Eye yam ear

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Disheveled.
Davis was suhweet. Their town logo is a bike.
We met up with some Brits Parker had ridden with earlier in the trip. They put us up for the night and took us out. I all but passed out around 12:00.
About 3 hours into the just-go-south-or-west madness. 101 is right beside us- it turns into the bridge.
We got to the middle of the bridge around 7:30. Perfect timing. It was surreal. And ridiculously cold and windy.

After one of the worst nights of sleep of the trip (gas station, hot, mosquitos, bears, nofood, 4hoursofsleep), waking up at 4:30am, and spending 5 hours getting lost and slowly making our way down the peninsula on bike paths and freeways, we caught a first glimpse of the city.

It was gnar-gnar.

I couldn't stop grinning for about 45 minutes straight.

I spent my first day in the city riding around, getting lost, getting a map, getting lost some more, getting some clothes from goodwill, a U-lock (locals tell me bike theft is real bad round here), a knock-off messenger bag, and trying to figure out what to do with all my junk, other than let it sit on my bike and get stolen.

At Berkeley right now, updating the blog, taking care of disgusting laundry, baking cookies at Halley's brother's girlfriend's place, and then heading back into the city.

Will hit it full-force tourist-on-a-bike style tomorrow. Lucky for us, the Guardian just came out with it's 35th annual 'Best-of-the-Bay' issue. It's a good thing, because I only settle for the best. The best cheap restaurant that is.

What little I have discovered so far:
So far the place seems really cool. People are down with idiots on bikes zooming through the streets. It's perfect weather for riding- no sweat. SF Marathon was yesterday. I scoffed as people limped off their 26 miles. Poor guys.
Rainbow grocery=super cool organic mess with very friendly and helpful staff. Lots of crazy people swarming through the aisles.
Bay Bridge= bull (no bikes) means you gotta ride the BART across the bay. Balogna.
Rode down tunnel of doom. Do not recommend.

Arr. Time to go kiss a seal.

Steven
08-04-08
Across le bay from San Francisco