Sooooo....had a dentist's app't yesterday: had two fillings replaced. One hours' time and me $330 poorer!
I did my first "Butter Lap" today; the Butter Lap is a circuitous bike ride o'er hill and dale, following a counter-clockwise pattern around the northern part of the City. I started at the Ferry building on the Embarcadero, whistling happily, and blithely unaware of the horrors that awaited me. The first inkling of doubt lent a gentle furrow to brow as the headwind gently slowed my roll. Past countless tourists either waddling along or wobbling back and forth on their rented clunkers. Past Aquatic Park and those brave fools splashing along in the Bay sans wetsuits, up and over Fort Mason and down to Marina Blvd. Aeolus whistled merrily as I wove thru packs of sightseers. Past Fort Point was my first of several navigational catastrophies. I ground painfully up a short, nearly (seemingly) vertical mountain (medium-sized hill). I made a left when I should've gone right, continued on, and almost got lost in the Presidio.
Called on some friends in my time of need... only half of them didn't answer their phones and the half that answered had never done the Butter Lap, so directions were vague and confusing at best. So, after circling the general area, cursing loudly enough to startle several passerby and rueing my utter lack of direction, I half-heartedly headed towards the parking lot/tourist area of the Golden Gate Bridge, having to again grind up the seemingly vertical mountain/hill...then past the parking lot/tourist area.. (mistake!) This wrong turn had me on a dirt path with a sheer precipice to my right. More cursing, phone calls and a few choice gestures aimed at the heavens and I finally found Lincoln Blvd. Some climbing, some great views (see picture to left) then a monstrous descent, which had me jealous of roadies' optional coasting capabilities! Spinning like I was going for the gold at Goldsprints I swept down and down, then it was a gentle climb to the land of the uber-rich: SeaCliff. Another left and I was headed to the Legion of Honor, and a climb that had me praying for gears or a motor. A roadie and I had a short conversation on the way up the hill, me grunting my responses as he looked on with a bemused look. He gave me grudging respect for doing the ride fixed; I bade him adieu as I started slowly sidewinding my way to the summit. A pic of my bike next to the fountain and a quick chug of coffee later, I was speeding off down to 34th Ave, Clement and Seal Rock Drive, then rollercoasting further to El Camino Del Mar and Pt. Lobos to the Great Highway. It felt good to blast by tourists in those little yellow racing-striped go-carts, gray skies and greenish ocean churning away to my right.. Down the Great Highway for a stretch, then a left on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd and a pit stop at a gas station for a Snickers and more caffeine. Then the best part of the ride: smooth sailing along JFK thru Golden Gate Park.
The Zoo (depressing/desolate), waterfall, meadows, etc. Accosted a couple on a Segway so I could get another photo to send my beleaguered girlfriend.
Out of the park and blasted down Oak, ran into my buddy Andy French who had just taken a nasty spill on Sloat..he'd rodeoed over his bars and scraped the shit out of his knee. We rode for a bit, then parted ways as I headed for Zeitgeist. Said hi to the bar-flies, then snuck out and back to the TL for some Chinese food lunch.
Oh yeah, on the left:
-my GPS (directions scrawled on a scrap of paper and taped to the top tube)
-Water you say? Ha! Hydration is for fools! Diuretics; it ain't just a book by L Ron Hubbard.
Oof. That was really bad.
-and lastly, my custom pump-holder:
packing-taped to the downtube. TL-style, what!
-- and (not shown) my teal fanny pack.
Next review: the Paradise Loooop.
