So, the bike trip is now over, but I want to emphasize what a great trip it was. We had a wonderful group of friends and had an awesome time together biking, cooking, complaining, laughing, making s'mores, and bonding in general.
The abridged final destinations should be no indication of failure but merely a representative example of the whimsical nature of the trip. Each day, we sorta woke up and left whenever, stopped to eat where it seemed good, picked our campsite/hostel when the sun went away, and ate whatever local fare made it in the pot. We even put the ipod speakers on shuffle. In general quite a whimsical ambiance.
Ian and Will are whimsically continuing to bike up the coast towards a unidentified final destination and Mike and I whimsically decided to cut off after Samuel P Taylor Park and hang out in wine country for a week. I guess thats why it was a whimsical west coast cruise.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Day 11: Samuel P Taylor State Park to ???
June 10, 2010
We started out the day with some scrumptious scrambled chocolate chip pancakes. yum right. Quickly, we were heading north next to Tomales Bay which is a massive inlet just north of San Francisco.
Along the way, there were fresh cherry stands, so we stopped and bought a bag to split for lunch The town of Valley Ford was our splitting point and it turned out to have a pretty crummy selection of food. Oh well.
So yes. This was our last lunch together as a group. Ian and Will, with no desire to go home any time soon, knew they wanted to continue indefinitely even if it ultimately meant with an abridged destination, but I dont doubt them! They are gonna go all the way! Mike had decided that we were ready to stop and that although the trip had been fun, it seemed like the right length to stop here.
So, Ian and Will continued North on route 1 to a campground for the night and Mike and I rode inland to Santa Rosa to stay with my cousin Alex in Wine Country for a week.
Distance: 61.09
Total Distance: 599.4
Time: 4:23:46
We started out the day with some scrumptious scrambled chocolate chip pancakes. yum right. Quickly, we were heading north next to Tomales Bay which is a massive inlet just north of San Francisco.
Along the way, there were fresh cherry stands, so we stopped and bought a bag to split for lunch The town of Valley Ford was our splitting point and it turned out to have a pretty crummy selection of food. Oh well.
So yes. This was our last lunch together as a group. Ian and Will, with no desire to go home any time soon, knew they wanted to continue indefinitely even if it ultimately meant with an abridged destination, but I dont doubt them! They are gonna go all the way! Mike had decided that we were ready to stop and that although the trip had been fun, it seemed like the right length to stop here.
So, Ian and Will continued North on route 1 to a campground for the night and Mike and I rode inland to Santa Rosa to stay with my cousin Alex in Wine Country for a week.
Distance: 61.09
Total Distance: 599.4
Time: 4:23:46
Day 10: San Francisco to Samuel P. Taylor State Park
June 9, 2010
After another great breakfast and a quick trip to the post office to mail some post cards, we hit the road and cruised through Fisherman's Wharf towards the Golden Gate Bridge:
Then we got a little footage and some pictures before crossing it:
And again after it:
We then cruised downhill into Sausalito for a very nice lunch. On the road again, we met a crazy Asian dude cyclist who told us that he knew where we were going and we should follow him. Bad idea...
He was using a written set of directions that he had taken from google bike directions and kept referring to it as his manifest in between using the dirtiest language I have heard since watching "The Departed". First we went up into some weird neighborhood and started to climb a one lane driveway before canning that idea. Then we tried another road with him that ended up being about a 1500ft climb (with a great view) but in the wrong direction!!! There were some bad words being said about him as I began filming this video in fact...
So, after climbing all the way up, we went back down the same way and started over again. Later I caught a quick clip of Bon Air road (the name of the town where I am from)
Finally, we made it to the state park just as it was getting dark. Ahh more camping.
Distance: 44.87
Total Distance: 538.3
Time: 3:57:26
After another great breakfast and a quick trip to the post office to mail some post cards, we hit the road and cruised through Fisherman's Wharf towards the Golden Gate Bridge:
Then we got a little footage and some pictures before crossing it:
And again after it:
We then cruised downhill into Sausalito for a very nice lunch. On the road again, we met a crazy Asian dude cyclist who told us that he knew where we were going and we should follow him. Bad idea...
He was using a written set of directions that he had taken from google bike directions and kept referring to it as his manifest in between using the dirtiest language I have heard since watching "The Departed". First we went up into some weird neighborhood and started to climb a one lane driveway before canning that idea. Then we tried another road with him that ended up being about a 1500ft climb (with a great view) but in the wrong direction!!! There were some bad words being said about him as I began filming this video in fact...
So, after climbing all the way up, we went back down the same way and started over again. Later I caught a quick clip of Bon Air road (the name of the town where I am from)
Finally, we made it to the state park just as it was getting dark. Ahh more camping.
Distance: 44.87
Total Distance: 538.3
Time: 3:57:26
Day 9: Rest Day in San Francisco
June 8, 2010
Started out with a morning run through San Francisco; what a unique city. Another perk of the awesome hostel was an all you can eat breakfast. Awesome. After that, we headed straight for the cable car and because it was early, didn't even have to wait! We even got to stand on the side holding on:
Then it got steep:
Later we headed through Fisherman's Wharf, Telegraph Hill, and took the subway to Berkeley where we had pizza lunch and walked around the UC campus while pompously commenting that it was too bad it was only the #2 public university in the Country.
Finally, we were back in San Francisco, and after our great experience at the Chinese restaurant last night, we decided to go for authentic Indian food. It was certainly authentic...and awesome.
And, a quick view of our hostel and the awesome view from the 8th floor.
Distance: 0
Total Distance: 0
Time: 0
Running time: 90min
Started out with a morning run through San Francisco; what a unique city. Another perk of the awesome hostel was an all you can eat breakfast. Awesome. After that, we headed straight for the cable car and because it was early, didn't even have to wait! We even got to stand on the side holding on:
Then it got steep:
Later we headed through Fisherman's Wharf, Telegraph Hill, and took the subway to Berkeley where we had pizza lunch and walked around the UC campus while pompously commenting that it was too bad it was only the #2 public university in the Country.
Finally, we were back in San Francisco, and after our great experience at the Chinese restaurant last night, we decided to go for authentic Indian food. It was certainly authentic...and awesome.
And, a quick view of our hostel and the awesome view from the 8th floor.
Distance: 0
Total Distance: 0
Time: 0
Running time: 90min
Day 8: Pigeon Point Lighthouse to San Francisco
June 7, 2010
We woke up early in the hostel and had the usual loaf of bread with PB&J and got on our bikes in the dark. It was misting rain (actually I think there was just so much moisture in the air that it was condensing all around us), 50 degrees, windy etc. Within 5min we were soaked. We managed to trudge on for 20 miles before rolling into Half Moon Bay fire department. I think I speak for everyone that we were in dire need of a stop, so we headed a little farther into town and the head baker of the Half Moon Bakery came out on the street as we passed and yelled at us to come in. No more convincing was necessary.
We sat in the bakery for about 4 hours and pigged out on muffins and free stuff that the awesome baker kept bringing us. He even took my soaked bike jersey and hung it over the oven so that when he brought it back, not only was it toasty warm, but it smelled strongly of cinnamon rolls--yum.
Later we stopped to gear up for the large climb over Daly City into San Francisco:
And then some footage on the way in:
We rode through the city towards our Hostel (only 1 street off of Market St.) and Will got the second flat of the trip: same tire!
The hostel was an old hotel and was perfect. We were on the 8th floor with a perfect view of the skyline. A quick shower and we went looking for dinner in: CHINATOWN!
Naturally, Will insisted that we find a place where there was nothing in English, and it was worth it. Best Chinese food of my life followed by a stroll through the city:
Great Music at the end of a long day.
Distance: 54.95
Total Distance: 493.4
Time: 4:28:52
We woke up early in the hostel and had the usual loaf of bread with PB&J and got on our bikes in the dark. It was misting rain (actually I think there was just so much moisture in the air that it was condensing all around us), 50 degrees, windy etc. Within 5min we were soaked. We managed to trudge on for 20 miles before rolling into Half Moon Bay fire department. I think I speak for everyone that we were in dire need of a stop, so we headed a little farther into town and the head baker of the Half Moon Bakery came out on the street as we passed and yelled at us to come in. No more convincing was necessary.
We sat in the bakery for about 4 hours and pigged out on muffins and free stuff that the awesome baker kept bringing us. He even took my soaked bike jersey and hung it over the oven so that when he brought it back, not only was it toasty warm, but it smelled strongly of cinnamon rolls--yum.
Later we stopped to gear up for the large climb over Daly City into San Francisco:
And then some footage on the way in:
We rode through the city towards our Hostel (only 1 street off of Market St.) and Will got the second flat of the trip: same tire!
The hostel was an old hotel and was perfect. We were on the 8th floor with a perfect view of the skyline. A quick shower and we went looking for dinner in: CHINATOWN!
Naturally, Will insisted that we find a place where there was nothing in English, and it was worth it. Best Chinese food of my life followed by a stroll through the city:
Great Music at the end of a long day.
Distance: 54.95
Total Distance: 493.4
Time: 4:28:52
Day 7: Carmel to Pigeon Point Lighthouse
June 6, 2010
Refreshed from our day off, we woke up early and made chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes before cruising through Monterey Bay with ease. The bike path was awesome with fog over the dunes and we had knocked out 50miles before noon. There we stopped at a bakery in Santa Cruz as the sun was coming out...you know what that means; the wind came out.
10 miles later we stopped to rethink our day's destination and shortened it to Pigeon Point Lighthouse instead of closer to San Fransisco as we planned which turned out to be a good decision.
Later, we saw a huge crowd of kite surfers; probably 40 of them in one bay zig zaging between each other:
Finally we caught sight of the lighthouse where we would be staying just as the weather was beginning to turn cold, rainy and nasty. (it was already windy).
Thank goodness we were staying inside tonight! It started to mist/rain.
Distance: 80.37
Total Distance: 438.5
Time: 5:32:50
Refreshed from our day off, we woke up early and made chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes before cruising through Monterey Bay with ease. The bike path was awesome with fog over the dunes and we had knocked out 50miles before noon. There we stopped at a bakery in Santa Cruz as the sun was coming out...you know what that means; the wind came out.
10 miles later we stopped to rethink our day's destination and shortened it to Pigeon Point Lighthouse instead of closer to San Fransisco as we planned which turned out to be a good decision.
Later, we saw a huge crowd of kite surfers; probably 40 of them in one bay zig zaging between each other:
Finally we caught sight of the lighthouse where we would be staying just as the weather was beginning to turn cold, rainy and nasty. (it was already windy).
Thank goodness we were staying inside tonight! It started to mist/rain.
Distance: 80.37
Total Distance: 438.5
Time: 5:32:50
Day 6: Rest day in Carmel
June 5, 2010
We had decided last night that after Mike's crash we definitely needed to take a day off, so when I woke up in the morning, I naturally had to head out on a long run. As it turns out, the house was very close to Pebble Beach golf course, and after convincing the guard to let me into the gated community to run, I found the golf course and ran through it. Also coincidental, it turns out, the US open was going to be held there this year and there were USGA officials everywhere getting ready. Who'd have known.
I spent the rest of the morning updating the blog for the first time before we headed out to see Carmel. We dropped Mike off at the Doc in a Box where he ended up needing 3 stitches in his face (ouch) and then taking his bike to the local shop where it needed a serious tuning.
Then we stopped at Carmel's Fishermans Wharf to get lunch:
Then we went to see Monetary Point:
Later, we bought a ton of food for dinner and I took a video of the house since we were so fortunate to be able to stay there:
Finally, after dinner, the Dark Lord (yes that was his name) gave us Harley Davidson shirts from his Monterey Shop. The first souvenirs of the trip!
Distance: 0
Total Distance: 0
Time: 0
Running time: 90min
We had decided last night that after Mike's crash we definitely needed to take a day off, so when I woke up in the morning, I naturally had to head out on a long run. As it turns out, the house was very close to Pebble Beach golf course, and after convincing the guard to let me into the gated community to run, I found the golf course and ran through it. Also coincidental, it turns out, the US open was going to be held there this year and there were USGA officials everywhere getting ready. Who'd have known.
I spent the rest of the morning updating the blog for the first time before we headed out to see Carmel. We dropped Mike off at the Doc in a Box where he ended up needing 3 stitches in his face (ouch) and then taking his bike to the local shop where it needed a serious tuning.
Then we stopped at Carmel's Fishermans Wharf to get lunch:
Then we went to see Monetary Point:
Later, we bought a ton of food for dinner and I took a video of the house since we were so fortunate to be able to stay there:
Finally, after dinner, the Dark Lord (yes that was his name) gave us Harley Davidson shirts from his Monterey Shop. The first souvenirs of the trip!
Distance: 0
Total Distance: 0
Time: 0
Running time: 90min
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