"Bring up San Francisco and undoubtedly someone will mention the gloom, the grey, the horrible weather," writes Jeff Pieper. "The thought of the cold, the wind, and the constant threat of rain -- like a storied San Francisco fog bank -- seems to engulf the spirit of many travelers, dampening their vacation dreams. But for whatever reason, I have had the remarkable luck of never seeing this side of the City by the Bay on my outings. I?ve been turned lobster red sitting in the bleachers at Candlestick Park, strolled down the Embarcadero under clear-blue skies, enjoyed sun-splashed picnics on the lawn in front of the city hall building.
"I hoped it would be no different this time."
And it wasn't. Despite the fact that their mini-adventure takes place during the first week of January, Jeff and his three companions enjoy sunshine and mild temperatures from the get-go.
"Soon we arrived at the icon of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge. I had been looking forward to this moment since Greg informed me we were taking this trip. While the expectations of grandeur quickly faded to the deafening sound of cars flying by, the views remained unscathed. Watching the shimmering gold streaks of the ocean run to the horizon made it difficult to focus on the riding."
After arriving at Point Reyes -- which they do after overcoming a couple of mechanical challenges -- the group settles in at Glen Camp, located in a humid, grass-filled hollow surrounded by trees.
"Awaking to another bright and sunny day, we ate some breakfast and decided to take a hike down to the beach. The forest and the cool morning air retreated as we climbed over the last ridge to our first view of the ocean. We were welcomed to the coast with a hot, dry breeze, and clear, blue skies for as far as we could see. The trail led to a beautiful overlook and beach access where we waded through the waves and watched some seals swim along the coast; all in all, an idyllic California beach day."
Read the rest of Jeff's story, imbued with more sunshine and the sound of crashing waves, at BikeOvernights.org.
Our current Photo of the Week comes from Whoopie Pies for Breakfast in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, by Lisa Maloney. It posted at BikeOvernights.org on February 6, 2012.
Top 3 photos by Jeff Pieper
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BIKE OVERNIGHTS is posted every Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling?s media specialist, and highlights content from BikeOvernights.org. Previously, from March 2009 through January 2012, Mac posted weekly at Biking Without Borders. He also compiles the organization's twice-monthly e-newsletter Bike Bits, which goes free-of-charge to 45,000 readers worldwide.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/07/san-francisco-to-point-reyes-back.html
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