Day 13: Bolinas -- San Francisco

32 miles. The night before Jay deliberated our final route -- hwy 1 or panoramic hwy. We had already tested God riding on the cliffs north of Jenner and we didn't want to test him again (hwy 1 is on the cliffs). But we also didn't want to climb Mt. Tamalpais (panoramic goes up the mountain). Jay read through biker blogs "isn't there an easier way to get there?" and I recalled what Gary the executive director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition emailed me: "there really are not any flat or even moderate routes that will take you where you want to go" and "I grew up in New England and Vermont now seems almost flat compared to most of the Sonoma Coast." I didn't share this with Jay before the trip. Like it or not, sometimes your girlfriend wants to go places that are hard to get to.

We decided on hwy 1, and at breakfast met 2 cyclists from the area who assured it was a popular bike route. Once we got out there, thank goodness there were a lot of cyclists on the road, though we were the only ones with luggage.

That's Bolinas on the cliff to the right, and Stinson beach, a long flat beach, to the left. We though we could shave 6 miles by cutting across the beach, but it turns out they do not connect. However every 4th of July there is an annual tug of war between the two towns. Our dinner waiter informed us Bolinas is the 5 year champion for both men and women.

The marshland between Bolinas and Stinson is a resting ground for seals. We saw dozens of them sleeping in the sun on the beach. In this photo they look like white and grey speckles on the edge of the sand.

We passed by Stinson beach and panoramic hwy, and many cyclists were on the road too. I guess it's a popular weekend ride for cyclists from SF. We then began to climb the cliffs. That's Stinson below and Bolinas in the distance.

Just before the dive down to Muir beach, I looked back and saw Mt. Tam, but before I could pull my phone out it was covered in clouds. Dad, this photo's for you:

Then the descent down to Muir Beach. We passed the famous Pelican Inn, where they offer water for the cyclists and beer for the early morning drinkers. 

Then one last hill. To get from the ocean over to the bay we had one last 600ft climb on hwy 1. We passed the Buddhist meditation center that supplies food to Green's restaurant in SF and does over night stays, 3 meals included:

And were really proud when we made it to the top. See the ocean in the distance.

The panoramic hwy joined back in and it was a fast downhill to Mill Valley and Sausalito, where we grabbed a coffee and watched the bay:

Next stop the grand finale: The Golden Gate Bridge! We were so thrilled but nervous and crowded by all kinds of cyclists. It was very windy, but unlike the cliffs there were guard rails and small children, so I assumed it was safe. We've ridden across the George Washington bridge in NYC but this was unlike anything else in size, height, and grandeur. It was probably the only time in my life I would ride across the GG bridge, so I soaked it all in.

We did it!!!!! But what do you do when you're done? My immediate answer is open a bottle of champaign, but Jay wanted Indian food. Our differences, hunger, and disorient made us late to solving our logistical problem: the bike box, but our amazing selfless friends Amy and Rune bailed us out.

They got us our boxes, and we got to their place around 6pm with a bottle of bubbly. One last climb up Connecticut street, and our loop complete. We are back where we started.

I am blessed to have best friends that will bail me out of a rut, and also open their home, arms, and glasses to a wonderful send-off and welcome home. We pop champaign (Sonoma coast bubbly) on the balcony

and drink in their community garden. They are growing black tomatoes, heirloom lettuce, and early girls to name a few, are active in garden politics (see guerrilla gardening), study permaculture, and do yoga. She's a chemist and he's an entrepreneur. We will miss them, and California.

Jay treats us to a lovely meal at Serpentines (local-organic of course) and we celebrate Amy's birthday. 

We sleep great in the home and love of others, but are sad to go.