In all my travels, I’ve never found Angel Island’s equivalent. It rises nearly one thousand feet and commands a 360 degree view of much of the Bay Area including San Francisco’s lovely north face and the Golden Gate Bridge. Vistas, nature and thousands of years of sometimes poignant human history are all protected for everyone to explore. The island is accessible but typically not crowded. It’s a quick escape most Bay Area residents, unfortunately, forget to make. In the winter, I’ve had the island almost entirely to myself. When you watch the video, you’ll see a little kayak journey I took around the island with Bob Licht and his crew from Sea Trek. We had a perfect day. Actually, mine was very good while Bob’s was perfect. We were racing against a tight production schedule, so after kayaking two-thirds of the way around the island, I had to leave the kayak behind, bid farewell to Bob, and motor back to shore to complete one last interview. Bad timing as it turns out. Not more than a minute after I left, a huge humpback whale surfaced right next to Bob. He could almost touch it! That almost never happens in the Bay. Bob was ecstatic. I was jealous. It was a reminder to never abandon a good adventure and to always keep your eyes open on and around Angel Island. It’s a quiet place, but it’s got a lot going on.
