Biking the Golden Gate

We were staying in San Bruno, which is about 5 minutes from the airport.

So we started off by walking to the BART .

My big surprise there was that everybody lined up on the platform. Instead of a crowd of people all jostling to get onto the train when it stopped there was a line. The platform had different colored tiles and that's where the line formed. Washington Metro tells us they can't do that here because they can't guarantee where the train will stop, and the BART trains didn't stop right on the mark, so the line just took a step sideways. All in all it was quite civilized.


Once we knew we were coming to California then we started thinking about -- bike rides!
We'd been there before and rented bikes in Golden Gate park, so it was something we were familiar with. We set biking the bridge and meeting up for lunch in Tiburon as our goal.
This is the map from the rental place. We started at the lower right, cycled through the Presidio, over the bridge the around to Tiburon. We caught the ferry back.




This is the bike rental place on Fisherman's Wharf.









We started off pedaling on Fisherman's Wharf. It was early in the morning so there wasn't too much traffic.






Once we got past Fisherman's Wharf then we were in the Presidio. The waterfront is pretty. This is looking towards the bridge although you can't see it for the fog.








This is one of two big hills. This one was at Fort Meyer. The rental bikes were really nice, but I still wasn't quite sure about switching the gears, particularly the big ones.

So I got stuck and had to walk up before I could start pedaling again!





So we pedaled on. Dan, the 100-mile biker never had an hill problems. I'm smiling so it wasn't all that bad.

One thing I'll say about bike helmets is that they'll give even the best face a double chin.

Note to self: take helmet off before posing for picture!



The approach to the bridge was the other steep place. Luckily I had figured out about the gears and got into "granny" before the really steep part started. No walking this time! The view down to the beach lets you know how steep it was.

There is a little parking area here, and a gift shop for those who are walking across. Normally bikes go to the left and walkers to the right but the bike shop instructed us that everyone was going right so we did. They were doing some painting on the bridge and the side lanes were blocked off to the left.

It takes awhile before you begin to feel the greatness of the bridge. Starting out it was exciting because we were finally there.

It's just so big.

The cars were whizzing by, but our lane was wide and the railing solid. They had a port-a-potty on the bridge for the painters who rode around in little golf carts. You had to look to see the potties, they were also painted orange.

I think painting on the bridge is a job I would not like.








This is a view looking into the bay over towards the Oakland bridge. The fog is hovering over the city. We were really lucky that it had lifted in the morning when we went across the Golden Gate.







This is a view of the bridge later that same day from the beach below. The fog came back, we wouldn't have gotten the great views if we'd biked across in that.

If you look you can see it hovering above the traffic deck.



When we got about half way across we stopped to look out, down and up.

A plaque on the tower says that Pacific Gas & Light pays for the lighting. Somehow we never saw it at night.

PG&E is one of our natural gas reporters. They're big and one of my favorite test cases. I feel a certain kinship with them.




This is closer to the end, you can begin to see the shore.

I wasn't too much on looking down during the ride. When you go across the Bay Bridge in Maryland there are places where the roadway is chain mesh, to avoid icing. I've never walked or biked across that bridge, but I know I wouldn't like that.

This bridge is big, and pretty flat so you don't have that sensation of going up high. Still, I preferred to ride towards the center of the lane, not on the handrail side.



At this point we've reached the Marin county shore, and are looking back.

That fog was just waiting for us to finish our ride before descending on the bridge again!

The brownness of the hills in California always surprises me.







This is the view of Sausalito. It's downhill from the bridge to the little whaling town that looks a bit like a counter-culture hangout with houses hanging off the cliffs.

The ride to Tiburon took us through mud flats and over a freeway, then past the Yoga-doing Moms class. But eventually we made it to lunch where the rest of our family was waiting. That was one great meal.




Then it was to the ferry where we stowed our bikes and sat inside to avoid what had become a windy day.

The weather in San Francisco takes some getting used to. Mornings were usually good, not real hot. But come afternoon then the wind would pick up and it would cool off. Quite a change from your usual DC in July weather.





Once back to the bike rental place we celebrated with a trip next door to Ben & Jerry's.

I'm glad to say that this was the hill we didn't try to ride!