The Picnic went Well

My friend had prepared a picnic for the Ride to Larkspur so it wasn't too difficult to figure out the last few things. We included them in the baggage.  When we left I was wearing my bad shoes and my checkered polyester. I had brought my Northface but didn't want to wear it. My friend wore the green plaid skirt she had worn on our first trip to Sausalito. But she had a straw hat.

My historian acquaintance indicated as we were passing Duboce Park that he was going to be late. I let my friend go ahead as I called him. I got two Matching Half and found the Sacramentans with my friend. The consensus was we would be waiting so I got pastries. The others showed up looking fashionable then. I learned later that my friend had texted a few people. They had with called off or were nowhere to be found.

We rode to the Panhandle then and I talked to an acquaintance who said his girlfriend would be meeting us. I interacted with one of the Sacramentans too as we entered the park. We talked about authentic vintage and faking it.

The ride was fun. I took photos. I noted that I realized the trip was making up for my difficult time in San Diego. On 10th Ave the historian wanted to get stuff at the liquor store. When we went to catch up to the group we raced up the grade in the golf course. He attributed his speed to age. My friend had gone ahead and since she knew the route pretty well we had trouble catching up with the group.

It was about 20 minutes later that we met back up at immigrant point. They had just arrived. We took a photo and passed through the campground. We were not alone there.  We took the new ramp onto the bridge. That was when we took a photo of the group.  The ride across the bridge was forbidding at first because there was just fog and no wind. Near the top I passed everyone and it became easier because I did some spotting.

On the other side we grouped up and chatted but we couldn't go because the tea pot had a leak. We all had a cup and it made for very good photographs. Some guy took photos.  We descended to to Fort Baker. I was down first and only one had fallen behind.  From there the climb to the main road was very difficult. ONe of the Sacramentans was pushing his bike at one point. My friend told me that it helped sometimes to cut conversation short to climb hills.

I was ahead so I lead to the downhill portion of the route to Sausalito. I let everyone pass me because I wanted to follow the group down the hill. Only one car passed us before the ferry terminal.  We were going to regroup then but no one wanted to stop so we headed out to Mill Valley. We let a few cars pass us as we headed to Bridgeway. We saw an architect I knew with his wife as we headed passed the Bay Model. The group was trailing just enough that I could see the cars as they were merging onto Marin shipway.

We went through gate five with a few cars honking. The ride out to the Marshes were really nice and I really enjoyed riding with my friend. We found the architect and his wife at the picnic spot and we invited them to sit on his blankets.  They had gone on the Ride to Larkspur the year before.

The picnic went well. I had to stretch my legs twice. We talked about the projects we were working on. My friend reveled in her time with the ladies. My acquaintance’s girlfriend showed up with chocolate and some crackers. I was glad to catch some fresh air.

My friend rounded the group up then and we headed off to the ferry and made to leave.  We were halfway there when I realize that there might be some trouble on the return because of the queue. So, I tried to get us a place in line and we all made it on board.  We set upstairs and drink beer. Getting off the boat was hard because we had to carry heavy bikes upstairs.  Outside we said bye to everyone and took off quickly. I went with my historian acquaintance and the Sacramentans to Market street.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Route to Pacific Beach

On May 17 I wrote that the group session had ended the day before at around 445 so I got down to the ferry as fast as possible. I had my bike. It was a taxi which was a surprise. The trip to the convention center was fast and the pilot didn't ask for my ticket. I asked a couple of companions for advice and they said my route to Pacific Beach was probably OK.

I rode to Broadway and got two tickets before checking the map. My phone was nearly dead so I photographed it. Then I headed to the airport.  I ended up following another rider halfway there. He was coming from North as we headed west. The path is really a sidewalk interupted by parking cuts. The bay side was mostly water but occasionally marinas.

The path changed near the Sheraton and then I was alone on the path. I crossed Harbor near Halsey. I took that path through the park to Roosevelt, crossed Rosecrans to Willow and Tennyson. I ended up on Voltaire and road to Ocean Beach.

I parked, put my jacket in my bike and went to Lucy’s. I talked to a local. He worked at the airport for the Navy. He repaired ancient radios for a living. He thought it was ironic. He suggested I go to Mother’s, so I did and got tacos. They were cold. I wasn't impressed. I had a near heart attack when I discovered I had left my key in my jacket. However, it was all right.

I rode to the beach for a photo and then went to Mission Bay. The path took me through crap roads and the OB bridge was not fun. I barely had time to catch the sunset on my phone before it died. I did get a photo but only after the sun went down.

I remembered Mission Beach and Pacific beach from when I visited an acquaintance in La Jolla. When I got to the main drag I went exploring but I knew I was running out of time.  I took Mission past La Jolla Blvd and found a place on Turquoise called Bar Key. Unfortunately, they were not able to charge my phone. Once I had finished my fries I took Baryl to Grand or something and got back to the beach path.

I took the same route over the San Diego River back to Ocean Beach but took Nimitz instead even though it was getting dark. I thought I wouldn't like it but it wasn't bad. The other side was also OK. On Harbor I took the sidewalk and passed the airport and made sure to be very assertive. It worked out and I got passed Broadway after the last ferry. However I went and caught the ferry from the convention center instead.

There was a lady from the conference on the boat but no bikes other than mine. I got into the room fine and spent the next hour winding down. I was asleep at 11.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I was up at 7:30 and got a meal at the lobby but it didn't seem like the conference was really worth my while so I went back to the room.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Family for Mother's Day

When my flight landed in San Diego I made the bus stop easily but there was a 10 minute wait. The bus dropped me off at Broadway and I walked to the bike shop. I tried out a couple of bikes before deciding on a street bike for four days. They gave me a light and a lock.

I rode Island Street to 22nd and zigzagged up to 30th and Ray. I found that 28th went through but it wasn't worth it. I found a bike shop that adjusted my bars. They told me to check out yield bikes but I couldn't find it online.

I went to Lucha Libre and had tacos while charging my phone. Then I went to the Toronado. The bartender was just nice. I tweeted and posted to Facebook before it was time to go. I went the most direct way I could and it was easy but the road wasn't fun.

I took the most direct route to 16th and Broadway but the boat to Coronado was already leaving. I had to wait 45 minutes.  When it arrived, the boat was odd looking but it wasn't much different from what I know. When it docked I checked into my hotel room. There was some kind of service that got tacked on. I noted that I would want to go look at it.

I was lazy for an hour alone in my room but I did text family for Mother's Day. I looked for a taco place and rode up C street to get there but they were all closed. After looking around I went to McP’s. They played music that I liked.

I wrote back up C and realized the Island of Coronado was very similar to Long Beach’s Belmont shore. One building I saw was a complex on a large lot probably several units. The whole foundation was a  below ground garage.  Back at the room I got ready for bed and didn't go to sleep until 115.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I was up at 7:30 and made the conference by 745. I had a meal and got settled. I started listening to lectures.  Much later I noted that I had been at the conference for a while. I quit and went to my room a few times. For lunch I went for tacos on Orange Street. San Diego I noted was very similar to Los Angeles.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Appreciate the Landscape Together

On the morning of my birthday, May 12, I resigned myself to and easy day at work. Afterwards I wrote to a bar and had a couple of drinks.  My roommate I had gone to get pizza.  While we ate, my friend and I got ready and I grabbed the pack of sparkling wine cans before we headed to Civic Center.

She almost lost her hat but it was really easy to board. We found a seat near our bikes and there was a reshuffle at MacArthur. At Richmond I found the guys and we introduce ourselves to a few others. A few of us went to the convenience store and then the ride left. We saw an acquaintance as we headed down McDonald. I didn't agree with her about how revitalize downtown was but at least we could appreciate the landscape together.

We ended up on a really large but low traffic road in the industrial district. I commented on how it really was ideal for riding.  My friend told me about her visit to Richmond. She likely visited twice. We chatted a lot. There were a couple of times when we engaged each other.

There were two music bikes near us as we entered the bay side tunnel. The music bike ahead of us was playing a really good song. The one behind us was mostly bass. When we entered the tunnel the one I had was really loud but as we approach the other side the base bike was more so. I liked the effect.

My phone ended up dying because I had had my camera on. My friend had made sure she had power though.  We rode the waterfront to the bay shore bike path. My friend looked at the signs and I noted a sign on an abandoned building. Later I discovered that it was the Richmond Motorcycle club.

We couldn't make it onto the curb at the bike path so we all had to dismount. The path when away from the road. It then zigzaged near the tracks. It was really cold. The roadside had barrier separating my friend and I near the rails. She almost lost her head again. We ended up at a large landing with warehouses. There was a brewery inside one of the warehouses. At first I was bummed because the ride sponsorship. However, my friend had M&Ms and we drink sparkling wine from cans.

We hung out with the guys and I introduced my friend to them and a few others. I was still pretty critical of the venue but I started to come around to the idea that the ride was all right.  So many close acquaintances had all called off. There were just a few people that I knew. At some point I decided to say goodbye. However, we just follow the group out.

The flag took took us over the tracks and into Richmond. We zigzagged through the neighborhoods until we got to Nevin. It turned out the new entrance to the station was not quite finished. We had been riding with a guy I knew from Pac Heights the whole time and he knew was a little bit. We did some catch-up and when we entered Bart he had disappeared. Some guy in a car with a drink said "where you goin?” He had a gravelly voice that one of the riders made fun of.

We made the platform after our train left and people started arriving. The guy from Pac Heights got in our car and we sat together. When we transferred he gave me a beer. We got off at Civic Center and arrived at the apartment at midnight.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.

Near The Tennis Courts

I picked up again on writing the evening of the sixth.

I ended up at Dolores Park with enough time to head out on bike party. Some of the guys were with one group and the rest were near the tennis courts.  I had a long talk with some of the regulars. A couple I knew were behind the flag. We went around the Mission and up for some to seventh. A guy I knew working for the city was on his way to the Hole in the Wall and I told him about my life.

The group was really small. The green flag gave up at some point and the couple I knew took over. Later we went to the waterfront to climb to Fort Mason but bubble lady was wise and took Van Ness. One of the San Jose guys and her set up a strobe light which made a cool effect. I introduced some people and spoke to two Europeans.  As I was leaving I said hi to almost everyone and got asked to go to her party.

I rode with some of the guys to Civic Center and a cop car honked at me.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.