Day 21. San Francisco!

I awoke on Sunday morning with slightly more of a spring in my step than I expected.. the last two days had been quite tough and when I went to bed on Saturday night I wasn't so sure the legs would have it in them today. The good thing was that I didn't have far to go to San Francisco, the bad thing was that not far was still almost 40 miles!



The ride in from Point Reyes was special for 2 reasons.. one was that I was wearing the least amount of layers so far, and the other was that I saw something that has been lacking for most of the ride down the coast.. other cyclists! Lots of them, lots of other people doing the same thing as I was (ok, so maybe they were all going really fast but they didn't have 4 panniers!) As I approached San Francisco they multiplied, and it was refreshing to know that after all this time there were such things as other cyclists!!

It took me quite a while to ride to 40 miles down into 'the bay area' as the legs just didn't have much intention of doing anything fast, but there was no hurry. I had set up the shorter ride by going hell for leather the day before so no great rush. I took my time going through the last few towns. The hill just past Woodacre almost killed me, quite literally, but then there was a bit of respite rolling down the other side. Everything was becoming more built up, which is also a first since I left Vancouver. I could feel myself getting closer as I went through all the little suburbs appraoching San Francisco. As I came through Sausalito there was another killer of a hill, and just as I was coming down the other side I got my first glimse of the Golden Gate Bridge.

What worried me most about seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time was not how big it was, or how it wasn't golden, but the fact that even though I had just cycled up a big hill, it was still above me. In fact it was still above me and I was now going downhill again. By this time my legs were about to revolt and just give up the ghost all together, and when I got to the bike path that takes you under the bridge and round I was shattered.

I made it up and over the bridge at just after 3 o'clock. The sun was starting to set and by the time I had struggled up the hill to the bridge I felt I was over the worst of it. Getting over the bridge took ages, and still I didn't see anything golden, or a gate for that matter.

Regardless, I made it... I've made it this far. The legs can have a couple of days rest before I head on for the final section of the journey down the pacific coast and to LA, which is now a mere 480 miles away down the Pacific Coast Highway. 36.82 on the speedo. I did have one thought as I looked at the roads going out oppsite my motel though - 'it's a bit hilly'!