kitchtrips

Pretty soon it was raining up in Seattle
And it sure was cold out in Colorado
Yeah, I was missing her kiss in the heat of Arizona
Been everywhere and nothing could compare
Yeah, to that one of a kind trip I was on
Everything about her felt like home
Yeah

In that California sunrise
In that California sunrise
She took me to heaven and so much more
Like nothing I’ve ever seen before
In that California sunrise
Take me on back

– Jon Pardi

Thursday 15 June 2023

Clouds and wind when I went out this morning. Through Fort Mason, I made it all the way down to near where the bike path rises sharply to the Golden Gate Bridge and turned around, a tick over eight kilometres in all.

You know, if I hadn’t been here in postcard-perfect weather before, it would take some serious talking to convince me that the sun ever shined in this city. It’s like that old saying about summer in Minneapolis: it’s the third Tuesday of every August, don’t miss it. I guarantee that the weather will get better after we leave. That’s always the way, right? Thankfully, at the most important place this week – Yosemite – the weather was perfect.

After breakfast, on our way to Fisherman’s Wharf, the most amazing thing happened. The sun came out! And not just fleetingly to mess with us, but for the rest of the day. Hard to believe, but there is sun in the Bay Area!

Which made our Bay Cruise a whole lot more enjoyable than it might otherwise have been. Leaving from Pier 39 where the sea lions live, we went out to the Golden Gate, under the bridge, turned around, went around the back of Alcatraz and down towards the Ferry Terminal before returning to Pier 39. A little windy, but a fantastic hour out on the water.

We had chowder in sourdough bowls for lunch, then wandered up to the nearby Blazing Saddles bike rental location to hire bikes for our ride across the Bay to Sausalito. We rode out from Fisherman’s Wharf, through Fort Mason, alongside Crissy Field – a park now, but once an airfield in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge – around Fort Point that was once a part of the San Francisco Bay defensive network of forts – and up onto the Golden Gate Bridge itself, which is a short but very sharp hill, but worth it.

The winds were brutal at times, but there is nothing like riding across the eastern pathway of the iconic bridge, with stunning bay and cityscape views. The sun chose the correct day to make it’s appearance. From Vista Point, on the other side, we rode down to Sausalito, again enduring some strong winds, where we caught a Blue and Gold ferry back across the bay to Pier 31.

About 16km in all. It felt longer at times, especially when we were pedalling into the wind. That said, absolutely worth it. Biking the Golden Gate Bridge is one of my favourite things to do in America. It’ll never get boring.

We had dinner with some of Kat’s relatives from the Bay Area tonight, then back to the hotel, pretty tired. Tomorrow – as hard as it is to believe – is our last day in America. Got a few things planned for the day, then off to the airport at around 7pm for our 11pm flight, fifteen hours overnight to Sydney.