Two Days Down, Fifty to Go

Day 1 San Francisco to Fairmont, CA (84 miles)

Where to start? We saw so much and traveled so far today. The Pacific wheel dip (the trip starts with the back tire in the Pacific and ends with the front tire in the Atlantic) was about 17 miles from our hotel. (That's me in the picture. Sorry it's so small, but sometimes there are technical glitches.) To get to the Pacific, we had our first big climb of the trip, 600 ft only two miles into the ride. Not warmed up or limber yet.

We passed the California AIDS ride (SF to LA) South as we went North. I was a little wistful for having ridden with them in 06, but realize that that ride was, in a sense, preparation for this one. There was a lot of good natured “You’re going the wrong way!” between the two groups. That got old pretty fast, so when we were all at stop lights, we’d yell, “We’ve been to LA, it sucks, turn back!” The Pacific was beautiful, but had a pretty chilly wind blowing off it. We stopped and walked across the beach to put our rear wheel in the Pacific. Then we had a big group picture.

The ride to the Golden Gate Bridge was extraordinary. We rode through the streets of San Francisco proper, a city known for its hills. We rode up the Presidio a former military base that sits about the town. A triathlon was also passing through, so there was some pretty fancy traffic control. Wouldn’t want to get hit by one of them going down hill at 45 mph! The Golden Grate Bridge is a gorgeous piece of civil engineering and a cultural icon. On the weekends, its recreational use is so heavy that it has to be segregated; walkers on joggers on the East side, cyclists to the West.

It was a big day for prisons, we saw Alcatraz and San Quinton. The later is huge, a campus about the size of Montclair University. Then it was in and out a variety of pathways. We rode on bike paths, wooded trails, suburban streets, busy city streets and major highways with 55 (ha) mph traffic. There were some artsy towns; the group we were riding with stopped in a very hip brunch/lunch place and refilled. I was going to go with the breakfast burrito until I saw that they were the size of a new born baby. Too much to eat and ride. I had two big ass pancakes topped with a couple of eggs instead.

After that, I hung back with a slower rider. Those of you who know me know that riding slow is not my thing, but I can remember my first ride when I was far behind and all alone. It’s not a good feeling. Plus, navigating those 63 turns was pretty intimidating. So it was good to be with someone. We only got lost a few times. The worst was when we ended up on RT37 West when we were supposed to be on 37East. We did not try to run across 4 lanes of traffic…

That was pretty much the day. After we washed up, the van took us to Applebee’s where we had a giant table that held all forty of us. It was good to eat. (Bad usage, the table wasn’t good to eat; it was good for us to eat dinner.) They gave us all ice cream after dinner. : - ) Back at the hotel, Gerard (our bike mechanic and my sometime roommate) put a new chain on my bike. Should have had it done before I left. 2,000 miles is about all you can expect out of a chain. So I might need another before the trip is over.


Day 2, Fairmont to Sacramento, 60 miles

Today’s ride was pretty uneventful. It was flat through a lot of agricultural lands which had very dark fertile soil. I hoped on the tail of a fast group, which is a good way to get to be a better rider. Ride with people who are a little faster than you. That’s a good life lesson. My average speed was 16.4 mph, really good for 60 miles, and including tooling around the University of California-Davis. I tried to drop in on a few of my food science colleagues, but they were out. UCD is an incredible place of bikes. There are literally thousands on campus, with hundreds on bike racks outside the lecture halls. The core of campus is closed to vehicles, so it’s pretty cool. I had a very nice, but too expensive, lunch in Davis’ yuppie district.

Today is Elijah’s Promise’s “Chef’s Night,” a major fund raiser. If anyone from EP is reading this, please convey the message” the Cross Country Challenge is a one time only event. Next year, I’ll be at Chef’s Night, sitting and eating. Speaking of eating, we’re eating at places like Denny’s, Applebees, etc.

That’s it for now. Got to do laundry, or maybe swim in the river, or maybe go to “Old Sacramento.” That’s a recreated old west town.” Or I may take a nap…. (later) Didn't do the nap, but was reduced to comparison shopping of the food at the Shell and Valerno gas station. I needed salty food (Fritos!) tonight and carbs (licorice sticks) for tomorrow.

b/t/w, if I don't post on a given day, don't worry; some of the hotels don't have internet.