It is always fun to have a different roommate each night. We get to know each other well that way, making for life long friendships. However, my scheduled roommate had decided days earlier, before she knew who her roommate was going to be, to get her own room for the two nights, so I had my own room, too! I have to admit, it was really nice.
After doing laundry and having breakfast buffet in the hotel, I waited for my sister, Lorrie and her husband, Clayton to drive in from Sacramento. When they arrived, we immediately took off in their car to find lunch. It felt so strange to be IN a car! Any way, we went to a restaurant near Fisherman's Wharf, right on the water.
We then set out to drive down Lombard Street. Photos below only show part of it because we could not see the entire winding street at one time as we went down it. I wondered what the homes cost on that part of the street for all that inconvenience! There were a group of tourists on Segways going down the street as we got there. Next time I get to SF, that's what I want to do!
Next stop was Pier 39, a long pier with all sorts of shops and even a carousel. There is even a store that sells things just for 'leftys' like Lorrie. We had fun checking that out!
At the end are floating docks that have been taken over by sea lions. The docks used to be used by small boats, but years ago, the city gave up trying to get rid of them, and let the sea lions have them. They certainly draw a crowd all day!
Lorrie and Clayton's visit was too short, but they needed to get out of the city before rush hour, so we said our good-byes by 3:00 pm
It seems that even though I did not ride today, my metabolism was still cranking as if I had. By 5:00 I was just STARVING! I made a quick run across the street to a Denny's for a very good veggie burger and fries to go, took it back to my room, and watched the presidential debate. After a good-night call to Dave, I went to bed early in preparation for the next day's ride. The route was to take us to Santa Cruz, 85 miles away. It was challenging getting into the city the day before, and I expected to have the same getting out. The van and sag were filled with 16 riders who had the same apprehension. Mike, Liz and I decided we could do it, so we mentally prepared ourselves for a 4,596 feet of climb and 85 miles tomorrow.
