With the bike on the Golden Gate Bridge

Last day in SF but still so much to see… It’s time to take the bike, faster than on foot!

Luckily for me Caltrain is very well equipped in bike transportation – taking his bike on the train is free! From the Train station, I take the Bay Trail again, but this time I cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Once on the other side, I cycle up a few bends  before going all the way down to Sausalito and it’s boat houses. Then, after crossing the bridge again, I cycle along the coast to Land’s End, then south, through the Golden Gate Park and back to the train station.

Approximate route

Crissy Field Center Palace of Fine Arts Theatre Lincoln Blvd (Presidio) Conzelman Rd – opposite to the G.G.B. Conzelman Rd, Golden Gate Bridge Financial District and Bay Bridge from Sausalito Sausalito G.G.B. from Point Cavallo G.G.B. from Lincoln Blvd (west) California Palace of the Legion of Honor Sutro Baths ruins Golden Gate Park, Music Concoursec

Pinnacles National Park

Amateur (ou peut-être pas…) de grimpe, voici votre prochaine destination! Petit parc national très peu connu, Pinnacles se trouve à 1h30 de route de San José. Et pour s’y rendre, nous avons traversé la “charmante” petite ville qu’est Hollister (oui je sais que la marque de ce nom reflète un esprit détendu et le style surf  du sud de la Californie…) Pourtant lieu d’habitat pour de nombreuses espèces dont les vautours et les condors (par ailleurs difficiles à distinguer), je n’en ai malheureusement pas vu, peut-être dû à la saison de reproduction.

Pinnacles National Park, photo: Vincent VK Pinnacles National Park Pinnacles National Park Pinnacles National Park Pinnacles National Park Pinnacles National Park Pinnacles National Park Faute de rapaces... GREEN and Californian poppies along road 25

Monterey and the Pacific

Despite a rainy morning, we decided to follow our program, meticulously organised by Vincent; driving south under heavy rain to Monterey where we made our first stop under a beautiful sun!
Monterey Bay is a protected marine area; otters, seals, turtles and many other species live in it also provides a habitat for a kelt forest. We spent some time canoeing on this bay, which is the best way to see all this wildlife.
Our second stop was the Monterey Bay Aquarium, one of the biggest and most well-known in the world. It was actually built inside an old cannery, closed partly because of overfishing in this area.
Then it was already time to go home, but surely not without driving alongside the ocean! Who knows, maybe we’d see a whale or two as it’s the season of their migratory, which path follows exactly that coast.
Sad I only saw a jet of water, we felt obliged to stop at Half Moon Bay to buy fresh-fished salmon…

Monterey Bay Photo: Vincent VK Monterey Bay from the old cannery Jellyfish in the Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey Bay Aquarium Pigeon Point Route 1 along the coast San Gregorio State Beach San Gregorio State Beach Fresh salmon grilled on pine wood