food was good.

Then we drove around and visited the scenic points like Tunnel view, valley view.


Valley view

Tunnel view

Too bad the glacier point road was closed as it was Winter. I think visiting Yosemite in summer would be the best. It would be more beautiful, more roads would be open and less dangerous too.

Our next destination was June lake. The road goes through the park (120) to the other side of the mountain range was also closed. So we had to take 108. This meant a considerable delay to our trip.

Guess what when we were halfway through 108, we got to know that road also is closed ahead. Then we had to turn back, enter 88 and follow a very long route to June lake. Winter is a really bad time to travel this area.
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Lombard street is a must see location in San Francisco. The hardest thing would be to find parking though. It's a winding little street in a steep ground.

You could get the best view when you are at the bottom of the street but you need to park the car somewhere and come by foot if you need to take a photograph of the street. The street is one way, that's why you can't see it from the bottom while driving.

We didn't wait to find parking as it was getting late. So we could only photograph the view from the top.

Our next destination was Yosemite valley. We left San Francisco around 4pm heading towards Yosemite. As it was start of winter it was dark by 6 pm. When we entered the mountain area, we had to experience mist too. It was too dangerous to drive on those winding narrow roads through the dark and mist. My advice is not to travel that area at night.

It was around 8 pm when we reach our lodge Yosemite Westgate. It was not the best but ok for the price as it is hard to find good hotels for a low price in that area.
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We saw the Alcatraz prison from the cruise. It goes around the island in return trip. I had a strange feeling when I saw this abundant prison. It is situated in a very scenic location, surrounded by waters but people who lived in those small cells were prisoners. Did they have a mind to enjoy the surroundings?

Anyway, there is a tour you can take if you'd like to visit the island and see the prison itself but we didn't have much time. Seeing from the distance was enough for us.
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Golden Gate Bridge is a must see item in San Francisco. Taking the cruise from Pier 39 is is the best way to see the whole panaromic view.

The cruise goes under the bridge and enter the sea from the bay. Then it turns back. We really enjoyed the ride with the breeze and the birds flying over our heads.

Later in the afternoon we drove through the bridge too. It was a nice experience too.

After the cruise ride, we went to Tandoori Mahal Indian restaurant for lunch. The food was good but it was so hard to find parking. After lunch, we headed towards Lombard street.
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It took about 1hr to go to the city from San Ramon. It was around 11 am when we reach Pier 39. Our intention was to take the cruise to see the Golden gate bridge and Alcatraz island.

Fortunately, there wasn't a long queue for the cruise. Probably because it was the Thanksgiving day. So without waiting much we got into the cruise.

We could see lots of sea lions resting when the cruise starts to sail. The cruise is a great way to see the Golden gate bridge and Alcatraz.
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We visited California in Thanksgiving 2016. On day one, we took the flight from Roanoke, VA to San Francisco airport.

It was around 11 pm when we get there and then we drove to San Ramon to stay with our friends there. It was late and we were jet lagged too. So we went to bed after the dinner.

Next day, our plan was to visit San Francisco city and then head towards Yosemite. We spent 5 days in California and this is the map of our trip




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