Day 32 – Thursday, July 19, 2001

Bodega Bay, CA – Lafayette, CA

78.70 Miles
12.51 Average Speed
6:08:32 ride time
9AM Departure
6PM Arrival
2087.79 Total Trek Miles

            Today would conclude the second and longest leg of the trip, sandwiched between a day of rest in Victoria, B.C. and a four-day weekend in Lafayette, CA.  The day broke with heavy fog and by the time of our departure the air still hung heavy around us.  The ride was mostly costal, except for a 20-mile jaunt inland littered with rolling brown hills.  Our excitement helped us up the hills as little as excitement can.  Each ascent was rewarded with a winding decent amid eucalyptus and pine and redwood.  We met the coast again at Stinson Beach.  After that, grueling hills awaited us for the next 20 miles until we dropped down into Sausalito and over the Golden Gate Bridge.  We met up with our friend Tony on one of the “grueling hills” and he rode with us back into San Francisco.  He was our first real contact with our familiar home of the Bay Area.  It was great to see him.

            The wind over the Bridge was incredible.  It was blowing strongly into the Bay and made the riding a bit more difficult.  It was a beautiful sight though, in spite of the persistent weather.

            Navigating through the city at rush hour certainly got our adrenaline going, so when we finally got to the BART station and we calmed down we got very tired and hungry.  Dan talked us on to the train (bikes aren’t really allowed during commute hours) and then we were home free.

            The Garff’s had an amazing dinner waiting for us and Lynn and Gary Anderson came too.  It was a wonderful reunion where we were able to rest and catch up and just not ride for a while.