Fog Season at the Golden Gate Bridge

45 years ago Scott MacKensie implored us to wear flowers in our hair when visiting San Francisco. What he should have suggested was to bring a coat.

July is here and Fog Season is upon us. July and August are the 2 months of the year that are the foggiest on record. Each month averages more than 160 hours of fog.

Here is a video that Mike Kepka from the San Francisco Chronicle recorded one day last May. He accurately captured what it is like to work on the bridge in the fog.

Click here to see the original article in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary Fireworks Show

San Francisco radio station KFOG has outdone themselves with a spectacular fireworks show celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Turn up your speakers and enjoy the HD video below. Listen to the crowd during the fog horn duet after Santana – nobody does it as well as KFOG.

Into The Mystic

“When that fog horn blows you know I will be coming home
And when that fog horn whistle blows I got to hear it
I don’t have to fear it…”

—Into The Mystic by Van Morrison, 1970

My last Swing Shift began and ended with fog. Lots and lots of fog. Fog so thick that it was impossible to see the bridge from the Toll Plaza. Fog so thick a person could wave an empty glass in the air and collect enough water to drink. I’m talking about FOG, yo!

That brings us to the subject of Van Morrison and my favorite tune of his: Into The Mystic. The BBC ran a survey and found that this is the tune that most doctors listened to when they were operating on patients. It is my favorite tune when the fog is shrouding the bridge and the fog horns are moaning their song.

I have heard this song many times while the fog horns were on and each time it has synced itself to the lyrics so that when the song mentions the “fog horn” or “whistle blows”, the fog horns sound as if on cue.

Fogbound

Fog Season is coming to the Golden Gate Bridge. If you are visiting the bridge and have this on your mobile device, turn it on and see if the lyrics and the fog horns sync for you.

Please share with us what happens.

Fog City Science

Golden Gate Bridge Fog Horn

It was a foggy day at the bridge today and our “iconic” fog horns were on all shift. Click here for a wonderful explanation of the speed of sound by Shawn Lani of the Exploratorium and a practical way that you can judge a distance in San Francisco by using the sound of the Golden Gate Bridge fog horns.

Listen to Jim Mcknight, Chief Electrician at the Golden Gate Bridge, talk to KCBS about operating the fog horns on the bridge: Golden Gate Bridge Foghorn Operator Enjoys Blasting Signature SF Sound

Click here for a San Francisco Chronicle newspaper article on the fog horns at the bridge.