Two wheels good.

The day to mount up and cycle the bridge. Headed down to Blazing Saddles and hired a bike for the day. The staff were very helpful sorting out a bike and giving a briefing on the routes available, once you get over the bridge. It was going to be another hot day so should be good for cycling and I was on my way just after 9 A.M. The initial route follows the bay round to Fort Point which is just below the bridge and good for photos. It is also where Kim Novak jumped into the sea in the film, Vertigo. 

Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Point

As I was looking at the view a passer by pointed out that there were dolphins in the bay. There must have been about a dozen of them 'playing' in the water and they put on a good show.

Dolphins

Then it was over the bridge and into Marin County. The bridge is everything you expect it to be; big, orange, busy and spectacular. Once over the bridge I headed west to Hawk Hill.  This is aptly named at this time of year as many raptors are migrating south. I chatted to a couple of helpers who were pointing out the birds to those admiring the view. There were plenty of turkey vultures and a few types of hawk. The only problem with the steep climb on the bike up to Hawk Hill was that it did not lead onto anywhere else so I whizzed back down and headed out to a light house on the next headland along the coast. 

Point Bonita Lighthouse

This involved a few decent climbs and a long tunnel. The tunnel is alternating one way only for cars but bikes have no restriction, there is even a button to press at the start of the tunnel which turns on flashing amber lights to warn drivers there are cyclists in the tunnel. 

Then it was onto Saulsilito which is the main destination for most bikers on the route. This was a pretty town but packed with cyclists so I headed on to the further destination of Tiburon. The day was really hot by now so I took breaks in any shade I could find! I have noticed in my travels that there are always plenty of drinking fountains available so it was very handy to fill up my water bottle and keep hydrated. I arrived at Tiburon just after 3 P.M. and aimed to get the 4:10 ferry. It was a pleasant view looking out over the bay watching the sailing boats waiting for the ferry. Once it arrived it swallowed up an amazing number of cyclists and pedestrians, there must have been over 200 loaded on and most of them had bikes. It was quite a packing job to get the bikes in but they must be used to it. The crossing took about 40 minutes then back to the hire shop.

Bike Route

On the way back to the hotel I popped in to the Ghiradelli Chocolate shop for a free sample of Pumpkin Spice Caramel then back to the hotel. Once back there I stopped to chat to the couple in the next door room and one topic was that there was a 'blues festival' going on two blocks away on Polk Street. Once I had washed and changed I headed up there to investigate. Unfortunately, it was all packed up! What kind of blues festival closes down by 6 P.M?  I'll try again tomorrow.