What an eventful day two. Lots of variety of every kind - people, topography… and weather! We started the day out in the Richmond District of SF, and as the famous Mark Twain once said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”. Carl the Fog was in full force and it was quite chilly as we were rolling out. Regardless, spirits were high in the city where the streets are paved with gold. I personally had a great time admiring the architecture near the Presidio - houses I could never afford, but love biking by regardless.
As we approached Golden Gate, the ocean breeze (read as: extremely strong wind) whipped about. Matthew and I decided to take a slight detour to dip wheels in the Pacific Ocean. He wants to continue on to the Atlantic Ocean after DC, and I truly hope that he makes it there.
The rest of the day of riding was relatively uneventful - a mix of rolling hills, random East Bay towns, and some pretty nice views of the bay. The real fun started when we rolled into our warm showers. Bruce and Gabs are quite possibly the coolest people I have ever met. They are both musicians and have such good insights into the music world. Gabs is a violinist, and Bruce is a trombonist. Both professional. And they met as a music festival! In Carmel! And they still go back every year! Crazy cool people.
And, if that wasn’t already cool enough, they own a freaking sailboat. And before you ask - yes, we absolutely took a ride on the boat. It was quite majestic and the San Pablo Bay really lights up during sunset. Bruce is extremely knowledgeable about boats and the waterways around him, and he was very excited to give us a play by play as he adjusted the sails and steered the boat.
After a great sailboat ride, we ended the night with some pizza and a violin solo from Gabs. I am simultaneously extremely happy and quite sad with the situation - on the one hand, this may have been the best host of our entire trip. On the other hand - it’s only day two. Regardless, I’m going to bed with a full belly and a head full of violin music. Not a bad way to end the day.