“If you Love life, don’t waste time. For time is what Life is made of.”—Bruce Lee
Bill and I met friends Jimi Hunter and his wife Jennifer at the Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant in San Francisco at around 11 AM yesterday, parked the cars, and offloaded our bikes. We began our exciting adventure riding past the Cliff House near the Sutro Baths just north of Ocean Beach to the paved Golden Gate Bike Trail. Biking across Golden Gate Bridge is a great way to get an up-close and personal experience with one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. This exhilarating ride also offers a birds-eye view of the beautiful bay, Alcatraz Island, Angel Island, and the San Francisco City skyline. Though it can be windy and foggy, we had sun and blue skies all day long.
On the return back across the Golden Gate Bridge, we rode through the Presidio, China Beach (tucked in between Lands end and Baker Beach), and historical Fort Point (see video) offering one of the most spectacular views of the bridge. The old Civil War fort sits right under the southern end of the bridge. The Presidio has dramatic ocean overlooks, hills, historic forts, and beautiful natural ecosystems unique to the area. We visited the Jedi Master Yoda Fountain at the headquarters of LucasFilms in the Presidio Park and R2D2 in the lobby. We continued our ride to the Wave Organ, a wave-activated acoustic sculpture located on a jetty that forms the small Boat Harbor in the Marina District. The sculpture is known to offer “liquid music” made up of hisses and gurgling notes that ebbs and flows during the changing of the tides and restless movement of the Pacific Ocean.
At about 2:20 PM we rode through Haight-Ashbury, the famous 60s hippie hangout and former home of the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and more. You know when you hit Haight Ashbury when you inhale a whiff of pot and incense, and see very colorful eateries, murals, and people. At the recommendation of Jimi and Jennifer, we at VeganBurg, home of award-winning Vegan Burgers that are 100% plant-based. Out of eleven to choose from I enjoyed a mouth-watering crispy Avocado Beetroot with fresh avocado, beetroot, lettuce, Aussie onion, and creole tomato on a soft artisan whole wheat bun with a side of fries sprinkled with seaweed flakes. The manager was kind enough to let us park our bikes at the back right end of the restaurant.
On the way back to the Beach Chalet Brewery where the cars were parked, we road through Golden Gate State Park, passing Stowe's Lake, and pausing at the Botanical Gardens. We stopped for photos of the parks’ Peacock Meadow special exhibit of lights that will run through March 5, 2022. White during the day, and a burst of color at night, the exhibit designed by SF artist, Charles Gadeken is called "Entwined." We also stopped at the Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District, which is an extravagant neoclassical icon which features a classical Roman rotunda and curved colonnades in an idyllic park setting on land belonging to the Presidio. Bill and I clocked 27-miles on our Strava app and made it home traffic free at 4:30 PM.
