Day 29 – Samuel P. Taylor State Park to San Francisco

36 miles (58 km) – Total so far: 1,621 miles (2,608 km)

Distance 36 miles (58 km) Time riding 3 hours 27 minutes Max speed 31.5 mph Average speed 10.3 mph Left at 7:50 am Arrived at 12:30 pm

The HB area of the campground was busy last night, but plenty of space for all and all were sleeping or in their tents by 9 pm. The heat of the day had taken its toll, it reached 104F which was a 25 year record for the area. Lots of French was spoken during the evening (not by me of course) as there were now Bodega Bay to Samuel P. Taylor State Park (between Olema and Lagunitas). Two Québécois (Annie joined by Jean on a trike with a trailer and headed for Ushuaia), and Antoni and Sally who are biking the world on Bromptons (foldable bikes) and sponsored by them – they leave tomorrow for Peru. Added to that was Adam and Johannes from the previous night. Annie needs lots of credit. She is quite overweight and takes often 12 hours to finish the day. Tonight she rolled in just before dark, she certainly finds it tough. For a while she biked with the Chilean girl, Carla Paz. But she has stopped to Gualala and taken a bus from there.

I was away early (ish) with Adam, but I stopped in Lagunitas village for breakfast and was invited to join two old timers, which was a good 45 minutes. The route is not on the coast any more, so it’s not the undulating road that has been the last week or so. Three times the road goes up (and three times down, like most hills…), once to about 800 feet. It passes through what are in effect suburbs of SF, Fairfax, San Anselmo and Sausalito. All are expensive neighbourhoods, the closer to the city, the more so. After Sausalito there is one more climb to the bridge, shrouded in mist despite the warm sunshine of the morning so far.

Crossing the bridge is the most likely that an crash has been for the entire trip. Only the east side is open for some reason until mid afternoon. Hired bikes by the hundred seem to be headed north, it must be the time of the morning, and make the couple of miles slow and vocal. Sure enough it’s a great experience, and one of the great ways to enter any city, especially at the end of a 1600 mile ride.

I’ve opted for extravagance, if you can call a cheap hotel in downtown that. The city is lively though, and plenty to occupy my couple of days, not least some laundry and getting a box organised for the bike.