Ride of a lifetime

After travelling a ridiculously long way round to get to the bike hire shop (we ended up walking about 3 times as far as we needed to, including walking up numerous steep roads – not good when you are about to embark on a long bike ride!) we had a quick overview from the shop assistant who spoke so fast and was so laid back, that by the time we set off we had no idea which way we were going and all we could remember of what he had said was “then you join the freeway..remember to look out for cars turning right..” Panic set in. FREEWAY??!? We don’t cycle on the roads back in England, nevermind here where everything is back to front! So, we trundled off pushing our bikes for a while, then when we could spot the coastline (and other cyclists to mingle with) we hopped on and off we went.....

Well, when the guy in the shop said “just 2 small inclines – then its all level ground” he was clearly talking about something entirely different to what we were doing!! (not helped by the fact the cycle path was closed in parts, so we had to join the cars...and also there were no sign posts directing you and the map was about as useful as a map of Harrow would have been at that point!)
Anyways, when we eventually reached the side of the bridge....the view was absolutely worth all the huffing/puffing. The cycle over the bridge was amazing, the views absolutely stunning. Apart from the odd annoying pedestrian who would walk straight at you (I became very accomplished at using the bell) the ride was without a hitch. It was really satisfying standing on the viewpoint, looking back at the bridge and where we had come from! What now? All we could remember being told was...Take the steps down...go under the bridge, take the steps back up...then cycle down into Sausalito. Easy!
Well, the steps were stupidly steep. Andys chain came off, my bike almost ran away with me – and that was just going DOWN the steps. Going up was just as tricky, but we were egged on by some Lance-Armstrong-esque cyclists and eventually made it to the top. Now what?? The path along the bridge back to San Francisco was on one side, and the freeway to Sausalito on the other. So THIS was the freeway bit. Great. So, without knowing quite which was to look – we just went for it. Fortunately it was pretty much downhill all the way – cycling at ridiculous speeds down these winding roads (with massive 4 wheel drives getting precariously close) – was quite invigorating! Finally, we reached Sausalito – a beautiful harbour town. We ditched the bikes and got some well deserved food and soda, after a quick look around the local farmers market (delicious strawberries and nectarines for the ferry journey back!) we began queuing for the ferry back to pier 39.
After we’d dropped the bikes off , we hopped on the streetcar back towards our hotel. Able to spot a british accent a mile off, we spent most of the journey talking to a guy from Essex who was out visiting his daughter who was travelling around the US on a post-uni-trip. In exchange for info about san fran that we had acquired, he shared tips with us for Oz, as he has done a Winnebago Camping trip there the year before!

Absolutely knackered from the days activities (there had also been a heatwave in the day – 90F, perfect for cycling) we had a nice relaxing evening, finished off with a yummy dinner in china town.

Definitely worth doing, our only criticism of the bike ride would be the lack of cycle path signs/info/ and the rubbish directions from the cycle hire company. A little daunting riding on busy roads with cars when you haven’t been on a bike for oooh...about 13 years...but great fun all round, and views we will never forget.

So, we had a few more things on our ‘must do’ list – a cheesecake company treat, golden gate park and riding a cable car. After spending the majority of Sat morning sorting out various stupid banking issues (certain banks are definitely on my hitlist at the moment) we set off to golden gate park. Well, it was definitely one of the most bizarre places we have ever seen. The first part we walked around in had an abundance of...musical people. Anything that could be used as an instrument – was. Empty boxes, bottles, containers, voices. It was like being in a commune. We’re pretty certain that 90% of the people there, weren’t really sure where they were/who they were/what century it was. Definitely a place where anything goes – punks/rockers/Goths/skaters/hippys – you name it, they were there. Our next spot to rest in was next to the flower conservatory – perfectly landscaped gardens, and yet again...most musical people. Much more of a chilled out tone this time. Mothers and babies made paintings, fathers tapped on their drums. It was like being in the middle of a mass-peace movement.
Next stop, the Japanese tea gardens – amazing! It must take hours and hours to maintain, and the second best bridge in san fran (see pics!)
Finally, we decided to take a wander into San Frans version of kew gardens. Big mistake. 1) it was massive. 2) there were no maps 3) it closed in 30 mins 4) there were squirrels everywhere (which we have decided were...killer squirrels. Way too brave and comfortable around humans – we got the impression they wouldn’t think twice about jumping on people!)
After lots of walking in circles, we finally spotted civilisation and managed to get out the park! We’d love to say it was nice to visit, but to be honest – the lack of signs/map was just stupid and for that reason we would NOT want to go back in there!! Golden Gate park is hard to sum up. There were so many different people wandering around, it was a family place, a teens hangout, a place for anyone remotely ‘alternative’ to gather ...and also a place for more ‘shady’ people. All a bit bizarre really!

Time to head back home (or rather our temporary hotel home). Feeling somewhat sunkissed – when will we learn about putting enough sunscreen on?? We got refreshed and made our way to fishermans wharf so we could catch the cable car. Adamant that i didn’t want to be in one of the positions where you have to hang onto the side of the car....we of course ended up in that position. Great fun going up and down the steep roads – that is until a rather LARGE American man and his rather LARGE children squeezed on next to us. Cue our time to get off! Last stop of the day – the cheesecake factory. After finding out it was an hours wait for a table, we grabbed 2 slices to take out (fresh banana cheesecake and fresh strawberry cheesesake), stopped at a pizza place for a takeout pizza and headed back to the hotel to pig out!

Delicious. The Cheesecake Factory truly is a must, thanks for your recommendations Becks !

So, now we are in San Fran airport waiting to board our flight to LA!

We have had a fantastic time here, there are so many beautiful sites to see and the people have been so friendly! (We cant recall how many times people have stopped to ask if we are okay/know where we are going) The only downside is the fact there are so many homeless people on the streets, which is really upsetting to see and sadly, starts to go unnoticed as it is the norm. There are so many different cultures here to see, mixed together – its just sad that so many people are existing in such poverty-stricken conditions.

xx