At first, I thought we would just park at the garage very close to pier 41. I heard that parking there was very expensive, but I wanted to try it anyway. The myth turned out to be true: $30 to park per day. I decided to take some time and look around for any place where we could park for free. I found that there was no such thing as free-parking around pier 39. Even the meter said that it operated every day. Luckily though, Steven spotted a big sign that said $8 parking. I went ahead, realizing that we could miss the ferry if we spent more time looking for parking.
The garage was at a junction between Mason St and Beach St. and there was the 'Safeway' sign on the top. It was a good deal. The $8 deal was good for early birds only, and that meant arriving by 9:30 AM and leaving by 6:00 PM. We qualified!
Ferry ride was nice, the view way beautiful. We took turns taking pictures with the view of Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and the San Francisco City.
 Picnic picnic |  At Angel Island looking at the Bay |
We arrived at Angel Island around 10:00 AM. People already lined up to get off the boat. After getting off the boat, right away people scrambled to find a good spot to lay their picnic stuff. But I had different agenda. The first place to visit was 'The Restroom'. Yeah.. and there I saw a map on the wall and a poster with some suggestions of what to do and see. Based on that, I decided to go to Camp Reynolds, where they promised a beautiful view of Golden Gate Bridge, and a nice beach.
It was a nice short hike. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the Camp Reynolds. Father and Mother said that this hike was nothing compare to the hike to Huang San they took with my sister in China.
Several times Dad praised the Lord that for the first time in 53 years, he was given the chance to experience cooking outdoor, having a picnic with a beautiful view of the bay. He also praised the food that Debbie and I prepared, even though it was only an overcooked angel hair, already dried beefballs, and meat.
The day went by very fast. It was already 1:00 PM when we finished eating. We had to catch the 3:00 PM ferry so that we could get home in time and send Debbie to the airport. Two hours of time, but no more things to do. We could hike another route leading to the ferry dock, but we were afraid of the unknown and did not want to miss Debbie's flight.
Just before we left Camp Reynolds, a ranger approached with her mini motorized vehicle. She pleaded for us to stay because she was going to shoot the canon. It turned out to be exciting especially for the kids.
Father seemed to be impressed about finding the lifestyle here, where people actually put some efforts to enjoy lives in the long weekend.
I managed to drop my parents and Steven home before going to the airport. Debbie and I had a good discussion at the airport. I found that she was a sensible woman, easy to talk to, and the conflicts that we had resolved brought the two us closer.
The day was ended with having a close-to-lavish dinner with Paul, Rini, and Fen-fen's family at Kirin Restaurant in Mountain View. I felt grateful that God had allowed my parents feel blessed, respected by a couple that loves Him very much. Father kept saying that it was easy to say nice things, to actually practice love like Ko Paul and Ci Rini was different thing.
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