Mike Breiding's Epic Road Trips ~2018~

Tueday - October 9th: A Final Resting Place for Mom

Today was my final day with mom. Today is the day she would stay and I would go.

This final day started out with the drive from Pacifica up to the Great Highway. The plan was to try to find parking at the bus stop for the 5 Ocean Beach which stopped at Fulton and LaPlaya.

When I turned the corner on to Fulton a bus was just pulling away from the stop. Grrr...!
There was plenty of on street parking with no restictions and street cleaning wasn't until Thursday.
I parked and then waited for the bus sharing the stop with two guys who were both having conversations with themselves or someone I couldn't see.
This was going to be an easy trip. I would ride the bus down to Masonic, get off and walk the two blocks to Central Avenue and then down Central two and half blocks to 224.

And here we are - 224 Central Avenue where mom and Dale lived. What a great spot! Close to the bus to get to the beach, a block to the The Panhandle of Golden Gate Park and not far to Buena Vista Park and Corona Heights.

The Happy Couple

At the base of these flowers I left a little bit of mom.
Now it was on to our final stop.

We continue on down Central, crossed the Panhandle and then across busy Fell street. And then the climbing began. Page, Haight, Waller and then Buena Vista View which wraps around the west flank of Buena Vista Park.

We walked slowly up the many timber steps to the top seeing only one person who was on their way down.

The views from up here are amazing. This is looking southest into the Castro and Noe Valley and Bernal Heights Park.
I shared this view with no one. There was not a soul at the top but me. And mom.

Now I finally felt like I could say good-bye to mom.
And again I had the strange feeling this would be my last time here.

I recently heard from my brother Sutton who told me:
"I will never stop missing the best friend I ever had." He sent me this poem.

FINIS ~mb

 

 

 

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