The body clocks were beginning to adjust to USA time as there weren’t as many of the group awake as early as 6am this morning. The boys made a bigger hole in the “All you care to eat” breakfast than yesterday morning. Jonny McCoubrey had the misfortune of having problems with his timekeeping and received the ceremonial clock after breakfast. His ownership of it didn’t last long as Michael Donaldson tardily arrived as we met to go into San Francisco for the trip to Alcatraz. Mr Irvine was delighted to meet up with his son Michael who has lived in Reno the last number of years. Michael was joined by his two sisters, wife and two children. This was the first time Mr Irvine had met his second grandchild. A little fun was had with a couple of Madame Tussauds promotional workers as the boys decided to stage their own impromptu group serenade and wax work impressions.
It was then off to the island of Alcatraz for a visit to the location of the renowned prison. Opened in 1934 it housed a number of infamous criminals including Al Capone. It is also famed to have had no successful escapes despite a number of attempts. Although three prisoners did escape the prison it is assumed that they never made land. The tour took the form of an audio guide and all of the group were in agreement that it was an informative and sometime poignant tour. It was surreal to stand in locations where some of the most famous moments of history of the prison occurred.
As this was the last time we were in downtown San Francisco we took the opportunity to see the most crooked street in the world- Lombard Street and also the vast Chinatown area. A visit to the Westfield shopping centre was gratefully received by some of the image conscious youth of group. This brought to an end two fantastic days where the boys undertook activities which many will not see or do in their lifetime.
Our attention now turns to the main reason we are on tour as tomorrow sees the first fixtures against NorCal Pelicans. There is a steely determination amongst the players that they will hit the ground running and play the type of rugby that has seen success both this season and in the years preceding. Our 2nd XV are up first at 1100 local time (1900 home time) with 1st XV kicking off at 1230 local time (2030 home time). Score updates will appear on the Down High Rugby Twitter page with full match reports on the blog tomorrow.
It was then off to the island of Alcatraz for a visit to the location of the renowned prison. Opened in 1934 it housed a number of infamous criminals including Al Capone. It is also famed to have had no successful escapes despite a number of attempts. Although three prisoners did escape the prison it is assumed that they never made land. The tour took the form of an audio guide and all of the group were in agreement that it was an informative and sometime poignant tour. It was surreal to stand in locations where some of the most famous moments of history of the prison occurred.
As this was the last time we were in downtown San Francisco we took the opportunity to see the most crooked street in the world- Lombard Street and also the vast Chinatown area. A visit to the Westfield shopping centre was gratefully received by some of the image conscious youth of group. This brought to an end two fantastic days where the boys undertook activities which many will not see or do in their lifetime.
Our attention now turns to the main reason we are on tour as tomorrow sees the first fixtures against NorCal Pelicans. There is a steely determination amongst the players that they will hit the ground running and play the type of rugby that has seen success both this season and in the years preceding. Our 2nd XV are up first at 1100 local time (1900 home time) with 1st XV kicking off at 1230 local time (2030 home time). Score updates will appear on the Down High Rugby Twitter page with full match reports on the blog tomorrow.
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