October 7, 2010. Olema to San Francisco, CA. 38 miles

What a crazy night it was on our last night of camping! Before I was even asleep I heard some rustling and chattering right outside my tent--a couple of large raccoons were in the tree right over my head! I shined a light at them but they paid no heed.... after a while I got up and removed the rest of the stuff from my bike--there was no food on it, but still... The raccoons then moved on to a picnic table and started fighting--there was a lot of screeching and hissing going on... Once the raccoons settled down the coyotes started in. Oh well, such is life when you camp out.

Pat, Dianne and I started this day's ride together. Soon after leaving the campground we entered the Marin Trail bike path--a lovely paved path through the Samuel P Taylor State Park and the surrounding area. It was very nice to be out of the traffic, and what a lovely forest to ride through! The Salmon Crossing sign was on a bridge just before we left the park.

We passed a lot of horse ranches along this rural route. There was a large hill, which did not slow us down too much. At one point we saw 5 vultures sitting on a fence giving us the evil eye. They did not photograph very well, so I did not include them.

We stopped in Fairfax and had coffee and snacks at a very nice coffee shop, and then were on the bike route through the neighborhoods most of the rest of the ride. There was some road construction and a large hill, but we cycled on--nothing could stop us now!

And very soon we were on the famous Golden Gate Bridge! Dianne and I lost Pat after we were on the span, and did not get to see him again. He was quite anxious to meet up with his wife at the end of the ride, so we understood. We took a lot of photos of the bridge and ourselves, stopped at the gift shop, and took our time getting to the hostel (where our luggage and my bike box were waiting).

Right after we crossed the bridge we heard a loud roar and suddenly there were the Blue Angels! What a reception! They flew over many times and I really tried to get a good photo, but they are so FAST! Here's one above the hills of Sausalito, and one above Alcatraz.

We detoured through the SF Yacht basin to get a better look at Alcatraz and to see what was going on with the Blue Angels. As much as we would have liked to believe they were there for us, we thought it unlikely, and the young sailors I met told me as much--they were there for Fleet Week. Oh well, it was a nice reception anyway.

We arrived at the Fort Mason hostel and Greg was in the parking lot with a pile of luggage. Many of our group had already picked up their stuff and left, so I went in and got my bike box and started taking my bike apart. The Blue Angels were still at it, and that entertainment continued for hours.

Below is the room we slept in--or at least the room we rented for the night. There were 24 beds, most of them full, so of course I did not sleep. I am a poor sleeper at best, but sharing my air with all those people???!!! Sigh. It was a sleepless night. But what a great ending to a spectacular ride! I have ridden across the country, and in more than half of our states, but this was the most awe-inspiring ride I have ever done. I will never forget it.

Tomorrow Dianne's son is picking us up and driving us to Yosemite for the weekend. Don't you just love this country and all it has to offer? I'll blog the Yosemite trip too. Stay tuned!