Visiting Fort Funston

Yesterday (Sunday) was the BF’s birthday, so after a lazy morning at home we decided to go hiking.  We debated going to San Bruno Mountain, but it was really foggy and a little bit windy, which made that a no-go.

Instead, we headed to Fort Funston, which is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  Like many other forts in the Bay Area, this one featured a battery (Battery Davis) where the Army installed HUGE guns to defend the San Francisco coast prior to World War II.  The gun was scrapped years ago, but you can still see the circle where it rotated in the ground and go inside the battery itself.  Very cool.  I’d kind of like to see one of the guns someday, just so I have a better idea of their size!

Even in the fog, we were able to glimpse the cliffs heading down to the beach.  And because the winds were pretty strong, we were able to watch several hang gliders take off from the cliff (in what appeared to be slow motion) and ride the winds off the Fort (which is basically non-stop and forms an upward draft as the moving air hits the ocean cliff).

Fort Funston happens to be one of the few places in the city were dogs are allowed off leash with voice control.  This means that there are a *ton* of friendly dogs running around with their owners nearby– we only saw one other group of people who didn’t have a dog.  Definitely an interesting experience, and recommended if you’re in the area.  Especially if you’d like to be wagged at or want to see dare devil hang gliders!

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