It was cold and blustery this morning.  Again.  Where’s all this global warming I keep hearing so much about??  I headed off Corbett to Portola to Fowler to Teresita to Isola to  Rockdale to Omar to Sequoia to Bella Vista to Burlwood to Los Palmos to Hazelwood to Yerba Buena to Brentwood to Maywood to El Verano to Monterey into Santa Clara into Vicente and down to the coast.  I came up the Great Highway and went into Golden Gate Park at MLK.  I followed it to the Music Concourse and then took JFK into the Panhandle to Baker to McAllister to Pierce.  This fabulous Deco building is on Pierce between Golden Gate and McAllister.  Me likey:

  

  

This is me in front of the front door:

And across the street is this eccentric building that has the most amazing detail:

They have these incredible brackets on the entry level.  I talked to the owner about them.  Yes, I’m that nosy.  The house was built in 1903 for a lady whose grandchildren had no idea why she chose those brackets when the current owner asked them about it.  He thought they might have a nautical reference, but the more I look at them the more I think they might be related more to theater decoration or fair props.  The polychroming is modern and he wasn’t sure how they would have been painted when installed.  They’re incredible, and I’ve never seen anything like them on a house:

  

I took Pierce to Golden Gate to Market to Sansome and into work.

I headed off after work Columbus to North Point to Van Ness to Francisco to Octavia to Chestnut to Lyon and into the Presidio.  I came around on Lincoln and then got onto Camino Del Mar in Seacliff.  I followed that up to the Palace of the Legion of Honor and got this awesome view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the golf course on the way up:

I headed up to the museum and then down to Clement to Seal Rock to Point Lobos and down to the Great Highway.  I came down the coast where the wind was blowing and I was getting sandblasted and then headed down to Lake Merced.  I took Skyline to John Muir to Lake Merced.  I stopped to get a shot of the beautiful lake in the early evening light
:

And one of me with Daly City behind me:

I continued on Lake Merced to Font to Holloway.  This is the view of the big antenna on Twin Peaks from Holoway and Junipero Serra:

I continued on Holloway to Miramar to Eastwood to Wildwood to Plymouth to Greenwood to Staples to Edna to Flood to Circular to Diamond to Wilder to Arlington.  This house is at Arlington and Miguel.  It looks a little odd now.  I’m having trouble picturing what it must have looked like when it was built.  The roofline is very unusual for San Francisco and there’s remnants of shingles on the building.  Hopefully somebody will restore it someday soon:

  

This is the building across the street from it which is also really pretty but in pretty deplorable condition:

I continued on Arlington to Randall to San Jose to 29th to Tiffany to Valencia to 19th to Dolores to 18th to Diamond to 17th and then home.

Bike Mileage:
Today                                    45.7
Week to date                         79.4
Month to date                    1,448.6
Year to date                      3,760.0
Remaining to Goal             6,240.0
Over (Under) plan                481.3

It wasn’t quite as foggy this morning as yesterday which was great because yesterday was very foggy in the morning.  I headed off Corbett to Portola to Woodside to Dewey to Taravel and then down to the coast.  I came up the Great Highway and then got on Geary to 34th and then up to the Palace of the Legion of Honor.  I came down Camino Del Mar and then took Lake to Arguello to Clay to Presidio to Washington to Lyon to Pacific.  This is the view looking west down Pacific from Lyon:

I continued on Pacific.  This enormous mansion is on Pacific and Divisadero.  It’s very detailed and very deluxe.  Maybe too deluxe for my tastes, but I certainly wouldn’t decline it if given as a gift:

Here’s some Tudorliciousness accross the street from it that’s a little more to my liking:

This is the view down Pacific from Pacific and Divisadero:

And me at that intersection:

I continued down Pierce.  This is the view looking North over the Marina from Pacific and Pierce.  How fabulous is that??

I continued on Pacific to Powell to Jackson to Columbus into Montgomery to Clay to Sansome and into work.

After work I headed off Sansome to Jackson to Davis to drop of my laundry and then Broadway to Columbus to North Point to Van Ness to Francisco to Gough to Chestnut to Lyon and into the Presidio.  I took Lincoln into Camino Del Mar in Seacliff and then got on 25th and took some pics of some of the beautiful Craftsman houses there:

There’s one modern one in the middle of them all that really stands out and not in a good way:

I think this one is a little older than the others:

  

I took 25th to Lke to 23rd to Cabrillo to 14th to Fulton and into the Rose Garden.  A lot more stuff was in bloom than the last time I stopped by;  I love it there.  It’s such a pretty, peaceful little park:

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This squirrel stopped by as well.  Doesn’t look too happy to see me.  He’s all “#%%^#$ Paparrazzo!  I’m just tryin’ to lead a normal life!”

Me with the Rose Garden behind me:

I got on JFK and took it to the Panhandle to Baker to Page to Scott to Duboce to Castro to 17th and then home.  I cleaned up the bike.  It was really dirty and the grime was really stuck on to my chain.  Yuck.  Then Mr. Poe and I took the boys to the park.  Look at my sweet little Ashley running around.  Have you ever seen anything so adorable??

Let’s not forget Rufus who’s pretty much finished shedding his winter coat but he looks so thin! 

Here they are with Mr. Poe.  Hello Gorgeous!

This is the fog pouring over Twin Peaks.  Brrrr.

We went home and had dinner and then Mr. Poe watched his programs while I walked Mimi and then we went to bed.

Bike Mileage:
Today                                    33.7
Week to date                         33.7
Month to date                    1,402.9
Year to date                      3,714.3
Remaining to Goal             6,285.7
Over (Under) plan                462.9

I got a bit of a late start this morning.  I was going to sleep in and not go riding at all, but Rufus was having none of that and I had to get up and walk him.  My commuter bike is out of commission for another week or so while the fine folks at REI rebuild the back wheel and my road bike which I’ve been riding to work needs a new tire before I can ride it again and I can’t imagine I’m going to get back down to REI before the weekend so I’m stuck on my wet weather commuter for the week.  It’s a nice bike, but it’s heavy.  Still, beats Muni.

I headed off Corbett to Portola to Woodside to Dewey to Taravel and down to the coast.  I came up the Great Highway and went into Golden Gate Park at MLK.  I came up through the park and then took Middle to JFK into the Panhandle and then Baker to Golden Gate to Market and into work.  I took a few pics in the Financial District as I was rolling in:

  

I took this one while biking down Market. 

I turned in at Sansome and went into work.

Today we rode up to Alpine Dam and then up over Mount Tam.  It was the most climbing we’d done in the training series and even though it was only 51 miles it was probably the toughest day we’ve had so far.  We met a little later than we did last week, which was nice, because I was able to loll around in bed until 6:30.  The luxury!  But I finally made it over to the Sports Basement and we got ready to head out.  Here’s my CAT2 boyfriend Ben Armstrong:

Joe and Lindsay:

We headed off and I was sweeping and there were the usual issues so we got a late start.  And then my rear tire, which I should have swapped out a long time ago, went flat yet again.  We managed to make it to the next bike shop so I could use a floor pump to fill it rather than using my inflation cartridge and it turned out to be a big mistake.  The guy that owned it’s face would totally show up if you looked up the word “douche bag” in the dictionary.  He was hanging outside outside of the store with his buddies yelling at people on bikes who were blowing through the stop sign in front of his store.  Then they started heckling me on my tire changing technique and how I was too cheap to get a new just tire.   Which is kind of true.  But I wasn’t going to pay him $40 for a tire that would cost me $20 anywhere else when it still wasn’t going to be the one I wanted.  And his assholish behavior kept reinforcing that opinion.  I finally got it changed and went in to pump it up and the crappy pump he had pulled the valve out of the stem on my brand new tube.  Which totally sucked.  So I had to buy a new tube from there and I went back out to change it again.  I was dealing with the other people who worked there at this point as he was still outside douching up Ross.  About halfway through change number two, the guys looks at me and is like “Are you STILL changing that flat”.  I chose my words carefully.  My response:  “Your ghetto fucking pump pulled the valve out my stem so I had to start over.”  His jaw dropped.  It was awesome.  I got the new tube in and filled it up with an inflation cartridge and was on my way. 

We stopped in Fairfax for a few minutes and then headed up to Alpine Lake.  It’s beautiful up there.  The dam dates from 1919 and it’s unbelievably beautiful up there.  A few pics:

Then we climbed up to the top of Mt. Tam.  It was really hard but everybody did really well.  The views at the top were spectacular:

This is Tony who swept with me:

Me with the glamour view behind me:

This license plate cover was on a Ford Econoline van driven by a fifty something year old man.  Ouch:

Here are my fabulous riders kicking Mt. Tam’s ass:

More glamourous views:

We headed down off the mountain into Mill Valley without any fuss.  The riders we’d been with headed off and we waited at Mike’s Bikes for a few stragglers.  Then I headed back to Sports Basement and then home for dinner.  Then Mr. Poe took me to REI to pick up a bike only to find out that the wheels on my bike needed replacing and I couldn’t pick it up, something I would have known if I’d have called in advance as he’d suggested.  D’oh!  I was totally beat from all the weekend’s riding and I went to bed very early.

Bike Mileage:
Today                                    60.7
Week to date                       326.3
Month to date                    1,369.2
Year to date                      3,680.6
Remaining to Goal             6,319.4
Over (Under) plan                456.6

I met up with my pals from Different Spokes for Day on the Ride which is a AIDS Lifecycle event that comes as close to an actual day on the lifecycle as you’re going to get without waking up in a tent.  We headed out to the French Cheese Factory and it was a lot of fun.  The Pos Peds manned the rest stop in Fairfax that we stopped at coming and going and there was a lunch stop at the Cheese Factory.  It was a lot warmer than I thought it was going to be and I brought way too many layers that all got stuffed in my camelback by mile 10. 

Here are a few pics from Pit1:

David and Chris:

David, Chris, and me.  Note:  he-cleavage:

And I thought my pointing skills were strong.  You’ve won this round, Bill:

  

We pulled out of Fairfax and came across a very hungover looking Roger.  He’d missed the start so he drove out and met us in Fairfax. 

Lunch at the Cheese Factory. 

I got separated from the other riders on the way back to Fairfax because I got in front and I have an awful tendency to pull away from other riders when I’m leading and then by the time I look behind me they’re waaaaay behind me.  So I hung out and Fairfax and waited.  The scene was caliente:

Everybody showed up eventually and we headed back towards the Bridge.  Here’s my attempt of an arty shot of the rock behind the struts:

And Michael and Dave:

They had a pasta feed for us when we got done and then I had to get home because we were having Mr. Chris and Russ and the Fangs over for dinner.  It was a really fun day.

Bike Mileage:
Today                                    86.1
Week to date                       265.6
Month to date                    1,308.5
Year to date                      3,619.9
Remaining to Goal             6,380.1
Over (Under) plan                423.2

I headed off after work 2nd to Howard to 11th to Harrison and into Precita Park.  I took Precita to Mission to Richland to Leese to Crescent to Agnon to Justin and into Saint Mary’s Park.  I headed over the footbridge and then took Trumbull to Cambridge up into McLaren Park.  I stopped and took a few pics of the gorgeous day:

This is the view looking Southeast towards Brisbane:

The San Bruno mountains:

The glamour view of downtown:

That new tower on Rincon Hill sure is prominent:

The Financial District:

And, of course, one of me:

I took Mansell into Persia to Ocean to Phelan to Judson to Gennessee to Flood to Foerster to Teresita to Portola to Corbett and home.  Mr. Poe made me dinner and then we took the dogs to the park.  Here’s a recent shot of sweet little Ashley.  How cute is this??

Bike Mileage:
Today                                    35.1
Week to date                       179.5
Month to date                    1,222.4
Year to date                      3,533.8
Remaining to Goal             6,466.2
Over (Under) plan                364.4

It’s definitely starting to warm up.  Finally.  I headed off Corbett to Portola to Dewey to Taravel to 16th to Ulloa and down to the coast.  I came up the Great Highway where I saw surfers which are always a welcome sight:

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This is me with the Great Highway behind me:

I went to Cabrillo to Arguello to McAllister to Parker where I got a couple of shots of Saint Ignatius against the blue blue morning sky:

  

I took Parker to Golden Gate to Market to Sansome and into work.

After work I headed off Columbus to North Point to Van Ness to Francisco to Laguna to Chestnut to Lyon and into the Presidio.  I came around on Lincoln and then went into Seacliff at El Camino Del Mar.  I then headed up to the Palace of the Legion of Honor.  I stopped by the golf course to get a pretty shot of the Marin Headlands that I’ve gotten before yet never gets old:

Then I headed up to the Palace of the Legion of Honor where the big yellow thing was shining in the sun.  Me likey!

  

This is a shot up under the entrance arch to the courtyard.  Fancy!

This is the Marin Headlands from the steps of the museum:

A shot of the colonnade at an arty angle:

There were skaters underneath the collonade.  I’m sure the museum loves that:

I headed down to Geary and then down to the Great Highway and then stopped by the beach for some pics.  This guy is a kite surfer which looks really fun and really fast:

View South towards Pacifica:

Me with same view:

I went into Golden Gate Park at JFK and followed it to the Panhandle and then Baker to Page to Scott to Duboce to Castro to 17th and then home.  Mr. Poe was working late.  Again.  So I took the boys to the park and then fed everybody dinner and then walked Mimi and waited for him to come home.

Bike Mileage:
Today                                    32.0
Week to date                       144.4
Month to date                    1,187.3
Year to date                      3,498.7
Remaining to Goal             6,501.3
Over (Under) plan                356.6