It was a relatively warm morning waking up in the dunes, so we crawled out of bed early, took advantage of the free showers and set off on our coastal ride to the big city. The ride down CA-1, just as the previous days, didn’t disappoint! The smoke at had mostly cleared from the inland section near Valley Ford and the stretch along Tomales Bay with its fishing docks and seafood restaurants was very quaint.
Unfortunately the road was still closed due to a landslide just north of Muir Beach and we had to head inland and take and equally scenic detour via the aptly named Panoramic Highway.
A very short visit to Muir beach and a few detours later and we found ourselves in the City madness. A fire nearby had caused the closure of highway 101 just north of the Golden Gate Bridge and everything was blocked up. We decided to take to opportunity to have lunch and wait until things improved which they eventually did an hour or so later.
Looking over the Pacific Ocean from the cliffs in Muir Beach.
We stopped just before the bridge at various overlooks and viewpoints for the photos and to watch the fog roll in, eventually, by the time we headed over the bridge, the entire deck was in the clouds. Traffic heading into town wasn’t horrible and we found our way to our hotel without any issues.
From this…
… to this in 10 minutes!
With the horses secured for the next 48 hours we went on foot to discover San Francisco by night. We headed straight to the Buena Vista bar which was the first place to introduce Irish Coffee to the US, and since we needed a little caffeine boost… We ended up having diner there a couple of their hot beverages before heading back home.
TA
I got a call from a (biker) friend who, while talking to me from a bus on the way to the airport, got stopped because of the same fire, and finally got going. Seems you were there at the same time. So many fires in that area – lucky that you haven’t been much affected so far.
Strange enough I had the feeling you were in SAN Fran a week ago. Anyway here we are reading about your arrival in SAN Fran but you must be near San Diego by now. No stories about big holes in your tires or lost keys so everything is alright. So all good and waiting for your next trip …and stay away from fires. Look at the fire map of San Fran and you’ll be out of trouble.
Till the next episode dear boy xxx Mum
There’s worse places to reconnect with big city life!
The fog roll-in in such a short time is impressive.
Now I’m listening to the first big-city experience, from what I remember there should be some famous beaches, a cable tram and indeed a bridge.
Get your city clothes out and hit town!
Baci this Monday 10-23