Friday, July 30, 2010

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I take NB BART to the Embarcadero to meet up with Pat and Chris for a ride that we’re co-leading together through the streets of San Francisco. The starting point is in front of the Hyatt Hotel on Market.

We head south on the Embarcadero Promenade to our first stop at Cupid’s Span. We also get great views of the Bay Bridge, the Ferry Terminal and the classic brick Hills Bros Coffee building.

We continue on the Promenade and go behind the AT&T Park to cross over the bascule bridge to Mission Bay. Restrooms and water are available at the park on Channel St. There is a houseboat community located along the creek.

We then turn around and head north towards Fisherman’s Wharf.  Heather leads us to our next stop, the South End Rowing Club.

We then head over to Fort Mason. There is a steep little climb that will take us up and over to Marina Blvd.

We ride the bike path along Crissy Fields to Fort Point. Again, the views are spectacular! There is a regroup at the Warming Hut. Water, restrooms and food are available here.

The next part of the ride takes us pass the Presidio on Lincoln Blvd and the upscale neighborhood of Sea Cliff on El Camino del Mar.

We reach the Palace of the Legion of Honor for our next stop at the Holocaust Memorial.

We then take Clement St and Los Lobos to head out onto the Great Hwy.

Our lunch stop is at the Jave Beach Cafe at the Zoo.

We then take the multi-user path heading north along the Great Hwy to our next stop at the Beach Chalet. This is a pre-Depression era building with beautiful fresco murals that were restored in 1988.

We continue on John F Kennedy Dr to ride through Golden Gate Park. We pass the North Windmill, the Bison Paddock, Spreckels Lake, Loyd Lake, the De Young Museum and the Conservatory of Flowers.

We exit the park and hop onto the bike path that goes through the Panhandle which will take us to Baker and Fulton St towards the Civic Center.

Our final sightseeing stop is at the Civic Center Plaza to view the three-story, 15 ton “Three Heads, Six Arms” sculpture.

A few of us decide to ride back to the Embarcadero Station via Market St.

Thanks to Pat for asking me to co-lead this ride with her. It was a fun way to spend the day with nothing in mind but riding easy and enjoying the sights. Riding around the streets of SF isn’t as bad as people think. Much thanks to Bob and Chris for helping me fix the flat on my mountain bike.

10 people in attendance with one tandem.

26 miles

Weather: Cloudy and overcast with temps in the mid 60’s. Sunny skies later in the afternoon with temps in the low 70’s

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ENJOY THE DAY!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>