All over San Francisco there seem to be places that will hire you bikes. At first you would think you would need to be some kind of special masochist to want to cycle the steep roads. However, there is one route that does make sense commonly called “bike the bridge”. And that is exactly what we did today.
We picked up a couple of bikes just off Ghirardelli Square and set off along what, to begin with at least, is a flat cycle route that follows the coast towards the bridge. Today was a wonderfully clear day and so we got some great views of the bridge as we crawled ever nearer avoiding the Saturday strollers and runners.
As you get nearer the bridge it becomes clear that the deck is a lot higher off the ground than you and so some climbing is going to be necessary. Cars are given a nice long run up to the bridge but cyclists and walkers are expected to just get on with it. Once up you do get some great views over the bay and the bridge itself is a great thing – even if it could do with a lick of paint.
On reaching the other side of the bridge we then made our way towards the town of Sausalito. On the video we were shown when collecting the bikes we were told that it was a nice downhill run to Sausalito where we could take the ferry back to the city. Let’s just say that their idea of downhill and mine are very different!
Sausalito is another pretty little place. Helen has got it right though that a few too many of the towns we have visited just look at little too much like Seahaven – the fictitious town in The Truman Show.
From Sausalito we caught the ferry back to San Francisco before cycling back to return the bikes. This was a round trip of about nine miles and we exercising different muscles to those used when walking. I suspect we shall be reminded of our ride for the next few days every time we move our legs!
This evening we dined at a restaurant called The Stinking Rose where every dish has garlic in it. The slogan outside says “We season our garlic with food” and they were not wrong!
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I thought The Stinking Rose was great. Probably not a good venue for a first date though…
You’re not wrong there! Funny that we should both end up in the same restaurant given how many there are in SF. Were you staying close by? It was almost opposite our hotel.