Month: March 2008

  • Friday, March 14

    I headed out in the morning Corbett to Portola to Fowler to Gaviota to Bella Vista to Burlwood to to Los Palmos to Hazelwood where my rear tube exploded with a sound like a gunshot and I"m sure it scared the hell out of everybody.  This is the third time this had happened with in this tire I resolved to run it in to REI on Saturday to get some answers about it.  I changed it and headed down to Yerba Buena to Brentwood to El Verano to Darien to San Fernando to Ocean to Clearfield into 34th to Yorba to 35th to Vicente and down to the ocean.  I came up the Great Highway and went into Golden Gate Park at MLK and then took it to the music concourse and then JFK into the Panhandle.  This cool building is at Baker and Fell: 

    I continued on Baker to Golden Gate to Market and into work.  I went home at lunch and got a different bike.  After work I headed off Sutter to Euclid to Arguello and into Golden Gate Park and then down to the ocean.  I stopped by the Windmill to check on the progress of the tulips.  They're sprouting and some are flowering:

    I came down the Great Highway to Taravel to Dewey to Merced to Hernandez to Laguna Honda to Portola to Corbett and home.

    Bike Mileage:
    Today                                    39.0
    Week to date                       205.8
    Month to date                      531.3
    Year to date                      1,516.6
    Remaining to Goal             8,483.4
    Over (Under) plan              (505.3)

  • Thursday, March 13

    Ugh!  I overslept and just came down Market in the AM.

    I headed off after work Howard to 11th to Harrison to 22nd to Valencia and then stopped to admire the FABULOUS new City College building on Valencia between 22nd and 23rd.  How gorgeous is this??

    And check out this Aztec-licious tile installation:

    I continued on Valencia to Mission to Richland to Leese to Crescent to Agnon to Justin into Congdon to Silver.  I love this mosaic on the side of Hillcrest School on Silver Ave:

    And here's me in front of it.

    I continued on Silver to University to Bacon to Hamilton.  These are some of the ruined greenhouses that are on Hamilton between Wayland and Woolsey.  They'd make a great community garden if restored, and look a little sculptural in their current state:

    I ttok Woolsey to San Bruno into  Bayshore and headed down toward Brisbane.  Check out this big power thing with the fog on the hills behind it:

    San Bruno Mountain looked foggy from below but wasn 't so bad once I got up into it.  I headed up Guadalupe Canyon Parkway.  It was green and pretty and cool. There's a long climb up to the top followed by a fun downhill on a long well graded road.  When you get to the bottom you want to do it again:

    Guadalupe Canyon Parkway spits you out on East Market and I took that to San Pedro.  This coolbuilding has probably seen better days but it really nice nonetheless:

    I continued on San Pedro to Washington and followed into a residential area.  This pretty cottage like house proves it's not all ranch homes in Daly City:

    This is the sun peeking through the fog also on Washington St.

    I continued on Washington to 87th to Southgate to Westridge to Skyline and headed back towards San Francisco.  This is a beautiful view of the Richmond and the Sunset from south of Lake Merced:

    I took Skyline to Sloat to St. Francis to San Fernando to Portola to Corbett and then home.  Fabulous ride!

    Bike Mileage:
    Today                                    35.0
    Week to date                       166.8
    Month to date                      492.3
    Year to date                      1,477.6
    Remaining to Goal             8,522.4
    Over (Under) plan              (516.9)

  • Wednesday, March 12

    I headed home over lunch and noted the astonishing construction going on at the house down the street.  All of this is built in front of the existing home.  I'm curious to see how that's going to look and I really can't figure out why they didn't just tear down the original house because it was in crappy condition:

    After work I headed out Columbus to North Point to Chestnut to Lyon and into the Presidio.  I got on Lincoln and noted that they've started work on the new Disney Family Museum which you can read more about here.  The Presidio keeps looking better and better. 

    I followed Lincoln around and stopped by the bridge for some more pics. 

    I followed Lincoln around and started heading for Seacliff.  Still plenty of sun left:

    The headland looked beautiful from the Presdio.  I was at the top of that mountain yesterday:

    I kept on Lincoln and went into Seacliff as it turned into Camino Del Mar.  There are some fabulous houses there:

    Here's me in front of one of them:

    I continued on Camino Del Mar up towards the Palace of the Legion of Honor.  This is the Headlands with Mount Tam rising behind it:

    The Palace of the Legion of Honor.  Beautiful as ever.  It looks different in the afternoon light.  More angular and less glowy.  I probably do as well.  Shut up. You'll be old some day.

    The Holocost Memorial.  Some lady was letting her kids play on it.  That's awful.  I think part of the art was to make the piece interactive-- you can walk around it, but people don't always show it the respect they should.

    I started heading towards Geary and took a pic of the UCSF complex.  You don't realize how much of it there is when you're in it:

    I took 34th to Balboa down to the coast and then took the Great Highway to Skyline to John Daly to Font to Holloway to Faxon to Southwood to Plymouth to Greenwood to hazelwood to Flood to Gennessee to Monterey to Diamond to Chenery to San Jose to 29th to Tiffany to Valencia to 18th to Diamond to 17th and then home.  Mr Poe was at a meeting.  Again.  So I had dinner with the dogs and waited for him to come home.

    Bike Mileage:
    Today                                    45.8
    Week to date                       131.8
    Month to date                      457.3
    Year to date                      1,442.6
    Remaining to Goal             8,557.4
    Over (Under) plan              (524.6)

  • Wednesday, March 12

    It was a little cooler and foggy this morning.  I headed off Corbett to Portola to Woodside to Dewey to Taravel and then down to the ocean.  I came up the Great Highway and then went into Golden Gate Park at MLK and followed it to the Music Concourse where I stopped for some pictures.  I love the De Young.  I love looking at from different angles and in different lights.  So complex and pretty:

    I'm not sure what this is a monument to.  I'll look.  It could be me.  But you can see the fog burning off behind it:

    The band shell has been under construction forever and I want it to be finished:

    Me in my ugly yellow glasses.  I think I should get amber ones next winter.  Then I'd be pimpin'.

    I hooked up with JFK to 8th to Lake to Arguello and into the Presidio.  I came out at the Lombard Gate and took Chestnut to Laguna to Francisco to Polk to North Point to Embarcadero to Battery to Sacramento to Sansome and into work.

  • Tuesday, March 11

    I headed off after work Columbus to North Point to Van Ness to Francisco to Laguna to Chestnut to Lyon and into the Presidio. I got on Lincoln and headed over the Golden Gate Bridge and headed up to the top of Conzelman.  I hadn't been up there is a while and it was beautiful.  And the weather was perfect.  What a treat:

    Here's some more bridge:

    And the view of the beach below:

    I came around and headed down the scary road and got another shot of the city from halfway down:

    I got on Bunker and then headed up McCullough (aka Ike Turner Hill).  Rodeo beach looked beautiful in the setting sun:

    Me??  Maybe a little dewy:

    I continued up to Conzelman and then back over the bridge and then Ralsoton to Kobbe to Washington.  I came out of the Presidio at 15th ave and followed it to Clement to Arguello to Anza to Parket to Turk to Scott to Duboce to Castro to 17th and then home.  It was a fabulous day:

    Bike Mileage:
    Today                                   46.5
    Week to date                        86.0
    Month to date                      411.5
    Year to date                      1,396.8
    Remaining to Goal             8,603.2
    Over (Under) plan             (543.1)

  • Tuesday, March 11

    I headed of Corbett to Portola to Fowler to Teresita to Reposa to Rockdale to Omar to Sequoia to Bella Vista to Burlwood to Los Palmos to Hazelwood to Yerba Buena to Santa Clara into Vicente and down to the Ocean.  I came up the Great Highway and then took Cabrillo to Arguello to Clay.  This beautiful home is on Clay around Laurel St:

    Check out the detail.  Beautiful:

    This is the view of the bay from Clay steet at Laurel or Maple I think:

    And here's me also at Laurel or Maple:

    I continued on Clay to Fillmore.  The Calgary Church on Fillmore is so fabulous:

    Check out the gorgeous detail:

    I continued on Fillmore to Pacific to Polk to Broadway, through the Broadway Tunnel (eeeeek!) to Battery to Sacramento to Sansome and into work.

  • Monday, March 10

    I headed of after work up Columbus.  I live this odd, turreted building on Columbus.  It's also the home of Bing's lounge:

    I continued on Columbus to North Point to Van Ness to Francisco to Laguna to Chestnut to Lyon and into the Presidio.  I rode around and came out the Arguello Gate and then took Arguello to Lake to 23rd.  This mosaic is on a school on 23rd street.  Very pretty:

    I continued on 23rd to Cabrillo and down to the ocean.  I came down the Great Highway and then came up Ulloa to 14th where I stopped and got a shot of the beautiful sunset.

    I took 14th to Taravel to Dewey.  There's great view of the radio tower on Twin Peaks from Dewey:

    And a great view of me as well:

    I continued on Dewey to Pacheco to Hernandez.  This is Laguna Honda Hospital from Hernandez Street:

    I continued on Hernandez to Laguna Honda to Portola to Corbett and then home.  Loving the longer day.

    Bike Mileage:
    Today                                   39.5
    Week to date                        39.5
    Month to date                      365.0
    Year to date                      1,350.3
    Remaining to Goal             8,649.7
    Over (Under) plan             (562.3)

  • Monday, March 10

    This morning was one of THOSE mornings.  You know the ones.  THEM.  It started out OK.  I rode out Corbett and then I got a flat tire at Corbett and Portola.  I changed it, scaring the bejeezus out of an old lady who didn't see me sitting on the curb behind a car until she was walking past me, and then I got back on my bike.  I rode Portola to Fowler to Teresita to Gaviota to Bella Vista to Burlwood to Los Palmos to Hazelwood to Yerba Buela to Brentwood.  This is the view of the ocean from Brentwood St.  Beautiful:

    I continued on Brentwood to Maywood to Yerba Buena to Santa Clara into Vicente and down to the ocean.  I came up the Great Highway. 

    And that's where things started going wrong.  I got another flat.  I didn't have another good tube, so I had to patch it.  And I put it back on and it went flat again.  And so it began a solid hour of me gluing, patching, inflating and praying, taking turns between two tubes trying to get a patch to hold.  I went through my tire meticulously to get all the glass out.  It took forever.  I have very good luck patching tires at home or the office and very bad luck doing it on the road.  I'm guessing it's a patience issue.  Both of the tubes I was trying to fix had multiple punctures.  Which complicated things. 

    There was this little kid in a batman costume having a kicking, screaming, crying tantrum over something.  I totally know how he felt.  But at least I was in a good neighborhood and it was a sunny day.  And I looked good.  And I finally got one to hold and made it into work.  Here's me before I got back on the bike:

    I rode up MLK to the Music Concourse and then JFK to the panhandle and then Baker to McAllister to Scott to Golden Gate to Market to Sansome and into work.  Finally.  When I got back to the office I patched all my flats.  It was easy and they held.  Of course.  Look at all the patches on these tires.  It's Dickensian:

    Oh well, it still beats Muni.

  • Sunday March 9

    We had a great day for our Lifecycle training ride and everybody had a lot of fun.  We went out to China Camp which is one of my favorite parks in Marin.  It's gorgeous.  I spent a chunk of the morning pointing in San Anselmo.  How pretty is this little town??

    Here's proof we have the best looking riders ever:

     

    Here's me with my hideous ride leader helmet cover.

    We stopped for lunch at a gorgeous park in China Camp State Park.  I think this is our bet lunch stop on the cat series:

      

    This is a view of the bay from the park we were at:

    We stopped in Tiburon on the way back.  Here's Bruce enjoying a "Go Girl!" brand energy drink.  I think he was underwhelmed:

    Ben was actually eating and drinking in Tiburon.  Human food no less:

    There was a girl who was really thinking about catching the bus back to San Francisco but Ben and I talked her out of it and she was really happy she finished at the end of the day.  You go, girl! We got back about 4:30 and I went home and had dinner and took the dogs to the park and then I went to bed early.

    Bike Mileage:
    Today                                   70.8
    Week to date                       264.2
    Month to date                      325.5
    Year to date                      1,310.8
    Remaining to Goal             8,689.2
    Over (Under) plan             (574.4)

  • Saturday, March 8

    I watched cartoons and went through my comic book collection all morning.  No, I'm not 11.  I finally got all the rest of my comic books rebagged and loosely organized, but I need to go through them more carefully and catalog them.  Which will take a really long time.  After lunch, we headed down to the Castro to go shopping and then I rode my bike for a while.  I had a gift card at Lombardi that was burning a hole in my pocket so I headed off Market to Larkin to Washington to Polk and got some gloves and tubes.  Then I continued Jackson to Octavia into Fort Mason Park and then along Marina Blvd into the Presidio.  I went up Lincoln and stopped at Immigrant Point for some pics of the pretty day:

    And me enjoying it:

    I came out of the Presidio at 15th Ave.  This spooky old hospital is going to be renovated into luxury condos any day now:

    I took Lake to West Clay which I hadn't visited in a while.  Many pretty homes:

    Then I took 25th to Balboa.  This is the view back towards Saint Ignatius from the top of Balboa:

    This is pretty St. Thomas church, also on Balboa:



    I continued on Balboa to the ocean and then came down the Great Highway to Taravel and then Dewey to Pacheco to Hernandez to Laguna Honda to Portola to Corbett and then home.

    Bike Mileage:
    Today                                    19.0
    Week to date                       193.4
    Month to date                      254.7
    Year to date                      1,240.0
    Remaining to Goal             8,760.0
    Over (Under) plan             (617.9)