Where To See the USS Iowa, part 1b

I didn't consider that the Iowa will be towed under the drawbridge on the Union-Pacific rail bridge, and so will be closer to the Martinez side than the Benicia side when it gets to bridges - so the view from Vista Point isn't going to be as good as I thought.

Looking towards the bridges from the Carquinez Strait.  The drawbridge is over on the right, the docking area in Benicia is on the left.

The auto pier (upper right) seen from the bridge.

 If it's too windy to take the kayak out, I may go for the the view from the bridge, and although I'll miss most of the trip from the reserve fleet to the auto pier, I should get a good view of the Iowa from above, and an adequate view of the action west of the bridge.  I'll also freeze my keister off if it's windy.

A view of the auto pier (upper left) from the bridge.

If you are going to be on the Benicia side, take a look at Greg B's page on flickr.com: USS Iowa tow, Day 1 Photo ops.  He's done a better job than I have of scouting out the views from the Solano side of the strait.

If I had to pick one spot on the Contra Costa side to watch from, it would be on one of the tankers at the oil terminals, but that's not going to happen.  And there doesn't seem to be any easy access to the shore from the Martinez marina to Bay Point, even tho some of it is regional park land.  The Solano side is probably the place to be, since the only real choices on the CCC side are the fishing pier at the Martinez marina, and the pedestrian walk on the bridge.

On Friday, when the ship is towed from Benicia to Richmond, the south side of the strait will have lots of better opportunities to watch.  If you have a kayak, launch from the Martinez marina, Port Cost, Eckley, or Lone Tree.  (I think you can also launch from the Crockett marina, but it isn't such a great place for that.)  Without a boat, there's the Carquinez Scenic Drive, the shore at Port Costa, the shore and pier at Eckley, and the hiking trails at the Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline (both west and east of Eckley); and in Crockett there's the east end of Winslow Street, that little park next to Crockett Cogen (altho the view there is getting to be obscured by trees that never get trimmed), the marina and adjacent shore, Vista Point, the parking lot at the Dead Fish, and especially the pedestrian walk on the Al Zampa Bridge.  (There are a couple of other places that I won't tell you about.)

On the Solano side, there's the Benicia waterfront, the Benicia State Recreation Area, the shore at Glen Cove, Vista Point at the north end of the Al Zampa bridge, and the pedestrian walk on the bridge.

Once the Iowa's out of the strait, I don't think there will be any good places (maybe Point Pinole) until the ship gets to Richmond.  Then there's Ferry Point, for instance.  I might list some more if there is any interest.