May 17, 2014

modern-day cavemen


click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

The other day while walking down to Kirby Cove I made a slight detour and re-visited Battery Wagner, just slightly off the beaten path with a commanding view overlooking the entrance to the Golden Gate. The Point Bonita area is peppered with the stoic remains of military emplacements, some of which, believe it or not, date back to the Civil War. A shot was never fired.

Of course, modern-day cavemen have chosen the surfaces of these bunkers as their canvases. It is a constant battle for the National Park Service to eradicate the graffiti, but since the mess here at Battery Wagner is mostly out of view of visitors, no cleanup has been done in the area.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

In another area of Point Bonita is a restoration of a Nike-Hercules missile site, which was fully operational until the mid 1970's. These missiles were defenses against the threat of Soviet bombers, and were equipped with nuclear warheads capable of blasting a bomber out of the sky 90 miles out to sea. You can read all about them on a blog post I did in 2009 by clicking here.


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       


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