The boys found some fun but then an impromptu birthday party showed up - parents with young children like my boys and I. I picked up a few more cans at the wine shop on Sir Francis Drake. I noted that the playground was just like the one in Santa Barbara downtown.
The boys followed the kids around and I chatted lightly with the partygoers. I helped the boys climb on top of the nearby dugout and chased them a bit. As the people started leaving I chatted a bit more. One guy had an e-cargo bike - a Benno. I took the boys to the pizzeria and then Roberson Park where we got ice cream. We then wandered over to City Hall Park.
Back at the hotel, I read the boys story and once they had gone to sleep, I stayed up late. I had been having a hard time because of the sun and heat.
In the morning the boys were really energetic. I took my time getting up and ready. Once we were packed, we headed to a nearby coffee shop and listened to jazz. It was lively and the boys drank their apple juice enthusiastically.
We stopped at the liquor store on the way out of town and later made a short stop at Yolanda station. Then we got more food at the Fairfax Market. I noted that things were good up to then. The turns of through Fairfax were also OK.
I stopped at White Hill Elementary and took pictures and sent a tweet. The climb was easy enough but at the Hunter Creek bridge I had trouble and the boys became displeased at my having them walk along a narrow section. However they still were OK with the climb.
The next leg was a downhill and intense climb with a bit of sand. I almost lost traction but I climbed all the way to the top of White Hill with no real problem. Some mountain bike rider was behind me rooting for me the whole way!
There were Cyclists at the top and they seemed rather impressed with us. I had the boys stand in the shade. The downhill to Whittaker involved hot wind and that put us out. I bought ice cream at the store.
We went in three times: ice cream, napkins and snacks. The last time I knocked one of the boys shoes off accidentally and that set a hard 20 minutes in motion. The whole episode was emotionally draining. After trying to negotiate with them to stop being unhappy, I just put them on the bike and took them to a shadier cooler spot – they were screaming the entire time. Then I fed them their M&Ms and tried to be kind. I was not happy.
From there I gave upon placating them and set out to traverse the San Geronimo Valley. When they calmed down from the sun and trauma, I looked back to discover that they had fallen asleep on the bike. I found this to be the hardest leg of the trip. I stopped a couple of times to get them to wake up.
As it was one of the hottest days of the year for Marin and I had the children out in the hot air and sun, it seemed like it may have been inevitable to have a lot of trouble. The hardest leg was in the town of Lagunitas - immediately next to the park where we planned to camp. I got the boys awake and ordered sandwiches. I then found a small picnic table.
From there we got back on the highway - there was still plenty of sunlight in the day. We took our time on the turns along the boulevard and found our way to the Cross Marin Trail. I had been nervous about getting a site at Samuel P Taylor but the ride was really great. I discovered that people swim at a place called Inkwells. However I just kept on going.
I got a site really easily and then we set up the tent and organized. Eventually I had to rest so I offered the boys a sandwich. Unfortunately they rejected it. When I realized I had no recourse it made me sad. I texted friends and family. My dad had been texting stuff to me around then so I sent him a response.
I snapped out of my sadness when we visited Tocaloma. I got a photo but my phone died – I didn’t have a charger for my spare battery but the battery was full.
I rode back quickly. The bike campsite was full of characters then and we all shared stories and experiences. One couple suggested to one of the others who was headed to half Moon Bay that they ride together.
I made ramen and the boys ate some. I also cleaned up and tidied while talking to the other campers. Another person had gone to sleep as the sun was setting and eventually the others did too.
The boys crawled into their sleeping bags as soon as they had a chance. I got them dressed and as the light started to dim it was time to write and go to bed for me too.
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.
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