SAN FRANCISCO —  Officials have moved the beginning of the Olympic torch route about a mile inland and begun the relay in San Francisco away from protesters and media.

The flame vanished from public view for about half an hour after the opening ceremony Wednesday afternoon, before reappearing about a mile from it's expected location.

At the opening ceremony, the first torchbearer took the Olympic flame from a lantern brought to the stage and held it aloft before running into a warehouse. A motorcycle escort departed, but the torchbearer was nowhere in sight.

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The planned six-mile path along the San Francisco Bay waterfront was drastically changed throughout the day. Before moving the route, San Francisco officials announced they would cut the original planned six-mile route nearly in half.