China Basin's Secret Treasure

What I really found on my early-morning visit: some of the sights and scenes in the harbor don't make for a pretty story. Here's the nice part of my original write-up:

"An early-morning visit reveals the peculiar charm of the harbor’s hodgepodge of houseboats, which seem exempt from the building codes most people suffer. Twinkling lights on the surrounding waters lend an unreal sense of isolation to the place, and the gently rocking planks underfoot add to the feeling of fantasy. Alone in the crowd of rigid earthbound freeway overpasses and apartment buildings, the little harbor dwellings that drift with each wave give off a strange sense of permanence that the earthbound structures lack.


Little homey touches lend a sense of the past to the dock. Potted geraniums and barbecue pits are among the many signs of the channel’s lively population. Wind chimes and other ornaments sway and tinkle, catching the light and wind that change with each day. It’s no wonder the population of Mission Bay is on the rise. Channel resident Corinne Woods says most of the area’s 350 children are under the age of five; that’s why a neighborhood group (missionbayfamilies.org) is working on building a playground.

Residents of the houseboat community love their home in spite of the sewage-pumping station that still exists at the head of the channel. They formed the Mission Creek Harbor Association in 1974 in response to a Port official’s illegitimate attempt to evict the residents from their berths. With the help of the local media the residents preserved Mission Creek Harbor’s enduring independent spirit—the hidden jewel of China Basin."



And here's a retrospective thought or two:

Perhaps the spirit of independence thrives on the rich methane and sulphur fumes that drift and mingle on the surface of the water. The odd odor adds to the weird atmosphere of a place where even the laws of nature don't seem to apply... Old paddleboats and an occasional float from a marine parade rest in unoccupied berths.

A strange relationship rarely seen in nature grows between a carnival float and old tugboat

What's more, I found you have to be careful where you lock up your bike around the harbor. I got back to my bike "Mission Bay Visitor Center" just in time to save it from a private security guard who proceeded to give me the third degree, asking for my name and ID and telling me "This is private property," and other BS... It seems there's a lot of private security in China Basin since the police don't go there much. I was still glad I'd left the bike outside the locked dock area, though. Once you go past the gates and down the ramps to the docks, you're "not in Kansas anymore." City and district maps draw their borders at the edge of the waterline and it could be that maritime law applies once you're off dry land.