Sunday, September 19

We started this trip off with a wonderful visit with friends Janet and Mas in Oakland, where they prepared a delicious dinner and we regaled each other with stories and laughed all evening. Catching up with great old friends is one the very best ways to spend time. Add to that the fact that Janet is my (Jeff) oldest friend. She remembers the day we met in the sandbox in nursery school! We can usually find something to talk about :)

Unpacking the bikes just after arriving, we discovered the first problem we've ever had using a bike shipping service: some damage to Mark's rear derailleur system, which controls the gear shifting capabilities. Near-Panic mode! But thankfully we found a bike shop only two blocks away that 1) sells Mark's brand, 2) had the right part in stock, and 3) was willing to throw his bike right up on the rack and fix him up. Dodged a bullet...hoping this is good karma for this trip. The weather, for one, is forecast to be perfectly hot and dry for the whole week.

San Francisco is a bike-friendly city; bike lanes in every direction on many of the wide streets. We rode our bikes from downtown up the Embarcadero to Fort Mason to drop them off, then ran 4 miles back to the hotel, up and down and up and down! Whew!!! Those hills are really a challenge for a couple of flatlanders but it was fun both riding and running over them. Now if our legs can transition back to a long ride tomorrow everything will be great.

Sunday morning we rode out of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf hostel with our group of 41 riders plus support staff from Adventure Cycling Association, organizer of a week-long trip through Sonoma County wine country. First leg was crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Although the fog was lifting it still felt a little eerie and strangely quiet, even for a Sunday morning. But soon we were riding through Sausalito and beyond, admiring all the quaint towns and thinking about the upcoming Chicago winter and how we will bear it!

A good first day; about 55 miles, some climbing that tested our legs a bit, and tremendous support and a great dinner. A very nice start to a trip we've looked forward to for some time now. Tomorrow on to Santa Rosa.