| Angel Island |
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As motorcycle destinations go, you can't exactly ride over to this one. Nor can you ride around it on your iron ride. However, you can ride to Tiburon, Vallejo, Oakland, or San Fran. From there, you take a ferry to the island and you've got the place to yourself.
The beauty of the island is only a set amount of ferries come here each day so it is likely once you get here, I doubt it will ever feel crowded. This is a very good thing for those of us who like to get away from it all.
The island is a former Civil War camp. In fact, the island has the largest collection of wooden Civil War structures in the entire United States. Here, in California, on an island, in the middle of San Francisco Bay. And you thought it was somewhere back east near Gettysburg. In 1860, Camp Reynolds became the hub of activity for Union Soldiers. Several other Civil War displays can be found in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area just on the northwest side of the Golden Gate bridge.
During WWII, it was used as a military base for sending young men off to war. At the end of the war, a large 'Welcome' sign greeted returning troops from the Pacific Theater to Fort McDowell. Angel Island was used as the primary processing center for the troops. As many as 40,000 troops a year passed through Angel Island.
There is also a museum on immigration. The island was the hub of activity of incoming Latin & Asian immigrants in the early 1900's. For many, it was the first American soil they set foot on- the West Coast Ellis Island. And some waited years to be let off the island as citizens. The buildings were saved from demolition in the 60's and today are treasured. Poetry scrawled on walls gives a tiny glimpse of the endearment of the Chinese- and remains to this day. During the wars, these same buildings were used to detain German and Japanese-Americans. Remnants of this internment camp are stark reminders while visiting the island.
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