Preparing to leave

Getting ready for a cycle tour can take a while.

Having arrived in San Francisco just under two weeks ago, I have been super fortunate to have a lovely postgrad host. Amanda has been making it her mission to ensure I have a good time whilst I am visiting. Her flatmates, Kenny (whom I met up with at the end of the Bay to Breakers run - yes I was late to the start), Sarah Kate and Tim have been super busy with their studies, but very accomodating. Don't know how they do it. I happen to be here at the busiest time of the quarter.

Sadly - sort of - I've not had a lot of time to be a tourist. Rather, been madly rushing about gathering bike parts and sorting out my cycle tour travel systems/purchases. Its been a mix of playing "pin the tail on the supermarket/gear shops" and Netbook shopping (as opposed to window shopping). The extra time spent scanning the internet has been easy on the legs and avoided the need for right-side-of-the-road traffic dodging antics, (keeping my lazybone happy) but its a drag too! Though its exciting seeing the massive range of gear and the cheap prices online (good deals etc), its meant I have to wait that extra bit of time for deliveries to arrive.
Good fun and the anticipation is mounting.

The web searching of Craigs list was great for finding a suitable steel steed as a mount for the coming kms. I found myself the owner of two in no time at all. 3.5days in fact - before I had gotten my head used to the time zone :)

Panniers and bike transportation bags are harder to come by in shops (you can find shopping panniers) but the REI outdoors shop had heaps of good gear for general purpose typical outdoors gear shopping. Cycle shorts, pumps, levers, camping gear, rain gear etc.
I did an REI shop in one big hit. 4hrs - with a shopping trolley! Holly toledo!

So now my mental gear list is almost complete. Just might need some sunglasses, a spanner for keeping equip on the bike.

There has been a little time for getting out and about - thanks again largely to Amanda inspiring me off my backside. Dancing some salsa at Cocomo dance club was great fun. Caught half a lesson and danced till around midnight.

The next morning, saw a whole lot of people congregate in the inner city of San Francisco for a 12km run. Bay to breakers. Never have I seen such a sight. The massive field stretched as far as the eye could see, the street filled with a sea of runners.
There were even supporters out at 8am Sunday, lining the road and giving big loud high fives! :) I did have to oblige them.
There were many bands playing live on the verges and homes had opened their garages to play their in-house sound systems. I took in as much as possible with my camera and had fun running fast during various parts aswell. Met up with Kenny after the event and we endulged upon free food, gladly.
He recommended I walk back along the course. It was 12km of street party action! how nuts. floats and mobility scooters pulling chillybins. There were great dressup themes and obviously every university in the state - and maybe further afield - had some undergrads representing.

On monday afternoon, I rode up the hills of the San Fran Peninsula. Travelled part of the course the tour of California was due to take the following day. Came across a sign in La Honda which read "Go Lance". I turned left shortly after and made it to Pescadero creek (cutting short of riding out to the coast on my knobblies), rode up the Old Haul road/trail to Portola ranger station; as this was the furthest part of the loop, I headed back uphill onto Alpine road and down the Alpine road/trail back to Stanford/Palo Alto. A mistake made along the way in finding the start of the Old Haul, meant I found myself on the wrong side of the Pescadero creek in the private property of a school camp/park. No-one was in the office to tell me I had gone wrong so...once I sighted the river (the private boundary) and the bank on the far side climbing up to a terrace (surely the track was up there), I promptly got my feet wet and made a bike carry route up. A good little bike carry! :) The downhill on the Alpine rd trail was a highlight too. Had to let some air out of the tires for that section.

So, without further adoo, I am off again now to buy more stuff and dodge some traffic. Followed by a date for dinner including wild salmon and other tasty goodies with a fair and engaging individual. :)

bye now