2/6 - Bikes, Trams, Bridges and Micro-Climates

The day we arrived in SF, Maria had seen a tourist brochure about riding bikes over the Golden

Gate bridge. This fired not only her imagination but that of everyone (perhaps even moreso for the kids who had "missed out" on bike riding in Tokyo), so this cloudy/foggy Saturday we decided to head over to Pier 39, hire some bikes, and ride across.

While we could have ridden the "F" bus to the pier area, the cable car was a more enjoyable option so we walked the few blocks to Powell St, and though the first few cars were full, were eventually able to catch a car and give the kids a real thrill. Later in the day that thrill would be amplified when they hung off the rail/outside of the car.

Within a block of hopping off the cable car down near Fisherman's Wharf we stumbled on a bike hire shop. Before we knew it the enterrpising owner had sent an employee across the road to us and we were led/lured/conducted into the shop. Fiddling with helmets (Maria and her small head!), maps, guidance on routes (e.g., where was steep and best to down-shift) ensued, but eventually we had 2 tandem bikes and were ready to head off - Grant and I as one pair, and Maria and Zoe as the other.

The initial portion of the route took us through a couple of city-block's worth of streets before we could get onto the bike path. Having never read tandems before (it requires a degree of ocordination as the pedals are directly connected and if one person stops pedalling [stands on the pedals] that impedes/halts the pedalling of the partner) and with the other 3 being unfamiliar with riding city streets, the start was a bit shakey. But soon enough we were on the bike path and down by the water.

Being a cold and blustery

(particularly out on the bridge!) day, the ride couldn't be said to be a physical pleasure. However the novelty of the sights and the experience (particularly of each pair trying to work as a synchronised team) still made it very enjoyable.

Taking half a dozen stops along the way, and gradually becoming more and more saddle-sore we made our way along the shoreline and eventually up onto the bridge where the wind really picked up (and the fog was even more obvious). Having been advised by the bike-shop people that the ride across the bridge and down into Saulsalito was very nice (the cynical part of me says such advice was given because that prolongs the ride and they are being paid by the hour) we continued across and around the shoreline. Eventually arriving in Saulsalito in the early afternoon.

Despite the close proximity to SF (maybe 10km or so?), we found Saulsalito to be an entirely different climate - warm and sunny with little wind and no fog. Indeed, looking back towards the hillside we had descended we could see the fog and clouds streaming past at the height of the hill. We had lunch at a seafood/nautical themed (e.g., turtle shell light shades, model ships on the walls) restaurant before finding what time the ferry returned to SF (it had taken probably a couple of hours to get to Saulsalito and we weren't keen to face the ride back into the wind and cold). With some time to kill we had a bit of a ride around the township - I found it too "up market" for my tastes.

We weren't alone in thoughts of catching the ferry as it is a standard return route advised the by various bike hire companies. Indeed the ferry has bike racks on its lower deck and a well-oiled system (first on, last off) for handling customers with bikes. Seeing all the bikes closely stacked together reminded me very much of Japan and the typical situation around shops and train stations.

The ferry route back is an excellent one for seeing Alcatraz at close quarters (from a different angle to the ferries that run out there) as well as SF itself and the Golden Gate bridge. There were interesting light effects to be observed as we passed into and out of the fog, and the deck really pitched and rolled for a short period.

Arriving back at Fisherman's Wharf in the late afternoon we navigated to the bike shop, dropped off the bikes, and then caught a cable car back towards our hotel and more importantly Chinatown. We explored Chinatown for well over an hour before selecting a chinese restaurant for dinner. While chinatown still possessed a preponderence of the 3-tshirts-for-$10 style of shops (overflowing with cheap merchandise) it was good to note that there were a few shops that stood out due to selling real quality items.

After the restaurant it was time to head back to the hotel, and once again we rode the cable car (this time the famous California St line), hanging off the sides in the near dark.