Here's a quick photo essay describing my Saturday adventure across the Golden Gate, into Sausalito, and up the Marin Headlands...
Hoot and Mousie accompanied me (as they do on all my journeys), and they had a wonderful time exploring a this beautiful part of the country!
Clicking on any of the images will give you a high-resolution version of the photo, so you can see the glorious (and not-so-glorious) details!
I left from North Beach, headed over the bridge to Sausalito, came back to the bridge, and did a loop in the Marin Headlands. I then rode back to my hotel in the Market section of San Francisco.
The elevation profile gives a sense of the climbing in the Headlands. The funny part is that my bridge crossing was read by Google Maps as being ~143 feet underwater (note the arrow)!
How could I NOT rent a bike from a place called Blazing Saddles Bike Rental?
Alas and alack, I took no photos on my outbound journey. I was not familiar with either the road or the bike, and I thought prudence to be the better part of valor. Suffice it to say that I made it across with no issues, descended into Sausalito like an avenging angel (No, really, it was FAST; look at mile 7 on the profile...), and got familiar with the route for Sunday's epic.
I turned around at Mike's Bikes in Sausalito; clearly a gathering point for locals and touristas. Their outdoor water fountain was a blessing, as I topped off my bottles for the trip back to San Francisco.
What goes down must come up (or some adage like that). The opposite of my descent into Sausalito was my ascent back to the bridge. That road is steep. We love you, Granny!
So, I ascended the Highlands. It's the really steep climb at about mile 15 on the profile. I didn't take the camera out until I was at the top. Again, the unfamiliar bike and the climbing required all my focus. But at the top, my riding partners and I had a fantastic view of the bridge and the northern part of the city.
That snaky-windy-ledgy thing on the distance on the left is the road I climbed to get to this point. The views are spectacular!
Taken from the same spot, you can see the bridge in all its glory with the city behind.
My noble steed for the weekend was a Kestrel. I'll write a review in another post.
I took this photo from half-way down the Headlands descent. I stopped at a switchback next to two older gentlemen who were bird-watching through tripod-mounted binoculars. The black speck on the left (the top one that looks remarkably like a rock) was a "peace eagle" (read: "vulture"). The trees on the upper-right are where I took the photos with Hoot and Mousie.
I have officially gotten braver (or crazier). I took this while riding on the approach to the bridge. It's one of those hopeful, blind shots. Those trees at the top of the photo are where I took the earlier photos with Hoot and Mousie.
This is the bike/pedestrian lane across the Golden Gate Bridge. It's wide enough for two bicycles to pass without incident. It's not wide enough for riding two-abreast. Someone really needs to tell the touristas that...grrrrr.
Did I mention that I am terrified of heights? Especially when on man-made objects? Particularly when on bridges?
Focus. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Hey! That's not so bad! I think I'm getting the hand of this bridge-thing!
Seriously, this is fun!
I'M RIDING ACROSS THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE!
Whose the man? I'm the Man.
Go Daddy. Go Daddy. Go Daddy. Go!
Halfway over, and look at that majestic pier behind me!
(Note, however, that I have no photos looking down. I'm crazy; I'm not stupid!)
There she is in all of her glory: the Golden Gate Bridge!
Back in the city, I made a shopping stop at the Trader Joe's in North Beach. I picked up breakfasts and vittles for the week, stowed them in my backpack (Daddy-Sherpa on wheels!), and I rode back to the hotel without incident.
It was a perfect warm-up to: stretch the legs; get familiar with the bike, the roads, and the flow; and acclimate to the time-change.
All was in order, and I was officially ready for Sunday's epic to Mount Tamalpais→.
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