Monday, July 8, 2013

Day 16 Mill Valley to the Golden Gate 6 miles (total miles 655)

After yesterday's long ride left us 6 miles short of the Golden Gate, today we had to make the ceremonial finish to the grand journey and ride the bikes up onto the bridge itself.  We had tried to find the closest normal hotel to the bridge itself and that put us in the Mill Valley Holiday Inn Express which turned out to actually be 6 miles away.  

This time it was Maggie's turn to ride the tandem with Dad as Catalina had had her fill over the past 2 weeks and it was a change of pace for us. 

Maggie has 2 speeds:  Coasting and Turbo.  Either she would pedal like mad or coast and make up codes to go with the bell that found its way onto the rear bars back in Fort Bragg:  "Dad, if I go ring ringggggg ring it means I want to go fast. If I go ring ring ringgggggg it means I want to slow down.  After we got the codes sorted out it was a pleasant ride on bike paths and on the surface streets of posh Sausalito.  Until we reached the bridge itself and faced one final steep climb up to the bridge deck where we met the rest of the gang who had arrived by car.  

Then Catalina hopped on the bike one last time as we cruised back to our hotel to load up the bikes and say goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma who were heading back north to Oregon while we are staying a few more days to see San Francisco before driving back to Texas. 


That is the adventure.  There were a few times back on some steep long sections of highway that I started to wonder what I was doing on the road with my 10 year old daughter and 75 year old father.  But we made it with really no mechanical or physical problems and are all much fitter and road wise. In the end, a very satisfying experience.  

1 comment:

  1. Fantastic adventure! What's next year? Tour de France with all three kids?

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