I could not believe the number of seagulls that we saw on Alcatraz. I got to the point where I was looking at a pair and thought that they had to be plastic because they weren’t blinking and were standing perfectly still, and then without any notice they few off to the water. I suppose with Alcatraz being an island they are surrounded by water which must be plentiful with small fish.
alcatraz
Guard Tower
This is a picture of one of the guard towers at Alcatraz. I can imagine with that many prisoners on the island that they would spend hours in the tower looking over the bay and at the prison which they over looked. The wind was very strong whilst we were visiting which took the temperature down several degrees. It would be very cold in the winter with the breeze through the bay.
Escaping the island
The Alcatraz prison is high above the water on the island and there is a long winding path down to the water and the ferry. The island is now part of the Angel Island State park which you can see behind us in the distance.
San Francisco
The view from Alcatraz is great. If you look to the southwest from Alcatraz then you see the entire city with the marina district in the foreground, the famous streets and skyline behind.
Lighthouse
It is a necessity for Alcatraz island to have a lighthouse due to the location in the bay. The lighthouse is still functioning. If the island didn’t have a lighthouse then any of the large cargo vessels or cruise ships which navigate the bay might veer straight into the island. The lighthouse is also an important part of the skyline of the island. The tshirts all feature the lighthouse in some way.
Gale Force Wind
The wind on Alcatraz was very strong. We were standing directly next to the main prison building and the wind felt like it was gale force. I was having problems standing up straight and thought I was going to fly away. If I had a kite then I would have flown away and would have next been seen in the east bay.