Day of Fog

The morning started with an early flight after a late night.  Halloween seemed to be hanging on through fog filled roads on the way to the airport.  Boarding at 7:20, I immediately fell asleep seatbelted in on the tarmac.  I am a serious vehicle sleeper, 4 wheelers, cars, trains, airplanes, kayaks, if it moves I can sleep in it.  That being said, I woke up about an hour and a half later to the smoothest plane ride of my life.  It's like we weren't even moving.  Oh wait, we weren't.   I had blissfully slept through the fog delay where everyone else was grumpy and I was racked out like a rock star.  Thankfully I woke up for the FAA regulated snacks and water break!  We eventually got on our way and landed in sunny San Francisco.  

After a day of running all over town, I got off work and decided an epic workout adventure was in order.  I've been lacking the thrill and challenge in life that I've come to expect from my work travels so apparently I'm seeking out the rush in other ways.  That being said, I settled on an after sunset ride across the bay bridge.  Checked the weather, was ok enough (I mean really, what does 43% chance mean?).  Checked with multiple sources to make sure the serial killer population was in check (one young lady assured me it had been years since the Zodiac killer was active...)  So off I set to Blazing Saddles, which was a downhill walk all the way (this becomes important later).  I got on my sweet ride and set off in my first street bike lane.  Terrifying, but they seem to have it down in San Francisco.  I opted for the little headlight and flashy tail light which turned out to be a blessing.  When you ask if the paths are lit, the answer is NO.  Not, "mostly" or "kind of," they are "not lit."  Anyway, so I had my tiny lights and couldn't see a dang thing traveling along the bay.  Creepy factor was at a 4 of 10.  Not bad, but not optimal.  Luckily, tons of other folks thought it was appropriate weather to run, bike and walk dogs.  

I finally made it to the bridge (you have to fight the good fight up a huge hill to get to the start of the pedestrian path.)  As I started across, I realized quickly that the concierge's joke about getting blown off the bridge was no joke.  The mist was blowing in sideways and visibility was fuzzy at best.  At some point you are just committed and my ruck had my back so I pressed!  The passage across the bridge gave me some time to consider the serial killer potential with the misty rain / fog / blowing wetness.  If I ever write a crime novel, it is going to feature one of the following horrors:

1.  The Suicide Serial Killer - knocks you off of your bike, throws you off the bridge, parks your bike neatly and then puts the crisis/help phone off the hook so they think you killed yourself.  There are so many creepy blind corners that are pretty dark regardless of lighting when crossing the bridge.  And not being able to see how high you are, but knowing it's way high is unnerving.  

2.  The Presidio Piano Wire Killer - strings piano wire across dark as heck bike trails that go through parks, knocks you off your bike and well, does what serial killers do.  

3.  The Construction Zone Killer - Bike path detours are creepy - enough said.  

So my creative security brain got going pretty hard on the dark track, but I whooped when I got to the other side of the bridge. I started back with a goal in mind -- gyro!  There wasn't much more to report beyond continued paranoia and letting Siri and Strava talk me to the end of the road, but it was a great workout.  The hills were brutal, but doable.  The system of paths, roadways and paved trails is exceptional.  I could spend a year of weekends exploring.  

Once I made it to my gyro feast, I tempted fate and ordered an Uber home.  The 1.5 mile walk uphill in the rain seemed much worse than the $7 fare and potential Bone Collector scenario.  

3 Cheers for urban adventures and blowing off energy in healthy ways!  

The Route

The first map after about 6 miles....

And onto the bridge!

An eiree view of the massive cables that seemed to disappear into nothingness.

Super supportive serious sailor at Vista Point.  

This is my pretending to be confident while wet and serial killer paranoid.  

This is the only point at which you could remotely see one of the big red towers that definte the bridge. That being said, it was almost impossible to see them at all. 

More views from the "well lit" trail.  

EYE ON THE PRIZE BABY!!!!