Saturday April 6th was a cold, damp, foggy morning in San Francisco. Shortly after 9 am Model A’s began assembling at the Pacific Rod and Gun Club alongside Lake Merced. The SF Bay Area Chapter was joined by Bill Rose, Kevin Enderby and other members of the Silicon Valley chapter of MARC, members of the Delta A’s, and our very own Tom and Terry Machado also of the Linden A’s. After a running board breakfast we proceeded single file up the Great Highway and into Lincoln Park where we regrouped in front of the Palace of the Legion of Honor. From there we proceeded through Seacliff unfortunately unable to see the spectacular views of the Golden Gate due to the heavy fog and followed Lincoln Boulevard through the Presidio to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Once across the bridge, we immediately exited the highway and entered the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. We drove through the tunnel and wound our way through the Marin Headlands up to Nike Missile Site SF88L high on the coastal hills of Marin County overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Our group of forty plus was met at the missile site entrance by Ranger Al Blank who opened the gate and escorted us in for our private tour of the site. Ranger Al and his group of volunteers took us on a fascinating trip through the history of the tense years of the Cold War and the role this site and almost three hundred others played in maintaining the peace. Our guided tour included an amazing trip down into the underground missile storage area as well as a guided walk through the testing and assembly building and a tour of the radar vans, the fueling area, and missile magazine.

Once our tour was completed, we motored back along the coastal ridge and then drove under highway 101 to downtown Sausalito where we parked our Model A’s and dined at the Poggio Trattoria, an award-winning restaurant that makes you feel like you’re dining in Italy. Judging by comments from member of our tour group, everyone had a wonderful meal which prepared them for a leisurely afternoon of shopping in the stores that line Bridgeway as the fog lifted and the sun began to shine. Then we each found our way safely home, with members of the Silicon Valley MARC chapter driving down Highway 1 and through the new Devil’s Slide Tom Lantos tunnel.