It’s gorgeous in San Francisco.  It’s in the 80′s and the sun is shining and the birds are singing.  I headed home for lunch and the dogs were able to romp about in both the front and back decks.  I managed to get some especially handsome photos of Rufus:

Because of the warm temperatures, I took off Ashley Jr.’s signature red sweater and he was running around starkers:

Mimi couldn’t be bothered:

I put the finishing touches on a ride I’m planning for next month on my way back to work.  I hope the weather holds til the weekend!

Today is expected to be even warmer than yesterday.  I’ll take it!  I managed to get a little ride in before work this morning.  I headed off Corbett to Portola to Twin Peaks and up to the viewing platform.  The views were, of course, phenomenal.  This is the view looking west to the ocean:

Looking southeast to the bay:

The Financial District:

Looking west to the East Bay:

Me:

The Golden Gate Bridge:

Looking west to the ocean:

Sutro Tower:

I continued on Twin Peaks to Clayton to Ashbury to Frederick to Masonic to Baker to Fulton to Franklin to McAllister to Polk to Post to Kearny to Bush to Sansome and into work.  It’s gonna be a gorgeous day!

I didn’t get it together on Wednesday morning and just came down Market into work and headed home for lunch.  The weather was a lot warmer and it was in the high seventies by the end of the day.  OMG!  It’s as if Mother Nature has given us a heartfelt apology for how terrible she’s treated us all winter long.  After work I headed off Sutter to Fillmore to Clay to Washington to Spruce where I stopped to take a pic of my favorite view of the North Bay:

I took Washington to Lake.  I stopped in Seacliff for some pics of the pretty homes:

I continued on Lake to Camino Del Mar to 32nd.  32nd is another picturesque Seacliff street:

I continued on 32nd to Clement.  The long shuttered Safeway on 32nd and Clement is turning into a Fresh & Easy which I hope will be a big boon for the nieghborhood:

I took Clement to 36th to Shore View and stopped for a pic.  I can’t remember the last time I was on this street:

I continued on Shore View to 38th to Geary to Point Lobos and headed down to get a view of the ocean over the Sutro Baths:

The Seal Rocks:

Me:

Ocean Beach wasn’t empty but it wasn’t as crowded as I expected it would be.  I think the weather caught everybody by surprise:

I took the Great Highway and went into Golden Gate Park at JFK.  I followed JFK to 8th to Lake to Arguello to Clay to Fillmore to Post to Laguna.  I saw this genius sculpture at Laguna and Haight.  It’s by artist Jeremy Fish and you can read more about it here.  Love it:

The whole block of the UC extension between Haight and Waller is covered with beautiful murals.  Love them:

I continued on Laguna to Market to Valencia to 18th to Noe to Market to 17th to Ord and home for dinner.  After dinner Mr. Poe and I took the dogs for a long walk and then we all went to bed.

Bike Mileage:

Today 28.3 Week to date 81.1 Month to date 596.2 Year to date 1,388.4 To Goal 6,611.6 Over (Under) plan (562.3) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (8,071.6) Rolling Year 7,182.2 Since Inception 10/1/07 29,893.9

The weather turned sharply warmer on Tuesday and it was gorgeous outside all day.  I headed home for lunch and then went for a nice ride after work.  I rode Columbus to Greenwich to Powell to North Point.  I stopped for a pic at the pretty Ghiradelli Square:

I continued on North Point to Van Ness to Francisco to Laguna to Chestnut to Richardson to Baker and stopped at the Palace of Fine Arts for some pics of the lovely day:

These are some of the liquifabulous homes that ring the Palace of Fine Arts:

I got on Old Mason and headed over to Fort Point and got some spectacular pics of the Golden Gate Bridge:

But the real star of the show were these windsurfers and kite surfers.  This looks pretty dangerous to me, but they probably look at me and think “I can’t believe that queen rides her bike in the city!”:

That queen:

I was so taken by the surfers and the bridge I didn’t notice this jaw dropping view of the city:

I headed up to Lincoln into Camino Del Mar to 26th and stopped at Geary for some pics of the pretty Holy Virgin Cathedral which looked so fabulous glinting in the sun:

These are some of the pretty mosaics from the murals:

I took 26th to Cabrillo to 14th to Fulton and into Golden Gate Park at the Rose Garden which, sadly, isn’t quite picture ready yet.  I did get a few pics of the sunlight interacting with the facade of the De Young Museum as I took JFK to the Music Concourse:

I thought these were some fancy Japanese tree that looked like this on its own but in fact they are London Plane and Scotch Elm trees that have been pollarded which is a formal method of trimming that maintains trees at a constant height:

A gorgeous view of the gate to the Japanese Tea Garden:

I got on MLK and came out of the park at 9th and took it to Judah to 7th into Laguna Honda to Portola to Corbett to Ord and home for dinner.  After dinner I walked the dogs went to bed.  I’m loving this weather!

Bike Mileage:

Today 28.4 Week to date 52.8 Month to date 567.9 Year to date 1,360.1 To Goal 6,639.9 Over (Under) plan (568.7) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (8,073.9) Rolling Year 7,162.8 Since Inception 10/1/07 29,865.6

I managed to squeeze out of the house with a few minutes to spare this morning so I didn’t take the most direct way into work.  I rode 17th to Eureka to 18th to Harrison to 17th to De Haro to 16th to 3rd to South to Terry Francois where I stopped for a view of the stunning skyline that’s rising South of Market:

I continued on Terry Francois to 3rd to the Embarcadero.  I love the pretty Raygun Rocket Ship, especially paired with the Ferry Building:

The Bay Bridge as seen from about Mission and the Embarcadero:

I continued on the Embarcadero to Washington to Sansome and into work.  It’s gonna be a beautiful day!

Monday was gorgeous!  We’ve gotten a break from the rain and the sun was shining and the birds were singing.  I came down Market into work and got this pic of Mr. Poe’s prize winnin’ wisteria as I was heading back to work from lunch.  I think it will bloom this week and it’s gonna be glorious this year:

After work I headed off 2nd to Howard to 11th to Harrison to 24th to Valencia to Mission to Silver to Alemeny to Ocean to Persia and into McLaren Park which I haven’t been to in forever.  It’s very green up there right now because of all the rain we’ve gotten.  I stopped at the viewing area at Mansell and Visitacion.  This is the view looking southeast towards the airport.  Beautiful:

East to Candlestick Point:

South to San Bruno Mountain:

Me:

I continued on Mansell which has the craziest bike lane in the city.  It’s hard enough going down this long, steep hill but there’s also bike lanes going up.  I’ve done it a couple of times and it’s very, very steep:

I continued on Mansell to San Bruno where I got a flat.  Not the greatest neighborhood to be working on your bike but it last it was daylight and not raining.  San Bruno does have it’s charms:

This pretty old theater is now a church:

This is one of my favorite firehouses in the city:

This pretty Spanish style building is next to the firehouse:

I continued on San Bruno to Silver to Cambridge and over 280 on the foot bridge into Saint Mary’s Park.  I came out of the park and got on Justin and got this pic of Saint Mary’s Park looking south from Justin and Benton:

I took Justin to Mission to Valencia to 18th to Diamond to 17th to Ord and home for dinner.  I walked the dogs and we went to bed early.  We’re all so happy Mr. Poe’s back in town.  Especially me.

Bike Mileage:

Today 24.4 Week to date 24.4 Month to date 539.5 Year to date 1,331.7 To Goal 6,668.3 Over (Under) plan (575.1) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (8,093.4) Rolling Year 7,211.5 Since Inception 10/1/07 29,837.2

The Lifecycle is right around the corner and I’m still pretty far away from my goal.  I’d really appreciate it if some or all of my esteemed readers would take time out of their day to pledge me.  Follow this link:

Click Here To Support Me On The 2011 ALC10

Thanks again! 

Sunday was my CAT2 training ride and the weather was pretty nice when we started which was a change.  We headed out to China Camp which is one of my favorite rides and we got a little wet, but I think everybody had a pretty good time.  I got a few pics of everybody stretching at Sports Basement:

Ian:

Buz led the stretching:

We got a little drizzle when we got to San Rafael and everybody decided to have lunch at Andy’s instead of toting into the park.  Which was a good decision because, although pretty, the park wasn’t exactly picnic friendly because it was so cold and damp:

From there we headed to Tiburon and then home.  It started raining on us just out of Tiburon and continued the whole way homeI ended up getting home a later than I wanted to and was greeted at the door by a phone call from Mr. Poe announcing that his flight had landed in Oakland and he was on Bart and we made plans to meet in a restaurant in a half an hour.  A half an hour!  I was starving, tired, and filthy and I had to be dressed and presentable in a half an hour.  Fuck! 

I ate a handful of almonds and hit the shower.  I use sweat proof sunscreen on my face which is very effective but it makes me look like a Cullen and it isn’t easy to remove.  I started with an oil based cleanser and then moved on to a foaming cleanser and my Clarisonic but still I didn’t think I got it all off because I was in such a hurry.  I washed my hair because it couldn’t possibly wait another day and then hurriedly got dressed.  Mr. Poe called as I was about to leave and he was at the restaurant so I told him what to order for me, got in the car and hurried down to the Mission.  At this point I was at that delightful collision of starving, hurried and exhausted where my disposition would best be described as “crazy”.  Ten cuss filled and horn honking minutes later I found a parking place–  which was a fucking miracle at that time of day–  and made my way to the restaurant.  An enormous meal followed complete with two comedy sized Sapporo’s and I thankfully regained my sanity.  And dinner was so very good.  We ate at Big Lantern and everything was fantastic.  I love that place.

We had to go to the grocery store after that to get food for the week and I really started running out of steam.  I stopped by the bathroom at Safeway and looked in the mirror and was completely demolished.  My face was still noticeably whitened from the sunscreen I’d used that morning, particularly around the eyes where I looked like I’d made a terrible concealer decision.  I also had dark circles and my face looked a little puffy–  probably from all the rain we were riding in.  My hair was still kind of wet and looked stringy and unkempt.  I totally looked an applicant at an open casting call for “The Courtney Love” story.  I shut my eyes, blamed the lighting, and hurried back to Mr. Poe who seemed blissfully ignorant that he’d inadvertently married the Joker.  Twice.  we headed home and put the groceries away and I went to bed.  Tomorrow is another day.

Bike Mileage:

Today 70.8 Week to date 200.1 Month to date 515.1 Year to date 1,307.3 To Goal 6,692.7 Over (Under) plan (577.6) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (8,040.7) Rolling Year 7,292.1 Since Inception 10/1/07 29,812.8

I wasn’t sure what Saturday was going to be like.  The weather report was inconsistent across news channels but everybody agreed there would be some rain.  I didn’t put anything on the Different Spokes calendar and decided I’d just see what the weather looked like when I got up. It was, of course, pouring rain when I got up so the dogs and I lounged around the house and waited for it to clear.  Which it eventually did.  I headed out at about eleven and rode around the city first because I’m helping my friend Grady plan an organized ride next month.  Then I headed out to the coast.  I stopped at the foot of Sloat for some pics.  The weather was unsettled, of course, but it was drying out:

Then I headed south on Skyline.  I stopped around the Olympic Club for this pic of Devil’s Slide:

Looking west from the same point:

I kept heading south on Skyline.  At some point I started riding in areas I’d never been in before and was vaguely lost.  That doesn’t happen to me in the Bay area very often and it’s a little thrilling.  I finally ended up on Crystal Springs Road where I saw these gorgeous deer in somebody’s yard.  At first I thought they were lawn ornaments because they were so motionless but then I could tell they were watching me.  I even get shade from wildlife!

I headed into Hillsborough and then into San Mateo and made my way over to Coyote Point and started heading towards the airport.  I saw this Air France A340 coming into SFO.  I don’t think Air France flies this aircraft here a lot.  I’ve mostly only seen 747′s and 777′s here:

I made my way to the park at the foot of Millbrae but it was raining on me so I just took a couple of pics and kept moving.  This is the view looking south to Coyote Point:

The airport rising behind the wetlands:

Me:

I headed north through South San Francisco, Brisbane and ended up on Bayshore and then 3rd Street.  I stayed on 3rd Street and got some pics.  I’m fascinated by all the development that’s gone in since the 3rd St train came in.  This is Islais Creek:

A ruined wharf as seen from Bay Front Park in Mission Bay:

The view looking South from Bay Front Park:

A pretty new building on Terry Francois:

I headed over to the Embarcadero and met my friends Russ and Mr. Chris at Rincon Park where they were walking dogs.  Rincon Park has become a popular place for photography because of its jaw dropping bay bridge views and they were photographing I don’t know what when I got there.  My first thought when I saw this woman was “Bitch–  what you doing in my closet??”:

The view of the Bay Bridge from Rincon Park:

I headed home and had dinner with the dogs and went to bed. 

Bike Mileage:

Today 58.6 Week to date 129.3 Month to date 444.3 Year to date 1,236.5 To Goal 6,763.5 Over (Under) plan (626.5) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (8,006.5) Rolling Year 7,239.0 Since Inception 10/1/07 29,742.0

Friday I came down Market into work but didn’t manage to make it home for lunch.  But I did go for a nice ride after work.  I headed off Columbus to Powell to North Point to Van Ness to Bay and into Fort Mason Park to Marina Blvd and into the Presidio at Ft Mason.  I stopped at Crissy Field for pics:

I headed up to Lincoln and then to Golden Gate Bridge.  They’ve been ripping out some trees near the bridge which revealed a fabulous vista:

I headed back to Lincoln and stopped a little west of the bridge for pics of the glorious afternoon:

This is the World War II memorial:

I continued on Lincoln and got a pic of Land’s End from about halfway down:

I continued on Lincoln into Camino Del Mar and up to the Palace of the Legion of Honor.  I can’t remember the last time I was there after work.  I’ve missed it!:

Me:

I headed down to 34th to Balboa and down to the coast.  Between the surf and the rain, the beach was fabulously unsettled:

I went into Golden Gate Park at JFK to go ogle the tulips at the North Windmill:

I took JFK to Stanyan to Page to Scott to Waller to Steiner into Sanchez to Market to 17th and home for dinner.  The dogs and I missed Mr. Poe and went to bed early.

Bike Mileage:

Today 19.0 Week to date 70.7 Month to date 385.7 Year to date 1,177.9 To Goal 6,822.1 Over (Under) plan (663.2) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (8,047.4) Rolling Year 7,180.4 Since Inception 10/1/07 29,683.4