Recent Rides

I meant to be keeping better tabs on this. The first actually strictly transportation as opposed to "Let's see if I remember how to ride a bike" ride I took was to jury duty, on Bryant.



This is not a very long ride, just two miles. I'm not sure the turn to Bryant is marked in the right spot, but I can't remember it exactly. You do have to turn, though. Some kind of funny downtown road, like it goes head on into itself with two one-ways or turns into a free-way entrance -- something like that.

The way back is slightly different, in that I definitely take Division back to Harrison. There's a bike lane on Harrison, so it's far less harrowing (hehehe) than trying to ride the whole way down Bryant, for instance, which would be hellish. I need to consult some references about how to deal with buses better.

The second ride I have done more than once (the first time was a nightmare -- never been so asthmatic in my life o_o) is to the bf's house:



It's a little longer, almost three miles. Note that this location is approximate. Also note that google maps can be tricky for this purpose; please disregard the Eureka loop -- there is actually a foot path I will describe. Anyhow, I looked at the bike map to try to find minimal hills (which is tricky, considering he does live ON TOP OF A HUGE HILL. 

Valencia you can fly down, it's so easy, with the bike lane. 18th is trickier when it is busy and doubly tricky because of the sneaky incline. It seems like a flat enough street, but you really feel even the slight angle when you're on a bicycle. Then again, let's remember that I'm a noob! (But I guess I haven't explained that yet, soon enough ;D)

Turning onto Douglass basically means getting off your bike and shoving up a couple steep hills. Pretty intense, but there are even harder trials ahead! At the top of the hill you actually get to shoulder it and take some stairs. This is very much a one step at a time affair, but I have definitely daydreamed of being able to take these two at a time at a run. You earn an easy coast over to 23rd, but then come two absolute beasts of hills to get to the top of 23rd. 

The first time I got to the top of that (after not even managing to bike all the way down 18th without a couple breaks) I was pretty much dead. It's definitely the hardest I had even consciously pushed myself, physically. When you're pushing up hills it is easy to say, "Oh I'm just walking, pick up the pace!" but that is a good way to, say, hurt your knee : X heh (Had a brief scare one morning where I limped around for a while, but it went away pretty quick! Whew!)

The second time it went a lot better, and I didn't take any breaks on 18th. Just to push up the hills in those two spots I mentioned. I should bust out a paint program or something, or maybe find a better bike route site. There is one, I think...

Anyhow, my next project is to figure out how to get to the Kabuki theater without taking too many hills, and then the Disney Museum in the Presido. Volunteering at the San Francisco International Film Festival this weekend.