Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Monday, October 15, 2012 71 miles 3,743 ft of climb

The road out of Bodega Bay was a gradual uphill for 7 miles, which was a nice warm up for the coming hills.  We rode on SR 1 through the towns of Valley Ford, Tomales, Marshall, Point Reyes, Lagunitas and Forest Knolls within the next 40 miles. 

At that point we were able to get on the 3.8 mile Marin Cross Trail bike path.  It was nice to have a quiet path for a while.  We started to get into the city traffic of suburbs of San Francisco, such as Fairfax, Ross, Tiburon, and Sausalito, including a mile climb.  At the top we could oversee the city for miles!

At mile 65 we crossed the majestic Golden Gate Bridge.  It is very different to ride a bike (or walk) across the bridge compared to driving in a car.  The west side sidewalk was closed because of construction, so pedestrians and bikers going both directions had to share the sidewalk meant for one-way sidewalk traffic.  The bridge was surprisingly very windy and cold (we were warned!), but after making climbs all day in (finally) warmer weather, the sudden change was still a contrast!

The last four miles was negotiating the San Francisco city streets.  There is a great bike route and in the city center, a separate lane for bikes.  We followed Bike Route 20 which was marked well with signs as we wound through the city.

After 71 miles, and 3,743 ft of climb, we arrived in San Francisco for two nights.  Since we were not able to eat in the parking lot for dinner, WomanTours provided a wonderful dinner in a separate conference room at the Holiday Inn Fisherman's Wharf where we were staying.

I had an opportunity to meet up for dinner with my son, Jud, who lives in the area.  It was so good to see him!   After that I joined the WT group where we had our map meeting for our next day of riding, as well as celebrating two birthdays!  Marilyn and Nancy K were presented separately with lit birthday candles in a cheese cake while we all sang 'Happy Birthday!'
























2 comments:

  1. Golden Gate Bridge is so beautiful! Would love to ride across it one day; I find crossing big bridges to be quite to experiences.

    So nice to see the pictures of you and Jud!

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    1. Yes, it was fun to spend time with Jud. I don't get to see him often enough! I hope you do get a chance to ride across the GG bridge. It was fun!

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