San Fran Baby

Made it – another part of the plan has fallen into place.

I would not have been a true Aussie if I hadn’t stopped in the Napa Valley on the way through to San Francisco though. The preference would have been to stay a few days however I had to settle for a couple of tastings instead. Additionally, I needed to be careful – I was heading for a big, busy city and I had a feeling I was going to need to have my wits about me when I got there. The best of the wineries that I visited was Freemark Abbey. By the number of limos with bored chauffeurs milling around, I had a feeling it could be pretty good.

In I wandered in my dusty, grotty riding gear, amongst the well dressed and the beautiful. To her credit, the woman that received me only raised one eyebrow. With a degree of hesitation, she ushered me into the tasting area after informing me that the cost would be $25 for mixed red and white samples if I didn’t purchase anything. The first wine was one of their 2015 Sauvignon Blanc’s, followed by a 2014 Chardonnay. I suggested to the barman that I wasn’t a ‘Chardy’ drinker and was told that I soon would be. Guess what, he was right! We then got onto my real preference, the reds. There was a lovely 2013 Merlot, followed by the piece de resistance, a 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Wow – it was spectacular. The pricing was very reasonable (even taking the exchange rate into account) but, surprisingly, they couldn’t freight internationally. It was helpfully suggested that the concierge at my hotel in San Fran (uhhhh, right, I’ll have one of those) would be able to organise it for me. Regretfully I had to decline – it would have been nice to have bought a mixed carton for back home though.

Right, time to get moving. Places to go, things to do, people to see.

It was desperately hot again as I hit the road heading to the big smoke. The roads got busier and busier (unsurprisingly) as I got closer to San Francisco.  I always head into really big cities with anticipation, a degree of trepidation and a healthy level of caution. I’ve ridden in a number of interesting capitals – Rome, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Vientiane  and Muscat. It’s always a little confronting in the first instance, just until you get into the swing of things. Although not a capital, with a population of 8 million, San Francisco was no exception. The asphalt freeway was pretty good coming in and then turned into 6 or 7 lanes of very poor concrete. It was rough, bumpy and had a lot of road debris on it in places. Most disconcerting was the effect of old roadworks, repairs and maintenance. There were often large gaps and long grooves, with channels that ran along the road. It was hard to see the surface clearly and the front tire would often move unexpectedly when it tracked along them. The traffic was absolutely flying – fast, fast, fast. It wasn’t the actual speed, more the erratic lane changing with no notice and often no indication. Super quick merging from the never ending overpasses, slip roads and exits didn’t help either. I saw at least half a dozen really close calls and had to keep my eyes peeled and every sense on alert. It was actually a bit like riding a gnarly off-road track. A  lot of focus and concentration was needed. I ended up on these roads a couple of times at night after going out to eat – now that was unnerving and something that I didn’t really get used to.

I ended up on the Bay Bridge which was absolutely massive, running for at least 3 or 4 miles and with a toll booth that was probably 10 lanes wide. They still allow for payment with cash, so the bottleneck was huge. I continued half way across the bay until I saw the signs for Treasure Island. This was the place that Scott Perry was doing his KIT690 conversion and where I was meeting him for the afternoon to say g’day and give a hand if I could. The island was reclaimed land that had been a naval base in the past. For whatever reason, it ceased and became a semi-abandoned area of warehouses, buildings and empty streets. It had a community of sorts, a few very scattered shops, plus a bar and grill (there’s always one of those). Going from the frantic freeway to a single, quiet road that ran across and back over the bridge traffic felt quite surreal and strange.  It had spectacular views though, so I did illegally stop for a few quick pic’s.

It was good to meet Scott. We’d been a part of the KIT690 Facebook Group for well over 6 months but, of course, hadn’t physically met. I was welcomed warmly and then very willingly put straight to work. Scott had the weekend to do his build, including stripping the host bike, so he had to keep the wheel’s turning. The workshop was called the Moto Guild. It was privately owned and kitted out by a guy called Wilder. He’d set up numerous ‘work stations’ with hoists, tools and everything you could possibly need to work on a bike. This included zip ties, drill presses, electric tools and even cleaning rags. There were dozens of people using the facility or taking part in the classes that were run. It was very well set up and, for a fee, you had the run of the place.

It was an interesting experience helping someone with a job that I had 95% completed myself before I left. As I’ve said before, I’m not particularly mechanical, but I realised that I have picked up quite a bit and think I was able to offer some handy advice and a few time saving solutions. Scott was, I have to say, very fast – a man on a mission. He didn’t even clean the bike before starting – simply put it on the hoist after his last ride. Like many San Franciscans, he doesn’t own a car – I have to admire the commitment to 2 wheels. It’s quite impressive.

I spent that afternoon and the bulk of the next day with Scott and we got a huge amount done. The bike was far from complete by Sunday night, but the back of the job was certainly broken. We’d hoped to be able to turn it over that evening, but didn’t quite get there. Scott was taking the afternoon off on the Tuesday, so it would have to wait until then.

I had a cool couple of days just riding around town. The GPS was so helpful – I could get a general overview of the city and see where I was as a guide, without necessarily going anywhere specific. I found number of outlooks, stumbled across the worlds crookedest street (which it’s not), dropped into KTM (a huge shop with so much ‘stuff’) and had a really nice few hours at Sausalito and around the Golden Gate Bridge.

The views were great, albeit  pretty hazy and the town surprisingly white (i.e., the buildings). It was very foggy (which I was pleased about) and made for a different view of the bridge than when I last saw it 5 years ago. It got surprisingly cool in the mist and was very windy, to the point where it was actually hard to ride across safety. There was an electronic toll on the way back over (about $8.00) and, of course, I didn’t have a tag. I couldn’t see anything that advised how to pay after the event, so I’ll just have to hope that when I’m trying to get back into he country in the future, I don’t pop up on their list of undesirables. I’m pretty sure the Australian rego will keep me safe.

I talk about food often in these blogs. It becomes very important after long days in the saddle or when you’re in places where a decent feed might be a bit hard to source. On other occasions, it’s simply different, unusual or just so good that I feel a need to try and share the moment. Lunch at Sausalito was another of these experiences. I ate at a ‘modern Mexican’ restaurant called Copita Tequileria, ordering the Coctel Mixto which is a ‘ceviches’ – fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices. You’ll possibly need to do some Googling, I know I did. For those of you that know me, my eating something like this (knowingly or willingly) is a little unusual. It had Maine lobster, Bay scallops, flounder, tomato, orange, serrano and avocado. Coupled with a Californian Sauvignon Blanc, it was a pretty spectacular lunch.

I went to Fishermans Wharf one afternoon for about 6 minutes or $0.50 worth. Really, why do people bother? It was dirty, congested, overpriced, tacky and absolutely awful – exactly as I expected it would be. Parking was $0.25 per 3 minutes – that would add up! Still, all the people seemed to be enjoying themselves, so that’s the main thing.

By now, I was feeling very comfortable on the freeway. I was staying in Oakland and the 580 was a direct route to downtown San Fran past the Treasure Island turnoff. At different times of the day, the run was open and easy, but try it at peak hour! Lane splitting is legal and common in California (no where else I believe) and the motorists are accepting of it and pretty accomodating – mostly. It’s a bit of fun, but you obviously have to be very careful and sensible. I definitely wasn’t trying it out at high speed, only when the traffic was slowing, stopped or close to it. There were biker’s lane splitting at great speed – suicide. Brett Holden – you’d have loved it 😉

My accomodation in Oakland was really, really good – I lucked out a little this time. I’d mentioned where I was staying to Scott and I saw him raise his eyebrows. While there are football players living in $3 million homes in the heights, the area at the bottom is very, very dodgy. Poor, disaffected, coloured (with respect), dirty and dangerous. I unknowingly went down the hill one day looking for lunch and was very uncomfortable even stopping at traffic lights. It wouldn’t have been possible to leave the bike unattended on the street. The Air B & B was half way up the hill, peaceful, in a quiet residential street and was an older but nicely renovated original home from a much earlier era. It also had awesome views over the Bay. I was met very enthusiastically by Kimberly who had another house at Half Moon Bay where her husband lived. She was a ‘healer’ and spent her time between the 2 houses. I had the run of the place, Kimberley kindly did some washing for me, as well as offering heaps of assistance with places to eat. She couldn’t have made me feel more at home. The price was well below what it could have been at less than $100 per night.

I went back to the Guild for the afternoon on Tuesday where we got back into the bike build. A lot more progress was made, but a fuel leak meant a bit of a delay. We completed the 2 jobs that I still have in front of me when I get home – fitting the header /  exhaust and bashplate. There’s a bit of customisation associated with both theses parts of the conversion, so it was really helpful to see them done. Getting close Scott!

I cooked for myself a few times, stocking up at Trader Joe’s about 3 miles down the freeway. I met a nice young bloke on a bike in the carpark who offered me some route advice and his phone number if I wanted to catch up for a beer. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the opportunity to take him up on this (or use his routes). Nate, if you’re reading this, thanks mate, regardless.

The other thing about San Francisco (and a lot of America) that I found frustrating was the stop signs. They are basically at every intersection, regardless of the actual need. There would be 4 at crossroads and 3 at T intersections. No one knows how to use them properly, they cause accidents and the locals (like Scott) that do know how to drive / ride get hugely wound up about them. Unlike Australians, people actually stop – it’s the taking off that causes the problems. I didn’t know how to tackle these at first, but after asking someone, I found out that you have right of way in the order that you arrive. If you get there together, you give way to your right. I found this dangerous in that, even if you were on the larger street (that in Australia would flow straight through), it would always have a stop sign. Coupled with lights, paint, signals, advertising, red (rather than yellow) vehicle indicators which are so, so hard to see and other signs everywhere, they were easy to miss. You can’t trust anyone and, as always on a motorbike, you’re the one that will come off worst in an accident. It made getting around very fraught and slow.

I didn’t think I was going to see Kimberly before I left and discovered a lovely note on top of another load of washing she did for me on my last morning. She was in the house (as it turned out – I had no idea) and she emerged from her room for a hug and a farewell as I was leaving. A lovely, helpful and kind woman – typical of the hosts who offer their homes as Air B & B’s.

I had a wonderful 5 days in San Fran and could write about it for hours. It’s a vibrant, interesting city with lots to see and plenty to experience. The architecture is spectacular, the buildings are ageless, the people friendly and it’s history unique. If you get the chance to go there, make sure you do.