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Cycling For A Cause - Alaska to Panama by Bike
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Day 43 ? From Costal Cliffs to Rolling Meadows - 127.38 km
Last night?s sleep wasn?t terrible by any means, but it wasn?t exactly as relaxing as I had hoped. The sharp winds from the ocean made it seem like my tent was situated within a wind tunnel. But no worries, I still managed to get enough rest to be up on my feet this morning, and that?s all that matters.
So far the coast of California has been much rockier than that of Oregon. Additionally, there are much taller rock cliffs which seem to just plummet into the water. It?s quite interesting riding your bicycle on a road where there is a 200 foot drop to the ocean just beyond the turn and no safety barrier. Kind of makes you think twice before taking that turn at top speed! Talk about a bad place for your brakes to fail.
Today?s road was not very interesting, luckily my iPod managed to saved me from boredom. The road hugged the coast for awhile where at times the wind would help me along by pushing me, while at others hinder me by pushing me back. There were a few decent climbs which I was not expecting, but I somehow managed to crawl up them. Afterwards the road pushed slightly inland where it passed through some flatter terrain. The rolling meadows were a nice change of scenery from the towering Redwoods as well as the rocky coast.
I must say that there are some interesting people here in California. Today in the morning while buying milk I saw a guy who looked exactly like the mad doctor from the ?Back to the Future? movies. I so wish I could have gotten a picture, but he too looked a little crazy so I didn?t want to risk it.
I did however manage to shatter my previous top speed today. While on a downhill today I reached a speed of 78 km/h. So what if it was only for about two seconds, it was still fast! The wind is really nice when it?s at your back, not so when it?s hitting you from the front!
Currently I am camped at the Guala Point Regional Park campground. I am starting to feel the effects of the ridiculously high prices of southern California; today I paid a staggering $5 for a campsite as opposed to the regular $3 or $4! I only have 114 miles to go to get to San Francisco, so the next two days shouldn?t be too bad. I will be taking a day off in San Francisco to see the city, I figure I will have earned a break after 45 days!
Remember to check out my website for pictures!
Last night?s sleep wasn?t terrible by any means, but it wasn?t exactly as relaxing as I had hoped. The sharp winds from the ocean made it seem like my tent was situated within a wind tunnel. But no worries, I still managed to get enough rest to be up on my feet this morning, and that?s all that matters.
So far the coast of California has been much rockier than that of Oregon. Additionally, there are much taller rock cliffs which seem to just plummet into the water. It?s quite interesting riding your bicycle on a road where there is a 200 foot drop to the ocean just beyond the turn and no safety barrier. Kind of makes you think twice before taking that turn at top speed! Talk about a bad place for your brakes to fail.
Today?s road was not very interesting, luckily my iPod managed to saved me from boredom. The road hugged the coast for awhile where at times the wind would help me along by pushing me, while at others hinder me by pushing me back. There were a few decent climbs which I was not expecting, but I somehow managed to crawl up them. Afterwards the road pushed slightly inland where it passed through some flatter terrain. The rolling meadows were a nice change of scenery from the towering Redwoods as well as the rocky coast.
I must say that there are some interesting people here in California. Today in the morning while buying milk I saw a guy who looked exactly like the mad doctor from the ?Back to the Future? movies. I so wish I could have gotten a picture, but he too looked a little crazy so I didn?t want to risk it.
I did however manage to shatter my previous top speed today. While on a downhill today I reached a speed of 78 km/h. So what if it was only for about two seconds, it was still fast! The wind is really nice when it?s at your back, not so when it?s hitting you from the front!
Currently I am camped at the Guala Point Regional Park campground. I am starting to feel the effects of the ridiculously high prices of southern California; today I paid a staggering $5 for a campsite as opposed to the regular $3 or $4! I only have 114 miles to go to get to San Francisco, so the next two days shouldn?t be too bad. I will be taking a day off in San Francisco to see the city, I figure I will have earned a break after 45 days!
Remember to check out my website for pictures!
Day 44 ? The Road is Long and Winding - 137.65 km
Today in the morning, as you may recall from yesterday, I started off from the seriously overpriced (although very nice) Guala Point campground. I set off southwards once again. I stopped at a corner store to pick up my obligatory half box of cereal and one quart of milk for breakfast, then once again moved on.
I came upon a historical site called ?Fort Ross?. It turns out that this fort was constructed by Russian settlers back in the 1800s as a base for their trading operations here in America. I had no idea that the Russians ever had a settlement here in America! The fort turned out to be awesome and a very worthwhile side trip. I got a bunch of great pictures there and a nice little break from cycling.
After Fort Ross I traveled over what seemed an endless cycle of ups and downs. Eventually I made it to the town of Bodega Bay. I occasionally use this list called the ?Warm Showers List?. It is basically a list of people you can call to ask if you can spend the night at their house. It is exclusively by cyclists for cyclists. When I was checking this list out earlier I recalled that there was someone on it from Bodega Bay, and that they also owned a candy store in town. I figured I might as well drop in and say hello!
I walked into ?Candy & Kites? and was right away asked where I was traveling from. I told them all the details and asked if they were in fact the people from the list. They were delighted that I had dropped by and even gave me a bag full of free salt water taffy! At this point I was kind of regretting that I had to push on! I tell you, some of the best salt water taffy on the coast; if you?re ever in these parts be sure to drop by here and try some!
From Bodega Bay the route pushes inward, becoming much hillier and hotter. In order to prepare myself for this tougher section of the road I bought a pound of delicious California cherries by the side of the road, which I snacked on while riding. The inland section proved to be much harder than I had supposed, and for all the wrong reasons! The road was indeed very hilly, but I wasn?t expecting was the very strong headwinds that I had the battle. Additionally, as opposed to being hotter it actually proved to be much colder since it was windy and cloudy. No matter, those two things were trivial, what really killed me was allergies.
I have a terrible allergy when it comes to pollen. It makes me sneeze like crazy and it makes my eyes burn so bad that I wish I could gouge them out with my fingernails. Luckily my mom packed eye drops into my first aid kit, which provided at least some degree of relief, otherwise I would have gone crazy! You can throw gale winds and mountains that reach into the clouds at me, but when you toss microscopic sized pollen particles at me I will fall to my knees in pain and suffering.
Much pain and suffering later, I made it to the Samuel P. Taylor State Park, where I paid a very modest $3 for camping. From here I only have about 25 miles to San Francisco, so it should be a really nice and easy day tomorrow. On a side note, today I almost had a heart attack as my laptop didn?t work! I powered it on but it stayed frozen at the boot screen. I am typing this journal a day later, you will find out how my laptop dilemma was fixed in my next entry!
Today in the morning, as you may recall from yesterday, I started off from the seriously overpriced (although very nice) Guala Point campground. I set off southwards once again. I stopped at a corner store to pick up my obligatory half box of cereal and one quart of milk for breakfast, then once again moved on.
I came upon a historical site called ?Fort Ross?. It turns out that this fort was constructed by Russian settlers back in the 1800s as a base for their trading operations here in America. I had no idea that the Russians ever had a settlement here in America! The fort turned out to be awesome and a very worthwhile side trip. I got a bunch of great pictures there and a nice little break from cycling.
After Fort Ross I traveled over what seemed an endless cycle of ups and downs. Eventually I made it to the town of Bodega Bay. I occasionally use this list called the ?Warm Showers List?. It is basically a list of people you can call to ask if you can spend the night at their house. It is exclusively by cyclists for cyclists. When I was checking this list out earlier I recalled that there was someone on it from Bodega Bay, and that they also owned a candy store in town. I figured I might as well drop in and say hello!
I walked into ?Candy & Kites? and was right away asked where I was traveling from. I told them all the details and asked if they were in fact the people from the list. They were delighted that I had dropped by and even gave me a bag full of free salt water taffy! At this point I was kind of regretting that I had to push on! I tell you, some of the best salt water taffy on the coast; if you?re ever in these parts be sure to drop by here and try some!
From Bodega Bay the route pushes inward, becoming much hillier and hotter. In order to prepare myself for this tougher section of the road I bought a pound of delicious California cherries by the side of the road, which I snacked on while riding. The inland section proved to be much harder than I had supposed, and for all the wrong reasons! The road was indeed very hilly, but I wasn?t expecting was the very strong headwinds that I had the battle. Additionally, as opposed to being hotter it actually proved to be much colder since it was windy and cloudy. No matter, those two things were trivial, what really killed me was allergies.
I have a terrible allergy when it comes to pollen. It makes me sneeze like crazy and it makes my eyes burn so bad that I wish I could gouge them out with my fingernails. Luckily my mom packed eye drops into my first aid kit, which provided at least some degree of relief, otherwise I would have gone crazy! You can throw gale winds and mountains that reach into the clouds at me, but when you toss microscopic sized pollen particles at me I will fall to my knees in pain and suffering.
Much pain and suffering later, I made it to the Samuel P. Taylor State Park, where I paid a very modest $3 for camping. From here I only have about 25 miles to San Francisco, so it should be a really nice and easy day tomorrow. On a side note, today I almost had a heart attack as my laptop didn?t work! I powered it on but it stayed frozen at the boot screen. I am typing this journal a day later, you will find out how my laptop dilemma was fixed in my next entry!
GalvanizedYankee
Diamond Member
Great pics, fantastic read. Thank you! Donation will be done.
Bodega Bay used to rule...Then they put a Worst Western Hotel in town. Yuk!
If you have time, check out what remains of the big gun battery at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. It's the last turn-off before you must get on the bridge. Bit of a climb though. Last active was prolly 1946.
A friend of mine rode centuries and they all installed a thin hard wire that was curved to just touch the front tread. It was suspended on two other bits of wire all looped together. This would flick out glass and small nails before the front tire threw it at the rear tire. Most bike and motorcycle flats are on the rear. 😉
I know money has to be tight but do consider http://schwalbetires.com/ I bet you even money, if you had contacted them a month before this ride, they would have sponsered you tires, tubes and a foldable spare. Great outfit.
Looking forward to your further adventures.
Bodega Bay used to rule...Then they put a Worst Western Hotel in town. Yuk!
If you have time, check out what remains of the big gun battery at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. It's the last turn-off before you must get on the bridge. Bit of a climb though. Last active was prolly 1946.
A friend of mine rode centuries and they all installed a thin hard wire that was curved to just touch the front tread. It was suspended on two other bits of wire all looped together. This would flick out glass and small nails before the front tire threw it at the rear tire. Most bike and motorcycle flats are on the rear. 😉
I know money has to be tight but do consider http://schwalbetires.com/ I bet you even money, if you had contacted them a month before this ride, they would have sponsered you tires, tubes and a foldable spare. Great outfit.
Looking forward to your further adventures.
I'll be sure to check out that battery tommorow
As for my tires, I do use Schwalbe tires 😉
I use the Marathon Supremes, which are great, but after 6000 km they too get a little worn out and cut up 😛
I actually did contact Schwalbe before my trip and they gave me a discount on my tires 😉
Day 45 ? Over The Golden Gate ? 55.87 km
I purposely caught up on miles the last few days so that today could be a nice and relaxing day into San Francisco. Luckily it proved to be a short day mileage wise, because it was the most confusing day of cycling I have ever endured. Today was a day full of twists and turns, side roads and alley ways.
The first ten miles or so out of the campground were fairly straightforward, following only one road through some rolling fields. At this point I am keeping an eye out for one of those things: a library or a computer shop. As you may recall from yesterday, my laptop was non-operational. This was really bad since I had to get in touch online with the person I would be couch surfing with in order to get their exact address. At this point I was heading into San Francisco but no idea where exactly!
Soon afterwards started the suburban sprawl and what seemed to be an endless city. The route took a combination of residential roads, bicycle paths, alley ways, and even major roads. Nearly the whole time I had my trusty guidebook in hand to make sure I didn?t miss a turn somewhere. I stopped at a gas station in order to pick up two maps; one of the county that I was in currently and one of San Francisco. I have found out on this trip that it is a very bad idea to visit any large city without a decent map. It is well worthwhile to spend a few bucks on a map but to save yourself a lot of headaches!
I managed to hunt down a library, where I was graciously allowed to use one of their computers to access the internet. I marked down the locations of several computer shops on my map as well as the address of the person I would be staying with tonight. I headed off to the computer shop, which I managed to find without great difficulty. I bring my laptop inside and power it up in order to show the guy what?s wrong with it. I was absolutely dumbfounded when it worked perfectly fine. I had tried it at least ten times the night before and it did not work once, but now it was working just fine. I swear, the guy in that computer shop must have thought that I was crazy or something.
With my laptop miraculously fixed I finally headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco. The bridge really is quite the sight to behold; truly beautiful indeed. What the pictures do not show is the absolutely chaotic headwinds on that bridge. These winds literally rivaled gale wind speeds. You had to be careful not to be blown off your bicycle! The view from the bridge was phenomenal. What I found kind of funny was that there were telephones along the side of the bridge which were advertised as having two uses: emergency phone and crisis counseling.
I bicycled a little around San Francisco and then took a nice long break in a coffee shop. The streets and buildings here have a really unique feel to themselves. It?s also kind of interesting to see all these power lines running overhead. The city is very hilly, which makes it both beautiful and challenging for bicycling in. I also checked out a park here called Golden Gate Park, which proved to be a very beautiful park where I got a few really nice pictures.
My couch surfing host, Daniel, gave me a call in order to give me directions on how exactly to get to his house from where I was. He told me that there was a pretty steep hill in order to get there, and he sure wasn?t kidding. It?s a good thing I had been trained on those 14% grades over in British Columbia, or I would be absolutely dying here! I managed to find the house without too many difficulties and was then treated to an absolutely awesome stir fry dinner with tofu. There is nothing better than a great meal after a day of cycling!
Daniel marked a bunch of points of interest on my map which I will visit tomorrow. I have decided it will be much easier to visit the city by bicycle rather than by foot or bus. I mean, it?s just so much quicker and more convenient to travel by bicycle. So much for a day of rest!
I purposely caught up on miles the last few days so that today could be a nice and relaxing day into San Francisco. Luckily it proved to be a short day mileage wise, because it was the most confusing day of cycling I have ever endured. Today was a day full of twists and turns, side roads and alley ways.
The first ten miles or so out of the campground were fairly straightforward, following only one road through some rolling fields. At this point I am keeping an eye out for one of those things: a library or a computer shop. As you may recall from yesterday, my laptop was non-operational. This was really bad since I had to get in touch online with the person I would be couch surfing with in order to get their exact address. At this point I was heading into San Francisco but no idea where exactly!
Soon afterwards started the suburban sprawl and what seemed to be an endless city. The route took a combination of residential roads, bicycle paths, alley ways, and even major roads. Nearly the whole time I had my trusty guidebook in hand to make sure I didn?t miss a turn somewhere. I stopped at a gas station in order to pick up two maps; one of the county that I was in currently and one of San Francisco. I have found out on this trip that it is a very bad idea to visit any large city without a decent map. It is well worthwhile to spend a few bucks on a map but to save yourself a lot of headaches!
I managed to hunt down a library, where I was graciously allowed to use one of their computers to access the internet. I marked down the locations of several computer shops on my map as well as the address of the person I would be staying with tonight. I headed off to the computer shop, which I managed to find without great difficulty. I bring my laptop inside and power it up in order to show the guy what?s wrong with it. I was absolutely dumbfounded when it worked perfectly fine. I had tried it at least ten times the night before and it did not work once, but now it was working just fine. I swear, the guy in that computer shop must have thought that I was crazy or something.
With my laptop miraculously fixed I finally headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco. The bridge really is quite the sight to behold; truly beautiful indeed. What the pictures do not show is the absolutely chaotic headwinds on that bridge. These winds literally rivaled gale wind speeds. You had to be careful not to be blown off your bicycle! The view from the bridge was phenomenal. What I found kind of funny was that there were telephones along the side of the bridge which were advertised as having two uses: emergency phone and crisis counseling.
I bicycled a little around San Francisco and then took a nice long break in a coffee shop. The streets and buildings here have a really unique feel to themselves. It?s also kind of interesting to see all these power lines running overhead. The city is very hilly, which makes it both beautiful and challenging for bicycling in. I also checked out a park here called Golden Gate Park, which proved to be a very beautiful park where I got a few really nice pictures.
My couch surfing host, Daniel, gave me a call in order to give me directions on how exactly to get to his house from where I was. He told me that there was a pretty steep hill in order to get there, and he sure wasn?t kidding. It?s a good thing I had been trained on those 14% grades over in British Columbia, or I would be absolutely dying here! I managed to find the house without too many difficulties and was then treated to an absolutely awesome stir fry dinner with tofu. There is nothing better than a great meal after a day of cycling!
Daniel marked a bunch of points of interest on my map which I will visit tomorrow. I have decided it will be much easier to visit the city by bicycle rather than by foot or bus. I mean, it?s just so much quicker and more convenient to travel by bicycle. So much for a day of rest!
Day 46 ? San Francisco ? 0.00 km
I know, I know, today?s title isn?t the most creative thing in the world, but it?s the best I could come up with. Although officially I didn?t do any mileage for my trip today, I did bicycle all around San Francisco. I assure you, even without all my baggage this was no easy feet. The hills I have encountered here are the steepest I have encountered on my whole trip, even those in British Columbia cannot compare.
The day started off with me heading out to a place called ?Twin Peaks?. This is quite simply a large hill (with two peaks of course) from which you can catch a really great view of the city. From here I made my way down a busy road called Market St. and then turned off to a well known park called Mission Dolores Park. I decided I had enough of viewing the city from above and that it was time to dive straight into it. I first visited the city hall, which is an absolutely amazing building. It is quite possibly even more beautiful than the state capitol building.
I was lucky that I was visiting the city on a Sunday. There was less traffic than usual and there were a bunch of other interesting activities going on. I managed to visit three separate festivals as well as a farmers market today. It?s always nice to kick back, eat a little junk food, and listen to some live music!
Next I headed down to the coast, where I followed King St. all along the piers here in San Francisco. This area is simply stunning. The road parallels the bay, palm trees line the road, and countless interesting artworks and buildings line the road. Unfortunately, this also means that the area is filled with swarms of tourists. Normally I have to weave between cars in traffic, but today I was simply weaving between pedestrians.
Deciding that a break was in order I headed to my second favorite store after Tim Hortons, Starbucks. I absolutely adore their iced frappuchinos, however I despise their price tag. Nevertheless I decided to try the orange crème frappuchino today, which was deliciously refreshing.
Once again energized I moved along the piers. The piers are filled with countless restaurants, cafes, as well as other tourist attractions. Pier 39 is especially famous, and likewise very crowded. I tried to get in there with my bicycle, but there was simply no way to navigate. I will return there tomorrow on foot!
From the piers I climbed a fatally steep hill. It was bad, seriously. People who were walking on the side of the road were actually cheering me on as I struggled upwards. It was honestly the steepest hill I have ever climbed up. Had I stopped pedaling I probably would have started rolling backwards! At the top of this hill I headed down a famous section of a street called Lombard. This section of the street is so steep that it has a series of tight switchbacks just so that it?s possible to drive down. The road is so steep that there are stairs on the sides of the road for people to walk up. Let?s say that it was quite an interesting experience biking down that!
Next I visited a famous hill called ?Telegraph Hill?. Once again another climb, but I was rewarded with a great view of the city. Apart from the Coit Tower on top of the hill, Telegraph Hill is also famous for its? population of wild parrots, which are descended from escaped or released pets. It?s not everyday that you see hundreds of wild parrots in the middle of a bustling city!
My next stop of the day was in Chinatown. If there are two things I absolutely love its bubble tea and Chinese food, so of course I managed to hunt down both of those here. If you have never tried bubble tea before you absolutely must try it. It is most commonly served as an iced beverage with a choice of a variety of flavors and contains these little black jelly balls called tapioca on the bottom. Although it may look kind of funny, it is mouthwateringly amazing. The Chinatown here in San Francisco was truly neat, it made me feel just as if I were back in Shanghai again.
From here I visited several more city parks which had a variety of other interesting buildings ranging from a windmill to a palace. After a long day of exploring I made my way back to where I was stay with my host Daniel for the night. An awesome guy who not only put me up for a few nights in San Francisco, but also helped me out tremendously by giving me tons of recommendations on what to see in the city and how to go about doing it. If you?re reading this, thanks again!
All in all today was not exactly a relaxing day, but it was a day in which I saw a great deal of interesting things. My legs are sore and I?m sure that my brakes feel the same pain. Tomorrow I will be taking a ferry out to Alcatraz at 1 PM, where I have a private tour scheduled thanks to Raybo from BikeForums.Net. I will be taking the subway downtown as I cannot bring my bicycle with me to Alcatraz. Afterwards I will push on south out of San Francisco to a campground not too far away. It should be another nice day!
Be sure to check out the album on my website for a bunch of photos!
I know, I know, today?s title isn?t the most creative thing in the world, but it?s the best I could come up with. Although officially I didn?t do any mileage for my trip today, I did bicycle all around San Francisco. I assure you, even without all my baggage this was no easy feet. The hills I have encountered here are the steepest I have encountered on my whole trip, even those in British Columbia cannot compare.
The day started off with me heading out to a place called ?Twin Peaks?. This is quite simply a large hill (with two peaks of course) from which you can catch a really great view of the city. From here I made my way down a busy road called Market St. and then turned off to a well known park called Mission Dolores Park. I decided I had enough of viewing the city from above and that it was time to dive straight into it. I first visited the city hall, which is an absolutely amazing building. It is quite possibly even more beautiful than the state capitol building.
I was lucky that I was visiting the city on a Sunday. There was less traffic than usual and there were a bunch of other interesting activities going on. I managed to visit three separate festivals as well as a farmers market today. It?s always nice to kick back, eat a little junk food, and listen to some live music!
Next I headed down to the coast, where I followed King St. all along the piers here in San Francisco. This area is simply stunning. The road parallels the bay, palm trees line the road, and countless interesting artworks and buildings line the road. Unfortunately, this also means that the area is filled with swarms of tourists. Normally I have to weave between cars in traffic, but today I was simply weaving between pedestrians.
Deciding that a break was in order I headed to my second favorite store after Tim Hortons, Starbucks. I absolutely adore their iced frappuchinos, however I despise their price tag. Nevertheless I decided to try the orange crème frappuchino today, which was deliciously refreshing.
Once again energized I moved along the piers. The piers are filled with countless restaurants, cafes, as well as other tourist attractions. Pier 39 is especially famous, and likewise very crowded. I tried to get in there with my bicycle, but there was simply no way to navigate. I will return there tomorrow on foot!
From the piers I climbed a fatally steep hill. It was bad, seriously. People who were walking on the side of the road were actually cheering me on as I struggled upwards. It was honestly the steepest hill I have ever climbed up. Had I stopped pedaling I probably would have started rolling backwards! At the top of this hill I headed down a famous section of a street called Lombard. This section of the street is so steep that it has a series of tight switchbacks just so that it?s possible to drive down. The road is so steep that there are stairs on the sides of the road for people to walk up. Let?s say that it was quite an interesting experience biking down that!
Next I visited a famous hill called ?Telegraph Hill?. Once again another climb, but I was rewarded with a great view of the city. Apart from the Coit Tower on top of the hill, Telegraph Hill is also famous for its? population of wild parrots, which are descended from escaped or released pets. It?s not everyday that you see hundreds of wild parrots in the middle of a bustling city!
My next stop of the day was in Chinatown. If there are two things I absolutely love its bubble tea and Chinese food, so of course I managed to hunt down both of those here. If you have never tried bubble tea before you absolutely must try it. It is most commonly served as an iced beverage with a choice of a variety of flavors and contains these little black jelly balls called tapioca on the bottom. Although it may look kind of funny, it is mouthwateringly amazing. The Chinatown here in San Francisco was truly neat, it made me feel just as if I were back in Shanghai again.
From here I visited several more city parks which had a variety of other interesting buildings ranging from a windmill to a palace. After a long day of exploring I made my way back to where I was stay with my host Daniel for the night. An awesome guy who not only put me up for a few nights in San Francisco, but also helped me out tremendously by giving me tons of recommendations on what to see in the city and how to go about doing it. If you?re reading this, thanks again!
All in all today was not exactly a relaxing day, but it was a day in which I saw a great deal of interesting things. My legs are sore and I?m sure that my brakes feel the same pain. Tomorrow I will be taking a ferry out to Alcatraz at 1 PM, where I have a private tour scheduled thanks to Raybo from BikeForums.Net. I will be taking the subway downtown as I cannot bring my bicycle with me to Alcatraz. Afterwards I will push on south out of San Francisco to a campground not too far away. It should be another nice day!
Be sure to check out the album on my website for a bunch of photos!
ViviTheMage
Lifer
man, san fran was great when i was there a few years back.
I am glad you get a day or two off while in san fran.
I am glad you get a day or two off while in san fran.
ravana
Platinum Member
Whenever I read this thread I wish you would bike faster and post more :laugh:
Great going though! You were wise to take the time off in SF.
What are you gonna do with your bike when you fly back?
(I am not sure what happens....auction it off or dismantle it, pack it and send it home??) 😕
Great going though! You were wise to take the time off in SF.
What are you gonna do with your bike when you fly back?
(I am not sure what happens....auction it off or dismantle it, pack it and send it home??) 😕
Day 47 ? Alcatraz and Onwards ? 61.16 km
I decided that a trip to San Francisco would not be complete if I did not go visit the infamous island of Alcatraz. I was thinking of going to see this on Sunday, but Ray from over at bikeforums.net volunteered to take me on a private tour on Monday. How could I turn an offer like that down?
Since no bicycles are allowed on the ferry or the island I had to resort to my second best mode of transportation, my feet. I tell you, I felt crippled without my bicycle. This walking thing is so inefficient! No matter. I headed off to the subway station in order to catch the subway to the main station downtown. Since the machines took only change I had to put in a dollar into the change machine. I thought the machine ripped me off when it gave me only one coin, but it turns out that these machines give out those one dollar coins. I have never seen one yet, so I obviously thought it was the coolest thing ever. People behind me must have thought I was crazy or something.
The subway ride downtown was fairly uneventful. It was just like a subway ride in any other city, with the subway cars being jam packed way beyond capacity. When I made it downtown I decided to go check out Pier 39 since yesterday I couldn?t really get inside there with the ridiculous swarms of people present. Being as today was Monday, it was nowhere as busy as the day beforehand. The pier is basically a series of shops, restaurants and other neat things. The really cool thing about it is that there are no stores or restaurants of any national chains there, so everything there is native to San Francisco in some way.
Some highlights of the pier included but were not limited to: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (Forest Gump fans rejoice), Hard Rock Café, a store with nothing by socks, a store with nothing but magnets, a huge store with nothing but candy, a store which sold nothing but things from Alpaca. I swear, you can find the weirdest stores here in San Francisco. I will admit that some of those candy stores had a great selection of stuff, but their prices were ridiculously high. I saw a bar of European chocolate for $4 which back in Windsor I can buy for a mere $1.50 Canadian!
After relaxing on the pier for a few hours it was time to catch my boat over to Alcatraz. The ferry ride itself was fairly short, lasting perhaps 15 minutes. When I arrived on the island I met up with Ray, who would be giving me a private behind the scenes tour of Alcatraz. Although Alcatraz is best known as a federal penitentiary which housed the nations worst criminals, it turns out that it?s history stretches back much further. It was previously used as both a military fortress as well as a military prison.
One thing I found very neat is that the coast of the island was blasted away so that there would be no suitable landing spots for ships. The only place where boats could land was at the docks, which were heavily protected by cannons. Although it must say it is kind of humorous that in all the years of the fortresses operation they never once had to fire their cannons!
The prison itself was simply awesome not only from a historical point of view but also from a photography point of view. Ray showed me around every nook and cranny of the prison, even taking me off into closed off areas where other tourists were not allowed. Thank you again Ray, it made my Alcatraz experience something truly unique! I managed to get a ton of neat pictures, I could explore this place for days! If you are ever in San Francisco the prison is definitely worth checking out. It would be so neat to be able to spend a night there!
Just to clarify for everyone, it is fairly certain that no one ever escaped from Alcatraz. Several people did make it off the island, but were soon after apprehended. Five are ?missing?, but are presumed to have drowned in the waters of the bay. The temperature of the water is anywhere from 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine that with the fact that there are decent waves and that it?s 2200 yards to San Francisco from the island and you have a slight problem. Even the most excellent of swimmers would have huge issues here.
After returning from Alcatraz to San Francisco I headed back to Daniel?s house (my host for the previous two evenings) in order to pick up my bicycle and all the gear that I had left there. I once again took the subway, which is always a very efficient means of transportation in any large city. I would have had some serious trouble without Daniel?s help here in San Francisco. He not only gave me a place to stay, but also recommended the best things to see in the city as well as how to get to them. Not to mention, he is also a very cool guy to just chat with!
Once again on my bicycle I headed southwards out of San Francisco to the town of Half Moon Bay. Although the ride today was fairly short, it was not easy. I made it out of San Francisco late, at 6 PM, thus I had only three hours to complete all my mileage for the day. This would not be a problem were it not for the unavoidable hills and chaotic headwinds I encountered along the way. The hills I could manage with no problem, but the winds I got hit with were truly insane. You know that the wind is strong when you have problems going downhill in your lowest gear. Not to mention, you have to hold on to your handlebars for dear life and hope you don?t get blown off your bicycle, or even worse, into traffic.
No worries, I made it to Half Moon Beach State Park just before dark. The park entrance was closed, but I snuck it anyway. Normally they have envelopes where you deposit your payment and a slip you detach to keep as a receipt. It seems this campground doesn?t have such a service. Needless to say I am currently camped unregistered, hopefully a park ranger doesn?t come knocking on my tent door!
I decided that a trip to San Francisco would not be complete if I did not go visit the infamous island of Alcatraz. I was thinking of going to see this on Sunday, but Ray from over at bikeforums.net volunteered to take me on a private tour on Monday. How could I turn an offer like that down?
Since no bicycles are allowed on the ferry or the island I had to resort to my second best mode of transportation, my feet. I tell you, I felt crippled without my bicycle. This walking thing is so inefficient! No matter. I headed off to the subway station in order to catch the subway to the main station downtown. Since the machines took only change I had to put in a dollar into the change machine. I thought the machine ripped me off when it gave me only one coin, but it turns out that these machines give out those one dollar coins. I have never seen one yet, so I obviously thought it was the coolest thing ever. People behind me must have thought I was crazy or something.
The subway ride downtown was fairly uneventful. It was just like a subway ride in any other city, with the subway cars being jam packed way beyond capacity. When I made it downtown I decided to go check out Pier 39 since yesterday I couldn?t really get inside there with the ridiculous swarms of people present. Being as today was Monday, it was nowhere as busy as the day beforehand. The pier is basically a series of shops, restaurants and other neat things. The really cool thing about it is that there are no stores or restaurants of any national chains there, so everything there is native to San Francisco in some way.
Some highlights of the pier included but were not limited to: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (Forest Gump fans rejoice), Hard Rock Café, a store with nothing by socks, a store with nothing but magnets, a huge store with nothing but candy, a store which sold nothing but things from Alpaca. I swear, you can find the weirdest stores here in San Francisco. I will admit that some of those candy stores had a great selection of stuff, but their prices were ridiculously high. I saw a bar of European chocolate for $4 which back in Windsor I can buy for a mere $1.50 Canadian!
After relaxing on the pier for a few hours it was time to catch my boat over to Alcatraz. The ferry ride itself was fairly short, lasting perhaps 15 minutes. When I arrived on the island I met up with Ray, who would be giving me a private behind the scenes tour of Alcatraz. Although Alcatraz is best known as a federal penitentiary which housed the nations worst criminals, it turns out that it?s history stretches back much further. It was previously used as both a military fortress as well as a military prison.
One thing I found very neat is that the coast of the island was blasted away so that there would be no suitable landing spots for ships. The only place where boats could land was at the docks, which were heavily protected by cannons. Although it must say it is kind of humorous that in all the years of the fortresses operation they never once had to fire their cannons!
The prison itself was simply awesome not only from a historical point of view but also from a photography point of view. Ray showed me around every nook and cranny of the prison, even taking me off into closed off areas where other tourists were not allowed. Thank you again Ray, it made my Alcatraz experience something truly unique! I managed to get a ton of neat pictures, I could explore this place for days! If you are ever in San Francisco the prison is definitely worth checking out. It would be so neat to be able to spend a night there!
Just to clarify for everyone, it is fairly certain that no one ever escaped from Alcatraz. Several people did make it off the island, but were soon after apprehended. Five are ?missing?, but are presumed to have drowned in the waters of the bay. The temperature of the water is anywhere from 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine that with the fact that there are decent waves and that it?s 2200 yards to San Francisco from the island and you have a slight problem. Even the most excellent of swimmers would have huge issues here.
After returning from Alcatraz to San Francisco I headed back to Daniel?s house (my host for the previous two evenings) in order to pick up my bicycle and all the gear that I had left there. I once again took the subway, which is always a very efficient means of transportation in any large city. I would have had some serious trouble without Daniel?s help here in San Francisco. He not only gave me a place to stay, but also recommended the best things to see in the city as well as how to get to them. Not to mention, he is also a very cool guy to just chat with!
Once again on my bicycle I headed southwards out of San Francisco to the town of Half Moon Bay. Although the ride today was fairly short, it was not easy. I made it out of San Francisco late, at 6 PM, thus I had only three hours to complete all my mileage for the day. This would not be a problem were it not for the unavoidable hills and chaotic headwinds I encountered along the way. The hills I could manage with no problem, but the winds I got hit with were truly insane. You know that the wind is strong when you have problems going downhill in your lowest gear. Not to mention, you have to hold on to your handlebars for dear life and hope you don?t get blown off your bicycle, or even worse, into traffic.
No worries, I made it to Half Moon Beach State Park just before dark. The park entrance was closed, but I snuck it anyway. Normally they have envelopes where you deposit your payment and a slip you detach to keep as a receipt. It seems this campground doesn?t have such a service. Needless to say I am currently camped unregistered, hopefully a park ranger doesn?t come knocking on my tent door!
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