Exploring USA // Biking Golden Gate

Our first taste of California was Bakersfield. A fairly uninspiring welcome to the bright light at the end of the long road. As I mentioned in this post, a frozen Yosemite meant a change of route, thankfully our stop in Bakersfield was as brief as it was uninteresting. Another example of the homogenised city of roadside outlets, devoid of character. 

And so, early in the morning we hit I5 north to San Francisco. As we drove it seemed more like we were driving into the apocalypse than the Golden Gate City. Rain was bouncing off of our car and taking out other cars. It was in this weather we arrived at the pier for a night time trip to Alcatraz. The only disappointment was no Nicholas Cage. If you're going to go to the island, doing it at night and in the rain is pretty special. Super creepy and sinister. 

The bright sunshine of the next morning meant plans were back on track for cycling the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. We took the boat home and watched a pretty stunning sunset behind the bridge. It felt like a real welcome to the promise of California. 

And then, of course, we got drunk in the Mission.

Next stop PCH...