Ride the West--Day 13 Petaluma to San Francisco

Hello again from the land of the Golden Gate Bridge! We pedaled about 50 miles from Petaluma to San Francisco and what a last day of the ride we had. Since the ride was shorter than normal we had a later load and departure time, so that gave us a chance to catch an extra half hour of sleep and/or breakfast. The early departure riders who move a tad slower left about 7:30 am while Larry, David, Greg and Scott left at 0800 to get to San Francisco in time to attend a Crosby, Stills and Nash concert later tonight. I left with Bill and Dave about 8:30 am. When I walked to breakfast and then when I loaded my bag for departure I couldn't help but notice a ripe aroma in the air. Yes, the clear, unadulterated whiff of cow manure was ever present. We are obviously in the agricultural belt of California and our survey of the country roads in the area confirm what our noses identified.

The ride today was full of .7 miles on Olema and then 2 miles on the bicycle path, then right .8 miles, etc. We meandered from one town to the next with some good country hills thrown in to help us remember that this ride is not for wimps or whiners. Even the absolute easiest day has some ups and downs to get the blood pressure elevated and the wind blowing swiftly in our faces. After climbing out of Petaluma, the California golden mountainside erupted with splendor and then asked us to sweat all the way to the top in 80 degree temperatures. Along the way, a couple of gorgeous horses ambled around their arena and a patchy gray deer skipped across a hillside. I stayed with the late departing group for about 15 minutes and as the hills got steeper, I pulled away and decided that if I put my head down I could likely catch Larry and gang ahead 30 minutes or so. Slowly but surely, I caught Dave the professor and Nancy the librarian assistant, and eventually, I caught Larry, David, Greg and Scott. I then throttled back and enjoyed a winding ride to the SAG stop at San Anselmo. I relaxed and watched countless locals buy their $5 latte from the drive up and had my usual handful of peanuts and a couple bottles of cool water. I decided to ride the remaining 20 miles with Bill Rankin, Bill Bergen and Dave the Pet Supply Store Manager.

The navigation for the ride to the bridge and hotel became quite intense, with us moving on and off bike paths and riding up and down hill and dale. The most interesting jaunt was up Chapman Road, a one lane road that made multiple hairpin turns up the side of a mountain that overlooked the town of Larkspur and Sauselito. The houses were built closely together while embedded in the trees and the setting reminded me of a neighborhood in Italy. And while the conditions for us were close, the drivers and cyclists found a way to mutually coexist without threatening one another or traveling arrogantly in the other's space. Pretty cool to see and experience!

The four of us stopped several times to take photos like the ones displayed above. The splendor and beauty is so widespread around here, it is almost impossible to take a bad picture.

After we glided through Sauselito, a chic, French Rivera-like town, we made the final assault on the Golden Gate Bridge. To get across the bridge, you have to hand carry your bike up and down a couple of steep staircases to ride on the side of the Golden Gate that is most crowded with neophyte bikers and oblivious pedestrians. I'm not sure of the exact strategy of the California Department of Transportation, but I have never seen more clueless mounted and unmounted passersby all in one hazardous place at the same time. I'll forever have a nightmare of a completely unstable mountain bike coming at me with a front mounted carrying bag that says "Blazing Saddles". The driver of said vehicle is watching 1)the bridge itself 2)the large ship moving under the bridge 3) the helicopters and airplanes dropping fire retardant on the fire of a nearby hillside 4) the rear end of their girlfriend or boyfriend on the bike in front of them. Suffice it to say, absolutely ZERO PERCENT are watching any other cyclists or pedestrians. At any one time there are countless Darwin Award nominees (Google it!) on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Nevertheless, all four of us took some great pictures and made it to the bike path on the other side. And although we were a bit unsure of where to go thereafter, we found our hotel, the Comfort Inn, with few wrong turns. The ride was now complete.

Those of us ending our ride here, had our "good-bye rap" while those going down south another week heard of their rest day in SF tomorrow and about Sunday's ride to Santa Cruz. With rap complete, we headed to a great diner for dinner and enjoyed some genuine American cuisine like hamburgers, fried chicken and Portabello mushroom sandwiches. Did I mention this is an eclectic group?

When the meal ended, we all gathered outside the restaurant and exchanged handshakes and hugs, knowing that we'd all be moving in different directions soon. There were smiles all around and promises of future rides and the desire to stay healthy via cycling. And like all good cyclists, we broke from there and headed to the nearby ice cream/chocolate store, Ghiradelli's for some of the greatest treats known to man (and woman).

I hope you enjoyed the ride through beautiful Oregon and magnificent California. I can only smile when I think of pedaling through these classic American experience areas. Stay tuned for the next retirement adventure and twists and turns in the road that make our lives interesting. A special thanks to Mike and Barbara Munk, Karen and Jim for making this a tremendous experience. And lastly, thanks to Arlene, DA, Sara and Adam for indulging me in something I truly love almost as much as I love you.