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Thursday, October 31, 2013

Day 2: San Rafael to Oakland



Happy Halloween!  Today we played a fun Halloween game as we biked among the often-strange denizens of San Francisco: everyday outfit or Halloween costume?  We saw cowboys and Indians (probably their daily norms), devils and angels (probably their Halloween costumes), and so many more that left us guessing! 

Today was another day of beautiful weather for riding.  We visited two missions: San Rafael “the most obliterated mission” (the entire building was a replica), and San Francisco – called Mission Dolores – which had a fascinating cemetery.   
But first, we visited the Marin civic center, built by Frank Lloyd Wright.  As with all of Wright's buildings, it was definitely worth the stop.
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The mission at San Rafael was extremely small, and the "museum" was only a small corner of the gift shop.   
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Due to some technical difficulties, we got off the route near Mill Valley and had to find our way back to the correct path… luckily a good sense of direction and my great guide book got us back on track with little extra mileage.  The next stop was in Sausalito, for lunch at Sausalito Fish and Chips (what a creative name! But it was actually very good food).  We also saw the “Have a drink on Sally” fountain (of whose biography is highly entertaining but too long to include here).

Riding across the Golden Gate Bridge was, as expected, the highlight of the day.  Having driven across it before, I can definitely say that the experience of slowly biking across, and being able to stop and look over the edge, and take photos, was so much better.  It was packed with tourists, and it was a real pleasure to see such big smiles on their faces. 

We spent several hours riding through San Francisco – my second favorite city in the world, and my favorite in the country hands down.  It is such a colorful, vibrant place (and I never describe anything as vibrant – it just fits this city).  I love the varied architecture, the many faces, the different flavors of the neighborhoods.  We rode up Fillmore, with its closely packed and brightly colored houses.

And then the hill from hell… As with so many of the famous hills in San Francisco, Pacific Heights is steep and long.  It was so steep in places the sidewalk had stair-like notches cut into it.  We walked up that part, and even that was a challenge at times.  
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Down the other side of the hill, we passed JapanTown with its pagoda, and many other neighborhoods, and rolled up to the Mission with literally 2 minutes to spare before they locked the front doors for the night.  Whew! 
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After the Mission, we cruised over to Dandelion Chocolates – the other highlight of the ride.  Yesterday was wine tasting, and today was chocolate tasting! Dandelion is a nifty little store and factory for “small batch” chocolates.  They actually make their chocolate from scratch: they start with raw chocolate fruits, extract and roast the seeds, and grind them up with sugar to make the bars.  Customers can taste roasted chocolate beans, and sample single-origin chocolate bars of beans from different locations in the world.  Like wine, they all have very unique flavors.
By the time we reached the Ferry Building at the Embarcadero, it was after sunset.  The ride took longer than expected, but luckily we had the sag wagon, driven by Mom, to carry us the last few miles of the day once the ferry pulled into the eastern harbor.  I’m sure if we were riding this in the summer, it would have been fine, but it sure gets dark early at this time of year!   

Today's route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2836368

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Day 1: Sonoma to San Rafael



We made it through the first leg! Over 40 miles… and our legs still work! 
Last night, in preparation for an early start on the first day’s ride, we camped at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park near Kenwood.  It was a nice campground, but pretty rocky for sleeping on the ground.Sunrise this morning was beautiful at Sugarloaf.  We got in after dark, but this morning we found our site was along a small creek full of birds.  During the night an owl was in a tree nearby; this morning the jays and songbirds were all making a merry racket. 
We drove down to Sonoma to the starting point of the ride: the Sonoma mission, or Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma.  The mission didn’t open until 10am, so we started off with breakfast at the Basque CafĂ© Bakery.  I had an absolutely amazing Gateau Basque (Basque “cake” – a breakfast pastry) filled with custard and raspberry jam, and a great mocha.  It was packed with friendly, happy locals.
After breakfast, still waiting for the Mission to open, we took a stroll around the Sonoma Plaza, the site of the Bear Flag Revolt (where the rebels flew the original Bear Flag from which the modern state flag was derived).  There are a lot of neat old buildings around the Plaza.
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The Mission, also across from the plaza, is part of the Sonoma Historic Park, which also includes the original Barracks, two hotels, and some outbuildings, plus General Vallejo’s home a few miles away.  The Mission itself, with its very friendly and knowledgeable staff, was nicely preserved, although the original large chapel had long since been destroyed.  
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We finally began biking, travelling through the wine country, and stopping for a tasting at Robledo Winery.  The history of this winery is quite unique and inspirational: it is a fairly new winery, founded by a Mexican immigrant who saved up (while raising a large family!) to buy his own winery.  It has since won national recognition and many awards for their quality wines.  We tasted a flight of 6 wines, including a superb Zinfandel and the sweetest wine (a White Riesling) either of us had ever tasted.  
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Continuing on, we stopped to tour the Petaluma Adobe.  I had not been sure when writing the guide book that it looked like it would be a very interesting stop, but we were ready for a break from riding and the cost of admission to the Adobe was included with that of the Mission.  As it turns out, it was really a great place to visit.  It was quite large (the largest adobe in the state, according to the volunteer), and you could walk up the stairs to see the top floor as well.  All the rooms were filled with period furnishings and such to make it look like it would have during its heyday.   I actually enjoyed it more than the Mission!
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We stopped for lunch at the Old Chicago pizzeria (not the chain of the same name). It was housed a building in the historic district of Petaluma that had originally been a brothel.  Really great pizza in an interesting location!
Long ride after lunch, all the way to the campground.  It was perfect weather for riding, and gorgeous scenery for much of the way.  The campground is at China Camp State Park, nestled in the trees not far from the shore of the bay where Chinese immigrants used to catch shrimp in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. 
Tomorrow will be a bit shorter… and will include riding over the Golden Gate Bridge!

Today's route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2841984

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Counting down!

The big day is almost here! Today we did a 30 mile trial run on the local hills - and we only got lost twice! Well, not really lost, but off route, and only for perhaps a quarter mile before figuring it out. Tuesday we'll drive as far as Sugarloaf Ridge state park, and be ready for a bright and early start on Wednesday for the first day's ride.  But for now, it's back to the big to-do list...