When I arrived in the bay area I wasn't sure how long I'd be there. There was a chance I'd have work for a week and be able to save up some cash, but then that would mean I would be touring solo again because James would have to continue on his journey. The other option would be that I wouldn't have any work available and that any extra time spent in the area would drain my funds. I ended up spending three days in the bay area with 1 day of fun, 1 day of rest, and 1 day of work.
Saturday
James and I happened to make it for the weekend, and I knew of a band from Portland playing in San Francisco Saturday night. We started the day in Redwood City. My dad was gracious enough to host us for the night so we got a warm shower, a comfortable place to lay our head, and he even let us sleep in.
In the morning I felt odd...maybe a little claustrophobic. I think I had started to grow accustomed to waking up with fresh air, sunshine and the open road. It was an interesting feeling. After another warm shower I headed to my favorite coffee shop, The Backyard Coffee Co, in Redwood City. Down the street from the cafe is a laundromat, so I thought I'd make the best of my morning and do some laundry as well. Not long after James and I got there my fried Chris, the owner of the cafe, showed up and I was delighted to see her. I told her all about my trip and being the supportive friend, she said she wanted to help sponsor me. She ended up giving James and I both a donation, which I was extremely thankful for. I also should say that anybody who lives near Redwood City should definitely check out The Backyard Coffee Co. It's like the Cheers of cafes, it's got a great atmosphere and great coffee and staff...and everybody knows your name.
After our laundry was done and our caffeine ingested we took our now unloaded bikes on the Train and headed to SF. You couldn't ask for a more beautiful day in the city. 72F and clear skies. First we biked over the steep Potrero Hill into the Mission to meet some friends at The Revolution Cafe. The sidewalk in front of the cafe was covered with bikes, even a couple of touring setups. It seemed that without all our gear we just blended in as another SF cyclist.
When the visit with friends ended, James and I booked it across town to Golden Gate Park. We took a leisurely stroll throughout the whole park and arrived at Ocean Beach just in time for sunset. I tried to capture some good photos, but it never does it justice. From there we went back through the park and shot up Twin Peaks to take in the awesome cityscape at night. It was dark up there, and you could see from one end of the city to the next. Truly an amazing view.
Our night in San Francisco ended back in the Mission district. I was excited about seeing the extremely danceable Gypsy/Russian/Ukrainian sounds of Chervona, the band from Portland. The fun wouldn't start for another couple of hours, so we went and ate our weight in pizza. Back at Amnesia, where the band was playing, people had really begun to pack in. Chervona was once again great fun, and I definitely danced all the pizza off. Although, amidst all the fun James and I had forgone trying to catch the last train and would have to bike back to Redwood City.
After riding 20 miles just around the city, we were now faced with a 30 mile ride back to where we were saying. The ride back really wasn't bad. We left around 1:45am and made it back to Redwood around 4. We had also managed to find time on the way to stop and get doughnuts. My only complaint is that my bike commuter app thought that it would be a good idea to take us through the Bayview district of SF, a place notorious for crime. Ultimately we made it home safe, so no harm done but I'm starting not to trust the bike app anymore. In the end, we had a blast and I'm glad to have met James. I feel like we'll be friends for a while even after we head down different roads.
Sunday
Needless to say I slept in a little later than usual, having gotten home late, but I was excited to meet my stepmother for brunch. We met at The Franklin St Cafe, and I had a wonderfully big plate of food. Cycling everyday really makes me appreciate food on a whole new level, and it seems like I eat whatever and whenever I want. At brunch it was great to catch up with my stepmother, who I rarely get to see, and she also offered me a full day of work. I could definitely use some extra funds for my voyage, so I jumped at the opportunity.
The rest of the day was pretty lazy. I spent a long while at The Backyard Coffee Co, just working on my blog and doing some research on the rest of my trip. In the evening James and I rode to San Mateo so that I'd be closer to work in the morning. Along the way we got a bit lost, thanks to that danged bike commuter app, but shared a lot of laughs in the process. At one point we even stopped to do some pull-ups and push-ups at a little park gym by Oracle.
When we reached my stepmothers place, we were created with open arms. I ate a bunch of peanut m&m's, and called it an early night.
Monday
Rising with the sun again felt good. It reminded me getting back on the road, which I couldn't wait to do. James headed to Berkeley to meet with a friend and I headed out with my stepmom to go to work.
The work wasn't hard, but there was a lot to get done. I was helping a company move from one building to the next. They weren't quite ready to move yet, so my job was to go through and make sure random things were accessible and working in the new area. I was busy all day, and still didn't get everything done. I think I probably could've stayed another day to try and make some more money, but the road was beckoning me.
After a great dinner with my stepmom I rose back to Redwood City to try and spend some time with my dad. The plan was that James and I would be meeting up sometime after 10am and hitting the road as soon as possible. I think that would give me enough time to take care of a few errands in the morning and still have a productive day.
Miles: about 100 over 3 days
RRD: Alcatraz
-D
http://www.trackmytour.com/b5k7d
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