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.

Bridgemen

“…Who are the high-wire walkers wearing boots and hard hats, earning their living by risking their lives in places where falls are often fatal and where bridges and skyscrapers are looked upon as sepulchers by the families and co-workers of the deceased?…”

—Gay Talese, The Bridge, 1964, preface

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.

138 Days to go until the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge!

The 75th Anniversary celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge is in today’s news. In case you missed it, I have some links to the coverage:

• San Francisco Chronicle
• Marin Independent Journal
• Pressroom: Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary

The celebration will take place over two days, May 26th and 27th. I hope to see you there.