Finally, SF

It is well known that saying goodbye is often difficult. It was the same when we returned our camper. 4 days in San Francisco and 4 weeks of camping are over and after cleaning and refueling we went back to San Leandro to RoadBear.

A few minor damages still had to be repaired. No big deal with tape and twine.

Apparently today was a big return day as there were already 6 other motorhomes in front of us. It still took us a while to finish packing our suitcases and scrape the frozen water out of the freezer.

When we returned we met a family who had just come from Burning Man. They were there for the 8th time and said that the reporting on “the chaos” was absolutely exaggerated. The mud was a little uncomfortable, but it hardly bothered most of the guests and didn't put a damper on the party.

We then took a taxi and train back to Fisherman's Wharf in the north of San Francisco where we rented a room not far from our first hotel. The flight doesn't leave until tomorrow evening - there's still time for strolling and shopping.

We really wanted to see the sea lions again and stroll through Pier39. Along the way we looked at the Musée Mécanique, where slot machines from the last century and a half can be admired and tried out. We were also able to stock up on some nice clothes.

We traveled around 5000 km in California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada - significantly more than expected. We only ever planned for the next few days anyway so as not to restrict ourselves too much. It was stressful at times, but we often saw things that we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

I wasn't aware of how Spanish/Mexican or Asian California is. People often only know “Hollywood California” with its white/black actors or Silicon Valley. In everyday life, California is shaped and kept running by Latinos and Asians.

Unfortunately, the contrast between extreme wealth and misery is also evident, especially in the cities. Homeless people sleep in the middle of San Francisco in the evening in the entrance area of an investment company's office tower. Trailer parks where whole families live in caravans are not a rare sight. Unfortunately, we could even see entire ghetto settlements along some railway lines or under bridges.

All in all, it was an extremely nice, intensive holiday that was worth every cent and every goal. We always felt safe and we experienced the Americans as open-hearted and very accommodating.

PS: the journey home from the front door of the hotel to our front door took almost exactly 24 hours. Tram - Metro - Airplane - Plane - Train - Grandpa Taxi.

We were really happy when we got home.