The shock waves from yesterday's walk continue. Our calves are causing the biggest problem. There are groans even now, for example when exiting the Sushi restaurant this evening and walking (downhill) to our hotel. I suggested we criss-cross the street rather like a beginner would ski down a mountain. Jo found walking backwards worked well until she bumped into a cyclist!

Today was a perfect day from an administrative perspective. I asked the girls to be ready to leave Yosemite at 9am - we left early at 8:30. Google suggested that it would take 3 hours 40 minutes to get to San Francisco (SF). I was going to beat that handsomely but then we hit the toll at Bay Bridge. It took us ages to get through that.

The drive to SF was reasonably incident free. Noticeably the (poor)
state of the roads was on a par with London's. Incidentally the Americans do a very nice 'Rest area' on their motorways. In the U.K. a rest area (ie one without services) would be a lay-by which would have room for five cars. Undoubtedly one lorry would take up three of those spaces. There would also be a fifty year old caravan selling 'burgers and tea' which would obviously be closed. Yet bizarrely the bin beside it would be overflowing. The one we stopped at today had plenty of parking spaces, drinking fountains, seating and clean toilets with bins that had recently been emptied.

But I digress. Having reached the manned toll gate at Bay Bridge amazingly we got change from the (Chinese, short sighted) attendant when we thought we gave him the exact money. Either the guy miscounted the thirty coins we gave him. I know thirty coins (making $5) ...wonderful. Or Jo miscounted. I know who my money is on! I wondered what the guy said to his wife when she asked him about his day. Not bad he'd say. Spoke to around 3,000 people, most were very polite. Had a really interesting discussion with one guy about North Korea. Some-one else wanted to know about the geography of the area. Such interaction can be the only reason for job satisfaction and it would explain why it took so long to get through the toll.

Having received our change and discussed 19th century Chinese Impressionist painting, we hot-footed it to SF. We stopped for a road side lunch of Vietnamese spring rolls. Finally we arrived and checked into our hotel at 1:45pm. The timing was important because Ella was swimming at the local pool at 2:30pm when Lane swimming was allowed. She arrived there at 2:15pm. $1 entrance fee - amazing. Isabel and I dropped the rental car off before the 3pm deadline with v little petrol left (as required) and then walked the short way back to the hotel. As I said, everything went like clockwork!

The hotel is in the Fisherman's Wharf area. The place feels like a standard beach resort - full of fish restaurants, arcades and tacky touristy stuff. At the restaurant this evening, Ella swooned as she ate some very fresh Salmon and exclaimed that she would choose it as her last meal, Isabel said she would like Chinese, Jo thought a decent salad, I went for Thai and we think Sam would go for a large steak!

Top tip - keep a low profile when three women are having an argument. Can't say any more. Just remember the tip!