As I sit killing an hour or two before jumping on a plane bound homewards, I have just enough time to tell you about Berkeley. Home to people who live in trees, people who don't wash, people who are quite frankly revolting (against the system)!
But also home to my lovely friend Mandy (who may or may not be all of these things). Mandy's a friend from Cambodia, another fine and proud member of the 'Gunshop'. So perhaps it was serendipity that brought not only PEPY supremo Daniela to 'the city' but also our 3rd Gunshop-dude, Michael to the San Francisco International Airport where we dropped 'bows like it was Bonn Om Teuk!
Truly awesome to see them all! An unexpected treat!
I've been running around sampling the sights and sounds Berkeley; campus-life as school starts up again, Tilden Park up in the hills of Berkeley with glorious views out over the bay and San Francisco and Marin county beyond, Top Dog's hot-dogs, the marina complete with crazy old-bearded dudes kite-skateboarding, second-hand bookstores galore! I even spent a day with Mandy wandering around Berkeley's botanical gardens pointing out the most impressive specimens - see if you can spot them in this post!
Figured I had to ride over the Golden Gate bridge while I was in the area... didn't approach it tactically though and by the time I got there the daily fog had rolled in and about a half-mile from the bridge I hit a cold wet wall of THICK fog. Kind of spooky cycling across one of the largest landmarks in western America and not being able to see any of it, but oh well...
After that I rode on to San Francisco's Critical Mass - a monthly ride to reclaim the streets for cyclists and promote cycling in the city. Critical Mass has spread to hundreds of cities around the world but it started, 17 years ago, right in San Francisco! A fun way to see the city, if a little hectic and the constant sirens of police-cars/vans/bikes to prevent the ride getting onto a freeway or a bridge muted the otherwise joyous mood of the riders.The cops were pretty friendly though and Mandy even beat one of them up the hill in a race!
"1 2 3 4, monsters walking cross the floor,
I love counting, counting to the number 4!!
Are you counting, counting with me?
To one less than five, and one more than three!"
