Travel by the Calendar

City breaks often seem to be more about sight-seeing and eating rather than enjoying the outdoors. San Francisco though, is a city which very much embraces its outdoors and it is well worth exploring its parks. Renting a bike will allow you to cover more ground. And when the ground covered just happens to be the Golden Gate bridge, you’re sight-seeing and exercising at the same time. The ride begins in the bustling pier area of San Francisco, along a broad bike path, first along the foreshore and then through parkland. It’s busy along here, but pretty. The path weaves along beween the beach and the gum trees, the city suddenly seeming very distant. Watch out for the surfers, taking their chances against the waves and the rocks as the bridge gets closer. There is a steep uphill at this point but the reward is sailing out onto the majestic span of the Golden Gate Bridge. Pretty special. Cyclists are separated from the cars, so it’s possible to stop and admire the view from the bridge. On a somewhat darker note, it becomes obvious how many suicide attempts there are on this bridge, with signs and emergency phones every few hundred metres. Once across the bridge, there’s another viewing area, and then a gentle coast down the road to Sausalito. Sausalito is touristy without a doubt, but a pleasant place to stop nonetheless. There are plenty of places to grab a snack, or a postcard and contemplate cycling on to Tiburon, turning around at this point, or simply wait for the ferry to carry you back.

Isn’t San Francisco too hilly to cycle?
San Francisco does have some impressive hills, that will test the leg muscles of any cyclist, let alone the tourist who doesn’t cycle at home. But the route across the bridge from San Francisco to the hamlet of Sausalito, is mostly flat, and doesn’t require extreme fitness. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half depending on how much time is spent in taking photos. Most people ride over to Sausalito, get lunch there, and then catch the ferry back to San Francisco. It is possible to ride back across the bridge but you’ll discover the very slight incline on the way over to Sausalito becomes much more significant as it’s now an uphill incline.

Where can I rent a bike?
The most common way to get cycling is to rent a bike for the day. Blazing Saddles company are the most well known bike rental, with several locations along the San Francisco pier area. The bikes come with all the gear required including helmets, U locks and a map. They also have a small pouch, large enough to fit a water bottle and a point and shoot camera, other gear you’ll have to carry in your backpack or leave in a locker at the shop.

When is the best time to go?
The weather in San Francisco is notoriously difficult to predict. September and October offer the best opportunity for warm clear days. The ride would be much less enjoyable in the rain, so these months are also preferable in terms of precipitation. It’s also a very popular ride, so if possible steer clear of school holidays, or at least summer weekends, unless you are prepared to keep stopping as much as the person in front of you.

This post is part of Photo Friday hosted by Delicious Baby. Click on the link for travel photos from around the world.