San Fransisco

There was only one problem with Hwy 36, as scenic as it was, it was really not going where I wanted to go; south! It was heading east, or to be more accurate it was heading east-south-east, which was OKish, but it would drop me on Interstate 5. This gave me three options; I could just run south on I5, not something I really fancied doing; I could go straight across and pick up another rode heading south, which would mean an even longer detour as well as missing a whole lot more of the Pacific Coast Highway; or I could run down a bit of I5 till I met Hwy 20 and track back roughly south-west to the PCH. I chose the latter option as being the most congenial to both my desired direction and preferred road type. 

It was a good choice! I was still encountering wild fire on the last sections of Hwy36 not the smoke had thinned out from yesterdays blanket. Turning south on I5 I soon left it all behind for the moment and made good time down to Hwy20. It was in fact marked on the tourist map Janice Had given me as “scenic” and they were bang on. Once again it was a smaller road which meandered through the hills and valleys, rising and falling though not excessively so. I could almost have been back in North Wales if it were not for the temperature. Even with the wind chill whilst riding along it was showing 36c on my thermometer. That was  hot and I was thankful that I had topped up by water bottles before leaving camp, although by the time I came to drink it, it would have been good for coffee it was that hot!

 

And you all thought I was just out on  a jolly!!!!

I had set the Sat Nav for a little place on the coast called  Albion, but soon changed that as I got closer, to head for Point Arena. Once more I got lucky, this time it was more like the Greek Pindos mountains in way it climbed and fell through a narrow tortuous route. The sun was till shinning and the ride was a joy, well apart from getting stuck at some road works for about 15 mins in the direct heat of the sun, without a bit of shade to be found anywhere. But I survived and made it back to the coast road once more where I turned left and headed due south. Campgrounds were a little thin on the ground on this section of the road but dropping down a steep hill which curved sharply to the right, I spotted a whole load of RVs and trailers parked up, so pulled in to ask if they had a space for my tiny tent. I’m sure my jaw must have sunk a couple of inches as I spotted the price list…$40 per night. I was just about to do one of my now famous U-turns when the lady in the office said I could camp on the grass, which she said would be much better for a tent. When she told me the price I asked her to repeat it, twice! $10… I really must have had my most winning smile on. It wasn’t perfect as although we were right on the coast I couldn’t see the sea at all from my pitch, but to save $30 I’ll happily walk a few yards to the beach. She also told me that there were a family in an RV that came from England and when she showed me their registration card, they came from Bakewell in Derbyshire. Andrew and Amanda as I later found there names to be had flown out with their two young boys to LA and hired the RV for two weeks. They had been on just about the route I was about to do but in reverse; even crossing Death Valley in it, though the terms and conditions specifically excluded the road. One other coincidence came from out conversation in that one of their sons has a close friends who live virtually next door to my Niece and her husband in Grindlethorpe… It really is a very small world.

36c and it was still climbing!

I was still about 120 miles north of San Francisco with my destination, San Jose, another 50 miles on. San Jose” or at least the one I wanted in California. It gave me literally dozens of others but not that one. After just one wrong turn I got to the Golden Gate Bridge, or at least the view point. As I took my first photos, four more bikes pulled in by me led by Buck an American from Pennsylvania who was showing the three others, who were from Chile, around the US. As has sort of become standard on this trip, Buck gave me his email and said that if I needed any help on the way back which around his neck of the woods to give him a call. He also took a couple of photos of me and the bike with the Golden Gate in the background. Top man and thanks for the contact Buck. I left them still admiring the bridge as I swung round onto the approach road. I had never realised quite how long the bridge is, but it is vey long. I would guess about the same as our Severn Crossing and whilst it is a toll bridge, no tolls are collected on the bridge, so there are no traffic tail backs; Severn Crossing please note! Instead they are collected automatically by number plate recognition cameras. I've no idea what they do about foreigners like myself in or on foreign registered vehicles, but I would think that is a very small amount in the grand scheme of things.

The Golden Gate Bridge just before I rode across it!

An easyish day, although it did of course include navigating through the San Francisico traffic and then trying to find Sue’s house in San Jose. The latter with Sat Nav as it refused to recognise “

I hit Interstate 280 which skirts San Francisco heading for Santa Clara, as being the closest place to San Jose my Sat Nav would pick up. As I rode the freeway I mused that it was certainly no worse than the M4  and a whole lot better than the M25 even in off peak hours! I picked up signs for San Jose and then just forgot “Bitchin Betty” and did it the old way; First I followed the signs and then once off of the interstate I stopped at a petrol station and asked for direction… And it still works! Amazingly I wasn’t too far away (about 3 miles) and so I was soon pulling into Sue’s drive and being welcomed with an ice cold tea. Boy did I need it!

The Bay Bridge. This is the one that collapsed during the earthquake

Sue, my fabulous hostess with the mostest!!

So tonight I have been given the guest bedroom in her lovely house and sit typing this whilst Sue is out on a “Girly” evening! I’m sat in the garden under the shade of a huge sun umbrella sipping a cold beer and eating some left over pulled pork and salad… It’s a hard life but somebody’s got to do it. I’m not sure yet how long I’ll be here, maybe until my birthday on Saturday (maybe not if she gets tired of my mess!) Meanwhile I’ll be trying to get to see what San Francisco has to offer and who knows I may even do Yosemite from here as it not vey far away at all.