Day 3, 21062008, San Francisco

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in hot wheels

Itinerary for this day was to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge all the way to Sausalito. While planning the information portrayed the route as a very easy task. Ahem.

Anyway, Sausalito is another town city just across the bridge from San Francisco.

We rented the mountain bikes through the hostel at USD 22 + USD 3 (insurance)!

Chui Ying, me, John, Divya, Dai Jing and Ivan

I couldn't cycle at the first few steps. =S It was probably because I forgot how it felt like, and the gear was at 1. -_- DJ reminded me about the gear and that was when I could cycle properly. Scared me.

Made our way westward towards Municipal Pier. It's a long curvy pier. I wonder why it was shaped like that. Anyway, there were signs before you enter the pier that the land condition was bad. Like poorly maintained. So enter at your own risk!


And so we cycled across concrete ground...

Saw seagulls overhead...


Cycled across grassy plains where the Americans showed their patriotism...


And then to the bottom of the GG Bridge.


Trotting along there was some kind of plaque on the fence that said "Hopper's Hands". People who walked/jogged by placed their hands on the hands of the plaque and made a detour and ran off. We had no idea what it was about so I stopped a jogger to ask. He told us that this was to commemorate the workers who fell off the bridge while building it.


And when you look below the Hopper's Hands nearer to the ground, there was something for dogs too.


Time for some hotdogs.


It was damn good.


But priced at USD 5. Ivan bought one and we all shared.

We then made our way to the GG Bridge.

Toll stations. Pay up or you won't be allowed to pass!

The perfect weather. Superbo.



Pit stop. At the foot of the...the...I dunno what you call it. The big structures that supports the bridge.


I mean this.




It was quite a smooth ride as there was a bike path for us to cycle on. And yeay we were done with the bridge!

At Vista Point

Here's where we kinda got lost 'cos we couldn't find a continuation of the bike path. I couldn't help much in navigating during cycling since I was such a poor cyclist! All I could do was to ask the passers-by when we stopped. This time I asked a tour bus driver and of course we found the way =D

Ahhh, Sausalito. Beautiful.

It was very very very hard to cycle in Sausalito 'cos of all the slopes and bumps and whatsoever.

Ivan and Divya were at the head of the pack except for John was waaaaaaayy in front (it always happens haha). When we were cycling at the sidewalk in Sausalito, some guy walked past the cyclists and told us "Don't cycle on the sidewalk, they'll give you a $500 ticket!" But by the time it was too late and Ivan was stopped by a policeman. -_- We were let off with a warning. I think they should put some kind of sign so that the cyclists will learn about this. Cyclists have to cycle at the side of the road when there's no bike path. America is super pedestrian-friendly.

We were supposed to cycle through Sausalito then U-turn back to San Francisco. But apparently we were too tired and the journey there proved too torturous! So we spent like USD 9 to take a ferry back to San Francisco. HAHA.



And yeay, Fisherman's Wharf! There was quite a well-known sourdough bakery here.


After returning our bikes we went to Boudin Sourdough.


And you can see the bakers at work. You can even communicate with them.


We had clam chowders there. YUMMY!



If you notice hard enough there are baskets dangling from a belt along the ceiling then to the counter and some baskets contain bread. They were loaves transported out of the bakery to where they sell the bread.

That's about the end for Day 3. Felt a sense of accomplishment. Haha.