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 Route Sheet

It's hard to believe that this tour is only 24.5 miles long (not counting the ferry ride) from start to finish but it's so jam packed with things to see and do that I spent all day and still needed more time. Luckily, I'm fairly strong willed, otherwise I would have gained weight as well since this route offers the palette some mouth watering delights, many of which are identified with San Francisco.

    I started the day by taking Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) from Pittsburg to "the city," getting off at the Embarcadero Station. A one way fare on BART is $4.55, way lower than I would have spent on gas and parking. After emerging from the subway on to Market Street I headed towards the Ferry Building, two blocks away. The Ferry Building is on the Embarcadero and once there I rode the wide sidewalk to Pier 39, a distance of less than two miles, for a cup of coffee. Had I wanted more, it was available in the form of Sal's Pizzeria, Blue Chip Cookies, Ye Olde Fish and Chips, Dryer's Ice Cream, Boudlin's Sour Dough French Bread Bakery and Cafe, and my favorite, the Burger Cafe. Those were only a few of the places to eat on the pier.

    I continued west on the Embarcadero but decided to bypass Fisherman's Wharf. The foot traffic looked to be too much to navigate through. I cut over to North Point and was soon in front of Ghiradelli's Chocolaterie and Cafe on the corner of North Point and Larkin. Another temptation to stop but I was on a diet and chocolate was definitely not on the list.

    From that same corner I looked north towards the wharf and could see the Maritime Museum and the tall ship, the 1886 square-rigger Balclutha as well as the 1907 steam tug Hercules. Something to do on another visit but not today.

   North Point dead ends into Van Ness. I turned left and was soon in front of Fort Mason, once a military base, now a multi use center. Fort Mason houses a IYH hostel and I had never been to one so I decided to stop in and pay them a visit. I entered the fort grounds and found the hostel at the end of the road.

   Once inside, I thought I was in Oz because everyone around with the exception of the girl at the counter was speaking with an Australian accent. The girl told me I could look at the lounge and the kitchen but that the dorms were being cleaned and therefore not accessible at this time. The lounge looked warm and friendly and several people were curled up in large chairs reading. The kitchen was being cleaned and scrubbed and was immaculate. I returned to the counter and asked the girl if she had ever been to the hostels in Europe. She said she hadn't but that she'd been told that the hostels in Europe were cheaper and nicer. I saw nothing wrong with this place and if she's right, I know my wife and I will be happy with what we find in England on our tour this summer.

    I left the hostel and headed out, but turned west again before leaving the fort to take a short cut through the park just to the west of Fort Mason. The park has a nice asphalt path that takes you on a downhill right to the start of the Embarcadero Promenade, a 2.5 mile path that parallels Marina Avenue and runs from Fort Mason through Crissy Field to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.

    I was surprised to see pavilions set up all over the lawn along the promenade. When I got closer I saw that many of them were bike oriented. What was going on? I found I had blundered into the wind-down for the, "Escape from Alcatraz" triathlon. I walked my bike through the crowds and took a look at some of the stuff for sale. The triathlon bikes displayed were pricey. Some of the clothing for sale was marked way down but I wasn't in the mood for shopping that much so I walked out of the crowd and started riding west again.

    As I rode along I saw the Palace of Fine Arts building to my left. This remnant of the Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915 has always been a beautiful sight to me and I rode over just to see it a little closer. The Exploratorium is located right next to the Palace. It's a fun place to spend half a day at with kids, something I've done with my GATE students on field trips.

    I rode back to the gravel path of the Promenade and continued on, entering the area that was once Crissy Field. I had packed a small lunch and sat down on a bench to eat it and do some people watching since the Promenade is filled with people walking, playing on the beach, flying kites, riding bikes, picnicking and just hanging out.

    I was soon back on the bike again, heading west towards the bridge. As I neared the end of the Promenade I saw the Gulf of the Farralons National Marine Sanctuary Visitor's Center. I had never been to the center before and decided to stop and take a quick look. The center features some interesting displays on indigenous marine life and is worth a 30 minute stop if you're an environmentalist.

    Up until now the ride had been flat. It was time to tackle the one big uphill, the climb from the shore up to the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge. I turned on Long Avenue and started up the hill. Surprisingly, I made it up much easier than I thought. Even so, I stopped and took a break before continuing on, turning right onto the Lincoln Highway to the bridge.

    I soon reached the visitor's center area at the foot of the bridge. It's a popular spot for tourists to view the exhibits on the bridge's construction and the plaques and monuments to the men who designed and built it. As usual, I got lost trying to find the path to the bridge pedestrian walkway. Next time I'll remember to turn right when facing the bridge and to loop around the visitor's center and under the bridge to get to the walkway by bike. (I always say that and always forget!) Bridge bike and foot traffic is regulated differently on weekdays and weekends. On weekdays both pedestrians and cyclists share the east walkway. On weekends, cyclists are to use the west walkway and pedestrians, the east walkway. 

    I finally figured out where I was going and found the path. I was soon up on the bridge, heading for Sausalito. The ride across the bridge is such a thrill. The view is spectacular, the air invigorating, the structure magnificent. Although I see many cyclists riding at speed while crossing, I always take my time and even stop several times just to take everything in. The first part of the ride across the bridge is slightly uphill since the Marin headland is higher than that of San Francisco. Towards the end it flattens out and even starts downhill.

    Once off the bridge there is a short but steep uphill to reach Alexander Avenue, the route into Sausalito. Alexander is a great downhill ride and combined with the crossing of the bridge, brought out a whole lot of really good emotions in a short time and made my heart almost overflow with the joy of living and cycling. As if a sign from heaven, the slightly overcast day suddenly burst into sunlight and lit up the bayside town of Sausalito as I entered.

    The main street of Sausalito has been prettied up for tourists and made to look somewhat European and it gives the town an inviting look. I hear many accents and languages when I walk the sidewalks and visit the shops and cafes. I sometimes eat lunch when I'm here but today I'd already eaten so I just stopped at the park in the center of town, took a few pictures and soaked in the view. 

    Back on the bike, I started out of town on Bridgeway and rode past marinas and houseboats, something that Sausalito had been famous for in the past because of the zany designs and characters living in them. In the last few years, because of city codes, the houseboat community has been somewhat cleaned up though and the real pieces-de-art have disappeared.

    I continued on Bridgeway till I reached Gate 6. At this point I left the road and started traveling the Bay Trail. The trail skirts Richardson bay and takes you  all the way, (with a few detours) to the ferry at Tiburon. While on it, spectacular views of the bay, the city and some elegant hillside houses can all be seen as well as the close up views of shore birds and other wild creatures that have adapted to an urban setting. The first time I took this trail I missed the turnoff to reach the trail on the other side of the bay and spent a half hour sorting out exactly where I was and where I was supposed to be. This time was no problem and I turned and crossed the wooden bridge from Sausalito to Belvedere.

    The route takes a short detour on city streets to get under a highway and then joins a new path that leads all most all the way to Tiburon. Views of the bay and city are impressive along the path and I stopped more than once to take a few pictures. The path finally ends on Tiburon Blvd. I continued along this wide but busy thoroughfare until I reached Beach Road and then turned back towards the water for the final half mile to the old town of Tiburon and the ferry terminal. The last half mile is lined with small shops displaying a lot of cottage industry type articles, some tiny restaurants and even a wine tasting room. A sharp left announces the entry to the recently refurbished Tiburon old town and the end of the ride. 

    About 60 cyclists and a few pedestrians were all waiting for the ferry, many of them taking advantage of the time to buy something to eat or drink at Boudlin's Sour Dough French Bread Bakery and Cafe right at the corner where the ferry is boarded. I hadn't eaten in about four hours, (Yes, it had taken me THAT much time to come this short ways!) so I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich and a cup of coffee. As I was finishing up the ferry arrived and I boarded and stacked my bike along with all the other cyclists. Once under way, I bought my one-way ticket for $7.25 and then wandered around the cabin and decks, looking at the sights as we crossed the bay back to San Francisco.

    If the view of the city was inspiring from the shores of Richardson Bay, they were incredible from the ferry The tall spires of the skyscrapers mixed with the city's older buildings and the recognizable Coit Tower and TransAmerica pyramid building make the skyline of San Francisco unique. In addition we passed close by Alcatraz, the closest I've been to being on that rock.

    The ferry docks at Pier 39. Cyclists exit after pedestrians so I waited the ten minutes or so for the passage way to clear and then showed my ticket upon exiting. The first time I took the ferry I didn't know that I'd have to show my ticket before leaving and I threw it in one of the garbage cans. I'd had to dig through the can to find it, a rather unpleasant 15 minutes!

Pier 39 was really crowded with tourists so I had to walk my bike along the Embarcadero for a short way before getting on and riding the wide sidewalk back to the Ferry Building where I turned and went west two blocks on Market to the BART Terminal. Other than the ride home on BART and the drive from Pittsburg to Lodi, my San Francisco adventure was over.

 Route Sheet

Total miles traveled 24.5.
Total hours, about five.
Average miles per hour, 5.
Wow, what a slowpoke but what a fun day!