I saw a rainbow unicorn.

On November 5, 2022, I wrote that the night before I went to 17th and Harrison for San Francisco Bike Party and saw people I had gotten to know well over the course of the pandemic. I also saw quite a few of the regular leadership from the various Bike Parties – SF, Ease Bay (Yay) and San Jose. When we rolled out down Shotwell I saw old acquaintances and many people I had known on that ride for many years. I also saw a lot of new faces.

We headed up 15th. The ride was slow and at Market one of the ride leaders stopped the group to let cars go by. Some of the hard core of SF’s cycling rebels were managing traffic as the ride headed to Castro Street and returned to the Mission along 18th Street. I didn’t think the route was very productive but it turned out great.

I was behind a couple of girls for a bit. Later I saw a friend I knew from Twitter. I helped the ride at Guerrero. I saw a rainbow unicorn.

I rode with the group to Valencia and we went down 26th to Potrero Del sol. I spoke to many of the same people I had known for ages and we all caught up with our lives. During the ride a person from my geography happy hours said hi to me but I wasn’t able to locate her later. I hung out with “my group” and discussed camping before we headed out.

The ride went up Potrero. I spoke to a bunch of people but it was mostly in passing. Some guy said he liked my Cross Check. We rode the circle in Mission Bay and went on the sidewalk to avoid the metal grates on The Third Street Bridge. I saw those girls again. I also hung out with the cycling rebels again. I spotted an old acquaintance and we all did some catch up.

I followed the Rebels to Market and rode home with a few others. We met a random Canadian girl on the way.

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.

Wearing Their Costumes

On October 31, 2022, I wrote that the night before I had packed the bike at my father’s house and in the morning we left at 7:30. It wasn’t hard because I had organized a lot over the previous four days.

We rode to the waterfall in GGP in 10 minutes and made it to Pacific Heights by 8:10 which meant that we were early. I offered to give the boys their costumes but just ended up putting them in their backpacks against my better judgment.

I went to the cafe and set up the computer at home for work. Everything went fine all day.

Later I went to the school and the boys were in the school’s Halloween Parade but weren’t wearing their costumes which was kind of sad for me. I got the boys packed and we went to Golden Gate Park on the cargo bike via Clay, Euclid and Arguello.

Their mother met us at the ping-pong tables near 8th and Fulton and the four of us got some quesadillas at ninth and Lincoln. The meal was wonderful.

After that we rode to Funston and met up with another family of four– people we’d known for years. We walked with the four boys up 12th Avenue and I followed on the bike. Some parents had a table in front of their house offering box wine.

The youngest in our group was wearing a blue suit to look like the mayor in Paw Patrol and we all thought he looked adorable. He was very good with the other boys too. We walked to Kirkham and came back nearly to Lincoln.

A little later the boys’ mother got on her bike and headed to Alameda via the ferry and I hung out a bit longer with my boys and our companions. After that I took the boys to my father’s house where they quickly went to bed. My father and I chatted in the dining room for a while. He said he had had 20 trick-or-treaters.

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.

Time for A Bike Party

On October 8, 2022 I wrote that the night before I left for the little Chihuahua to get a burrito a bit late. I was in time for a Bike Party. The ride left Francisco Park on Beach Street and headed to Sansom. One of my buddy’s was in a great Skull Mexican outfit. We had traffic issues all the way down Second Street but it was OK. I rode with some people from my neighborhood and and learned that a regular from the East Bay (Yay) was leading. We went to Terry Francois and onwards to 24th Street and hung out at the park there. I saw a bunch of regulars. I also got to know new people from the East Bay (Yay). On the way back up Embarcadero I was with an acquaintance I met at a previous Midnight Mystery Ride. We also witnessed a motorcyclist harassing one of the organizers.

We ended up at Aquatic Park and my acquaintances and I rode up Van Ness to Pacific where I said bye to them. I noted that they are very nice. I rode Laguna home and had frozen waffles.
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.

Get in The Big Pool

On September 5, 2022, I wrote that that morning I woke slowly knowing the boys would instantly start bothering me. When were out of the tent I had them dressed themselves and break down the tent. Then I told them to go out to the empty campsite across the way – it had bees apparently.

I rolled up the sleeping equipment and separated the clothes before getting dressed and then started prepping for food and oatmeal and hot cocoa. The boys had had at least two meltdowns at this point. The food was OK – they ate most of it. I managed to pack a lot after this without a lot of interruption. I noted that I hate doing it but my process works. I didn’t remember what the boys specific gripes were and they were not strident but I noted that I was troubled every time.

I had charged my battery the night before and my phone chargers that morning. We threw garbage away and left at almost 10:30. The ride had much the same as normal but but more since it was a major holiday.

At the swimming hole, The Inkwells, I parked down on the creek and we went over and I jumped in. There were a lot of young people but there were more parents than when we went the last few times. We had a snack and then I had them get in the big pool with me.

While sitting on the rocks I saw an acquaintance from Bike Party ride over the bridge with her two friends but they seemed slightly preoccupied. However, she did notice that I had yelled bike party at her.

We got going at around 12:30 and I knew that we were pressed for time to catch the ferry at 1:35 so we dumped garbage and I ran through San Geronimo Valley in about 20 minutes. Only one motorist was rude. Also, I made it nearly to the top of White Hill from the Woodacre turn off without being followed. There were a lot of cars going the other direction.

The drop to Fairfax didn’t top 39 mph and though one car was following us, the electronic camera signs all said to slow down so I knew we were going really fast. When we stopped between Fairfax and San Anselmo for water, I noted that we were six minutes ahead for catching our Ferry.

I was exhausted. The ride was calm after that and I noted that the climb over White Hill had turned out to be a boost. The boys were really nice.

At the ferry we went right in and boarded. I unpacked and went downstairs. I found my acquaintance from Bike Party and her friends on the ferry. We chatted and I discovered that I had met the other two people in her group at the campsite the night before and that they had been staying there all weekend. They said they hadn’t notice me on The Inkwells Bridge.

At the ferry building we rode home and I noted that Market Street was predictable. We unpacked in an orderly fashion and we spent the rest of the day recovering.

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.

Platform Bridge Road

On September 4, 2022, I wrote that the night before I had trouble staying up and fell asleep around midnight. When I woke I was being lazy so let the boys wake up on their own. When our hostess gave the boys some toys.

For about an hour I collected stuff and checked on the boys. Our hostess’ spouse made us pancakes and I started laundry. The boys didn’t eat the pancakes which was sad. We sat around chatting for a while and then our hostess took the boys to see the trees in the yard. Later we looked at their studios - they are both accomplished artists. We also visited the old willow out front. I sent pictures to family. We made coffee and chatted for a while.

I packed the bike up then and made to go. I took the boys on a short walk around the neighborhood and our hostess gave us sandwiches as we were saying goodbye.

We went to the market in Point Reyes Station then. The place was really crowded. I got enough food for dinner and breakfast. I sadly couldn’t find beer and the line was really long so I settled for a rosé.

The town itself was also really crowded. We battled traffic as we left the market and then headed up to the Platform Bridge. While riding on the Point Reyes Petaluma Road it was as busy as I predicted but better than Sir Francis Drake Blvd. The motorists were very accommodating. On Platform Bridge Road some people passed us who had seen us at the market and they waved at us. I also thought the views were stunning. At Platform Bridge itself, I stopped at the fruit stand and got candy, chips and water.

Miles later at Tocaloma we took a stop and ate snacks and drank a coke. I remember thinking about how much better the trip was than going over the ridge on Drake Blvd. From there we went up The Cross Marin Trail where we had a lot of fun. One of the boys took pictures with my phone from the back of the bike.

When we arrived at the front entrance to Samuel P Taylor Park, the ranger told us that she had ejected some cyclists the day before from the hiker/biker Site Number 1 because they had overstayed their welcome. However, she was very helpful to us – partially because she liked that I had brought two kids on a bike. I noted too that her hard exterior is misleading as she is clearly a softy. She gave us the overflow site number 62.

When we got to the site, I yelled at the boys to build the tent. I was really frustrated at that point because of all the extra steps in getting settled. We eventually did it though and we put our stuff in the tent and I took the three of us to the swimming hole at the Inkwells (again). The whole excursion was great. I jumped in twice.

The boys drank their apple juice before I jumped in a third time. Ironically, the boys hate jumping into overly cold water and they walked back to the bike. I had to catch up with them where I had parked next to the pools on the creek side near the confluence.

At that point I opted to take the boys up to Kent Lake where we got photos of the dam. The boys really liked the forest and mountain quality. When we were finished, we rode down into the west side of the canyon to the trail head for the Shafter Grade. Then we returned to the Shafter bridge and got on the Cross Marin Trail where I was surprised to see friends from Bike Party.

We headed to the campground where I made a quick stop at Camp Site Number 1 where I saw more Bike Party People.

When we got back to Site Number 62, we unpacked a lot and I made ramen for dinner and eventually we went to bed.

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.

Point Reyes

On September 3, 2022, I wrote that that morning I woke from an OK night lying on the ground sleeping through the night and later the boys moving around in their tent. I had to tell them to be quiet several times. By 7:50 we were dressed and getting ready to eat. Most of the campers in the site were leaving and I sat with the last of them.

I charged my bike battery using the outlet in the bathrooms and we packed the bike until 11:30 am and the couple who owned Bromptons were headed out for a hike then.

We rode to inkwells then just to jump in the swimming hole. I had told a group of people from our shared site about it and while we were there we saw them. While only a few other people were there, more arrived as we were leaving.

We rode to the camp again and said bye to the Brompton couple before peeking at Samuel P. Taylor’s overflow bike campsite and passed Jewel trail head on the way to Tocaloma. I gave the boys my camera. There were a lot of people riding bikes on the Cross Marin Trail but they had clearly driven their cars to the park.

We braved the climb up Drake Boulevard to Olema then. The GSD averaged about 10 miles an hour to the top and we were able to pace a road cyclist almost the whole way. Because of two turns at the top the road is very sketchy so we stopped to take in the view.

We descended to Olema then and had a small snack. Then we went to the Point Reyes National Seashore Visitor Center. We found that we could take the bike to divide meadow but were not allowed to take the bike to the coast. We looked at the exhibits and then we ascended the Bear Valley Trail and at the end we did a short hike. We didn’t get a chance to see the coast because the boys very reasonably asked that we go back. So, we returned to the Visitor Center.

The whole ride and hike took only a couple of hours. I was really happy with it. We rode back through the Olema Marsh and passed Limantour Boulevard. Then we crossed the Lagunitas Creek bridge headed into Point Reyes Station.

I had gotten in contact with an acquaintance there the day before who had agreed to play hostess for us. So after putting in a reservation at the restaurant we went to her house. She was in her garden and set us up in her extra bedroom.

Later we returned to the restaurant. We had to wait for our table in the bar where I gave the boys a coke. Then when we sat at our table the boys established a rapport with the waitress because she brought them things that they liked – grilled cheese sandwiches and quesadillas. She also brought us some dessert that the boys liked. I took a really great photo on the way back.

Our hostess was very hospitable and the boys went to bed fine.

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.

We Rode to Inkwells

In the morning of September 2, 2022, I wrote that I sent a message to an acquaintance in Point Reyes Station who had agreed to play hostess for the coming Saturday before I got the boys up for the day. We had breakfast like a normal school day.

As we had already dropped the bike off at Embarcadero, I only had to collect the odds and ends to leave the apartment. However, the bus ride to the Ferry Building was a little frustrating because we barely made our boat despite getting up early.

I had to stay busy repacking the bike during the bay crossing but the trip was fun and the boys enjoyed themselves. I had to ask the attendants to retrieve my backpack after we left but that turned out alright – I got everything back.

We went to Larkspur Landing to take photo booth pics before loading up the bike and riding up the slough into Ross. I got coffee in Sam Anselmo. The boys remembered everything. It was really sweet. Later we rode to the Fairfax market and Bike Shop to get a few items. The kids had been having issues up to this point and I realized it was really hot.

I missed a turn on the way to the market in Fairfax but in total we were ahead of time. We stopped at White Hill elementary to get the boys water. I shared photos of our ascent to the pass with friends and I noted that everything was great.

The descent to Woodacre was also fine. We had ice cream sandwiches. I met the owner of the store. I got a beer and a cocktail and some other items. We got butterfly stickers.

On our way to Lagunitas my work called and I had to do a surprise meeting which was really frustrating because it killed enough time that we were late passing through Lagunitas. We rode to inkwells but there wasn’t enough sunshine and I was kind of not happy. I jumped in anyway. I yelled at the boys to jump in. It was fine after that though.

Later we went to the campsite and met a guy from Sacramento and another guy named who had a Brompton from Danville. We unpacked and set up the tent. Then we had ramen with sauerkraut and some messy candy.

A couple from Seattle showed up on Brompton‘s and the guy from Danville was ecstatic. They shared all of their stories about their peripheral ride around America. I cleaned up and got the boys in bed. The boys really helped. I tried to be nice. I sat with the Brompton riders and chatted for an hour.
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.

The Opening Pitch

August 14, 2022, I wrote that the day before Jo and I took a seven to Gordo and then eight in big wreck. We discussed his divorce and when I mentioned mine we discussed wildfire. We looked at Sutro. We went to the fireside. There I explained YIMBY. A dog was loud so we relocated to Finnegans. Margaret arrived at dad‘s so we took an N and walked. We discussed Bjork at dad‘s house. Dad played some Irish music. Edgar gave me a beer. I went to bed late. I didn’t sleep well.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I woke at my dad’s house and my brother made coffee. As we got ready to go, I confirmed where to meet for dad’s birthday baseball game. I said bye to everyone at the local bakery and I rode my electric cargo bike through Golden Gate Park to the apartment.

A little while later I rode to the ferry building to meet my kids and their mother for some hot cocoa. Then we stopped at a deli to got sandwiches on the way to meet my family and friends at the playground next to the ballpark. While picnicking my Dad was with his new lady friend. Before heading inside, I took the boys to the Giants’ souvenir shop after going to the bike valley and bumped into a few of my friends and coworkers on the way. They had got comic books at the door upon entry to the park.

We went upstairs and sat with our group and watched the opening pitch. Later boys went off with their cousins a few times. I sat with my brother most of the game but by the seventh inning was sitting with my niece and her friends.

A little before the end of the game the boys left on a pedicab with their mother to go back to her home just as the Pirates got one run ahead. So in the ninth it was stressful. After the game, I retrieved my bike. My sister had wanted to see the fire station that our grandfather had worked at when he was alive. However no one really understood what she had intended and we were all trying to leave. Hence everyone got lost.

I put two of my party - my brother’s friends - on my bike and we passed all of the cars on Embarcadero on our way to Yerba Buena café. We got there 40 minutes before the rest of the group arrived. I had a waffle and Irish coffee while we waited. Later and I gave rides on my bicycle.

The party went to Boudin where we had soup bread bowls. Then we went to observe the seals before walking through North Beach for a beer at Vesuvio.

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.