Saturday 1 July 2017

Casa Vicente Golden Gate Blues: Saturday, July 1st!



Up at just before 7:00 am but Sarge was still asleep so I stole into the kitchen to Keurig myself a java. No fog at all, just a clear blue sky, the sunshine starting to creep across the floor of the valley, lighting the extensive emerald green of the far as the eye could see vineyards. What a sight! What a life! Will digitate for a bit before we pack up the car. Had planned to leave fairly early but David wants us to come into the self-same vineyards to turn on the irrigation system. As well, Patrizzia will complete the paperwork for the wine we will be taking. We weren't back at the winery until shortly after 4:00 pm and Catalina had already left for the day. The Grumpy Winemaker claims he cannot handle the money side of matters, he only knows how to make wine!

Hello Burns Street Spoiled Feline Centre !Executive Summary!!! Read First!!!
Attenzione! Attenzione! Ateenzione! Hello Tinsel Town! We expect to arrive at Woodland around 3:00 pm. If we manage to leave Berkeley earlier than 9:00 am, we will call to inform you. I'd like to take Sarge on The Orange Line for a short ride, time allowing but if Winston has other plans we will meld. Much to tell, anon.

 
Greetings from Naughty Nancita and Prickly Pear to one and all. We arrived here around 11:30 am after leaving Famiglia Coffaro at 10:05 am. Little traffic so we were at Casa Vicnte by 11:30 am. After we hauled whatever we needed up My Everest we had a bite to eat and then Cactus drove us to Rockpile, (actually Rockridge Station!), to catch BART to Embarcadero. There we only had a few blocks to hit the bike path system in front of the Fisherman's Wharf complex and then the fun started! With Independence Day weekend started the crowds were enormous and, in particular, the bike path was filled with people who rented bikes and most of them knew nothing about cycling etiquette so neither of us clipped our shoes into the pedals as we were deathly afeared of having to stop suddenly, for one reason or another.

At ant rate, the ride past the Presidio was lovely, if chock-a-block, with Kamikaze riders. Bridge deck was no better as countless Millennials were taking selfies while riding, paying scant attention to weaving back and forth across the narrow passageway and many young children, as well as adults, would simply dart out into the flow with no indication, whatsoever, that they were about to so do. Nevertheless we made it to the north side of the bridge, into Marin County, where we turned around in the small rest area there. Before we took off, we asked a young woman, standing nearbye, if she would take a picture of us. She very kindly did just that and in the ensuing conversation we learned that she and her husband and young child were from Holland and her rental bike had a flat on the Golden Gate! When we met her they had already been waiting for an hour and a half. We thanked her and wished her Buona Fortuna and then headed back over the bridge.

Ride back wasn't as bad, especially as we had the wind at our back and pedestrian/bike traffic had eased off a tad. Took the stairs at Embarcadero and were on the train platform at just before 4:00 pm. Ten minutes later Pittsburg train pulled in and we were on our way back to Rockpile. Cactus was waiting and once we loaded the bikes onto the rack we were off. Not as long a ride as I would have liked but ferry schedule out of Tiburon was such that we wouldn't have been back until 6:30 pm, or later, had we decided to ride that far and return to SF that way. Still, an interesting outing and Sarge was pleased to have ridden over the Golden Gate! Map and Stats for ride:

 
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1829857967#.WVhHedx2DFk.email


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