Western Express Day #26 Fairfield, CA to San Francisco, CA
Western Express Day #26
June 26 2021
Fairfield, CA to San Francisco, CA - 72 Miles
Start 7:54AM, Finish 4:03PM
Ride Time: 7:43
Ascent: 2694'
Descent: 2456'
Tour Total Miles: 1734
I slept incredibly well in room 233 at the Motel 6 in Fairfield. I had weird dreams, and one of them involved DJ-ing at WFMU with weird audio formats and having to rock climb between levels in the building. I woke up early, as always, and again forgot to document the room
It was a little chilly as I wound my way through the sprawl back towards the route. I was wearing my short-sleeve jersey and cycling shorts. Outside of town I was once again reacquainted with the beautiful golden rolling hills. There was a thick fog hanging over the hills to the west. I rode past vineyards and groves of olive trees. There were dozens of day cyclists out enjoying the morning as I took SuiSun Valley Road towards Rockville. I passed wine tasting rooms and impressive villas.
In Rockville I stopped at the Chevron Power Mart and bought myself a Starbucks Frappuccino, orange juice, and banana. The cashier said that it was going to be hot today and up in the 90's. I replied, "That's not so bad". She followed with, “Well then, you belong in California”.
I heard from Philip yesterday who made it to the Atlantic coast. Melissa’s was in Chanute, KS. Jeff reached the end of his Great Divide tour at the Canadian border. Peter was in Breckenridge, CO and Ricky and Alissa were in Great Bend KS. I crossed over twelve lane Interstate 80. There was still heavy fog to the west. I doubled back around under the Interstate and rode alongside I-680. I missed a turn and had to go back.
I finally got the route straightened out and took a left on McGary Road which paralleled Interstate 80. There was a strong headwind. I crossed into Napa County and the side road I was on became even narrow and inactive. I was right up against Interstate 80 with rolling golden grass hills to both sides of the Interstate. I climbed up over a ridge, and could see the San Francisco bay in the distance.
I entered the Solano Bikeway and noticed vineyards to the west. The bike trail ended and I found myself on Columbus Parkway and surrounded by car dealerships. I noticed a hang glider up in the sky descending from the hills. I entered Vallejo on Georgia Street through a residential neighborhood. It was hilly and the air was still cool. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was strong. I crossed Interstate 80 one last time. The center of town was blocked off for a street market. I saw peaches for sale and almost stopped. A vendor shouted out, “Anybody on a bike gets 5% off!”, and I chuckled.
I got to the ferry terminal in plenty of time for the 11:40AM departure to San Francisco. Yesterday I had looked at the schedule, and my phone had automatically downloaded the clipper payment app. The terminal was closed because of COVID and there were notices taped to the doors. I went to the ferry slip and saw that there was no weekend service. This is the kind of rude disruptive behavior that I regularly receive from New York City transit. I guess the West Coast is no different. There were other passengers there waiting as well. Instead of a leisurely one hour ferry ride, I had two options. I could either take public transit for two hours or pedal for four. The cycling option would include the Golden Gate Bridge. This last minute snag would add some excitement to the tour's last day. Rather than an easy twenty five mile day, I was now in for an adventure around San Francisco Bay. I was no longer on the ACA route and would be trusting Google maps for my directions.
I took the Carquinez Bridge trail to cross the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge across the Carquinez Strait, where I entered Contra Costa County. I rode down San Pablo Avenue, and there wasn’t much motor vehicle traffic. Many day cyclists were passing me from the other direction, and I passed a massive oil refinery. I encountered a Google Maps hiccup and eventually figured out the problem. I got on the San Francisco Bay Trail that ran alongside the water.
Eventually I left the trail and was back on busy San Pablo Avenue, which was thick with motor traffic. I rode through an office park that included a large Amazon complex. I then found myself in Point Pinole Regional Shoreline Park on a gravel path surrounded by grass and oak trees. Google Maps can be amazing! The next thing I knew, I was in another industrial area surrounded by tanker cars and refineries.
I got on the Richmond San Rafael bridge trail which led to the five mile long Richmond Bridge across the San Francisco Bay. To my left I could see the Golden Gate bridge and the city of San Francisco far in the distance. I crossed into Marin County and noticed sailboats down below in the bay.
I entered San Rafael, population 52,700 and then merged onto Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. There was a nice bike lane on the shoulder and I was able to speed past the slow-moving motor vehicle traffic. I rode on Marin County Bicycle Route 20, and then the Redwood Highway, AKA Highway 101.
Sweet Meadow Drive was a pleasant ride up past some steep hills and nice houses, and then I rode onto the Mill Valley Sausalito Bike Path. Sausalito was filled with tourist joints and seafood restaurants. I was starving, and was tempted to stop. And then the Golden Gate Bridge Towers appeared. I stopped to take a photo and the wind kept blowing over my bike. It was a steep climb to get onto the bridge. San Francisco Bay has an excellent bike network all around the bay. New York could have an equally impressive ring around it's harbor, if they they allowed a bike lane on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.
The Golden Gate Bridge was insanely windy. The west side of the bridge had a bicycle lane and the east side had a pedestrian lane. Aggressive day cyclists were speeding across and tourist day rental cyclists didn’t have a clue. My brim was blowing my head all over the place and my panniers were like sails. I heard a loud whistling sound and the experience was harrowing.
I finally reached the Presidio, and the views of the Pacific were dramatic. I followed various bike routes through the city to get to my hotel. Many streets were closed to motor vehicle traffic, like the Open Streets program in New York. I hope they keep it this way. I checked into my hotel and uploaded my social media. The weather was chilly as I rode over to Ebisu, my favorite Japanese restaurant in the world. There I enjoyed oysters, sashimi, and sushi, washed down with cold Asahi. The tour was now over.
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