Well, this is it! We made it! We are about to enter into San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. Does life get any better? We woke up, said good bye and thank you to our hosts and were off. We headed towards the bridge down that steep hill we came up on. It was fun, but we had to keep the brakes on most of the way down because it was so steep! Easier than coming up for sure. We were riding through Sausalito when suddenly I look to my left. We are climbing up a hill and there it was! The Golden Gate Bridge. Wow. It started to sink in. We did it! We got to the parking lot before the bridge and met up with Roxanne. After pictures and such, we took off onto the bridge. The bridge is HUGE! Coats and coats of paint have been applied. The rivets are huge. The towers are tall. It's orange. It's the Golden Gate Bridge! We are on it! After crossing, I look at my cycling computer. 845 miles. We just rode 845 miles! I have to say, I am very proud of Derek and myself. 845 miles ago we were getting dropped off in Tillamook, OR. 20 days ago we were camping on the beach at Cape Lookout State Park. We rode through Oregon and halfway into California. On our bikes. With just our legs. And Coke, a lot of Coke. And burgers. We did it! We took our mandatory pictures of us and the bridge and were on our way. We were going to meet Roxanne and her parents at TARTINE BAKERY for breakfast. This is the world's best bakery, hands down. The best baked goods on the planet. Period. We rode through the busy streets of San Francisco, past my uncle's old apartment, on Geary St and through the Mission District. We arrived at Tartine with a table full of treats. The chocolate croissant was my favorite. After eating, we met back up with Team Roxanne at our hotel for the night. From there, we walked around to see some sights. These included Coit Tower, Union Square, China Town, and North Beach. We visited CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE, famous for being a hangout of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Great place! It feels crazy to be in a big city again after staying in small towns for three weeks. Quite busy! We finished up the day with an IKE'S sandwich and Derek stepping in dog poop with his cycling shoes (NOT easy to get out!). Our first day in San Francisco was exciting! I can't wait to explore more tomorrow. I still don't believe we won't be riding 50 miles tomorrow...
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AuthorThis blog will follow my friend Derek and me along our bicycle tour from Portland, OR to San Francisco, CA and the events leading up to it. Archives
August 2012
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