After heading out of the exercise yard, there’s an awesome view of the bay and the Golden Gate bridge. However, the plummet on every side is somewhat less than reassuring, hence the white knuckles holding the guard rail (the building in the bottom left is very close, and is five stories or so high).

 Heading down from here you get to walk the perimeter, where there are some very nice views of the bay. The piles of rubble down there were the residences of the families of the guards who lived on the island. They took the ferry to school or to shop, and there’s a fair bit of history about them. On the day we went, a woman who was a child during this period was in the process of signing copies and talking about her book that concerned growing up on Alcatraz. Of course, the hippy indians who invaded the island lived in these deserted homes and they managed to burn them down around their ears or ruin them to an extent where they had to be pulled down. Not smart considering the only other shelter on the island is the cellhouse.

 Heading around even more, there’s the outside of the cellblock and exercise yard.

Then round to the Warden’s House. Again, destroyed by hippy indians.

Unless of course the warden liked a breeze in his home and was also an avid indoor gardener.

The Picnic Area. Some areas get shut off to protect the nesting birds. They’re rare and you ain’t allowed anywhere near them.