Golden Gate, chapter 2

©2014 Lydia Hinshaw

Friday was foggy

For bikes and peds, it's a narrow bridge

 SAN FRANCISCO -- Since our trip here Tuesday went quite well, we decided to do it again Friday, after we'd had a couple of days to recuperate, as well as time to map out a battle plan.

 I'd discovered there are free shuttle buses that take you from downtown to The Presidio, the historic Army post in the fantastic location, now reinvented with businesses and civilian residences, but maintaining its military look.

 Also, there are two shuttle bus routes through The Presidio, so you can see the place without having to walk all over it (though there are plenty of hiking trails for those so inclined.)

 The shuttle bus stop was just a few blocks from the ferry building, according to my map.  Alas, the service is apparently new and the "Presidigo" route was not designated on any of the multiple bus stops in the general area.  You just have to know where to wait.  Welcome to the big city.

 Fortunately, a nice driver on another route pointed us toward the right stop, and we shortly spotted the right bus, with its special paint job -- a rolling forest.

 At The Presidio we took another shuttle to the plaza at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The place was aswarm with tourists, including at least one family that had pulled about a 24-foot travel trailer to the tiny parking lot where cars were circling in search of a space.

 We wound up walking almost all the way across the bridge, which left me with a "been there, done that, never have to do it again," feeling.

 Bicyclists and pedestrians going both directions negotiated for space on a sidewalk about 10 feet wide, flanking six lanes of high-speed automobile traffic.  Of course, bikers and peds all wanted to stop now and then to take pictures, blocking part of the sidewalk.  I was amazed not to see any collisions.  Or fistfights.  And I was happy to get off the bridge uninjured.

 Bicycle rental has become a big business here.  I'm all for that.  Unfortunately many of the renters haven't biked in years, and a few are young enough to be newly graduated from training wheels.  Bike handling skills were wobbly, and many struggled to figure out how to operate the brakes.

 It was a situation where the pedestrian is often forced to imitate a statue, allow the struggling bicyclist to maneuver past and pray he makes it.  The markings on the pavement were often ignored by all parties.

 After enjoying both shuttle routes, we boarded the downtown bus and made our way back to t the ferry building, where we had a late lunch, finishing just in time to board the 3:30 ferry back to Vallejo, where the Magic Bus awaited.

 And then the fun began.  The drive between Sacramento and Vallejo, which had taken 50 minutes the five previous times we've done it, took more than two hours on the afternoon return trip.  About 30 miles was in a roll-and-stop traffic jam, for no discernible reason other than too many cars for the road.

 We have two more days in Sacramento, and then we'll be saying good-bye to big cities.