San Francisco Day 1:
Still feeling the effects of the eight hour time difference, Sam and I were up at 6 (the earliest I have been up for a VERY long time! ) and ready to explore. First though was breakfast, and what a
breakfast it was, pankankes, eggs, bacon, sausages all drowned in maple syrup! That wasn't the best part though, that prize goes to the AMOUNT! It all bodes well for the rest of the trip!
Then within three minutes of leaving the diner a man who had clearly been inspired by Breaking Bad, started yelling at us using the full range of the English language. This was fairly scary but we blanked him and moved swiftly on. However a run in like this so early on in the trip has really opened our eyes and it was certainly a very large shock to the system to receive within three minutes of being on the street.
The rest of the day passed without incident with Sam and I merrily exploring Downtown San Francisco! On our tour, a park warden decided to give us a history lesson on San Francisco and it's military defenses which was very intresting if slightly random. On the way back to the hostel, we did get very excited over the display of the Americas Cup winning boat from 2003 as well as the Monaco style sailing boats that were also bobbing around in the marina.
Civic Centre
San Francisco Cathedral
Alcatraz
With the drinking age being 21, we returned early to the hostel and put our bikes together from their disassembled state ready to use tomorrow.
Day 2:
Again, Sam and I set off early for somewhere for breakfast. Just as we were cycling down the road an English bloke who had cycled from Fort Lauderdale in Florida swung by. We got chatting and picked his brains on cycling across the USA, it was fair to say he was jealous of our route after he flogged his way through 120 degrees Fahrenheit of heat every day for three months. We don't think we are mad for cycling 4000 miles, but cycling 4000 miles in scorching heat is!
Breakfast was another big affair with free refills of any drink that you have order. Only two days in and I am beginning to see why most Americans are larger than they should be. With very full
tummies Sam and I set off towards the most famous landmark on the west coast of America, the Golden Gate Bridge. After we had mucked around taking the usual touristy photos including a couple of cheeky selfies we set off across the bridge. Slaloming through psdedtrians was the order of the day and by the end of the bridge 1.7 miles later we were bloody good at it, weaving left then right round tourists from all over the world. They probably all told us to do the same thing...
After crossing the bridge we had a cycling moment. Seeing a road winding upwards sharply along the side of a cliff face, with no reason not to go up, we just decided that we would cycle up this hill, a hill that turned out to be a lot longer and steeper than we had both expected. We wondered over supper what it was inside of us that told us to cycle up that hill would be fun, probably the same part that told us to cycle across America was also going to be fun. Either way, whatever told us to go up the hill was right, the views from the top were simply incredible (seen photos).
The afternoon consisted of exploring down town San Francisco is a very haphazard way that neither
of us really understood, but thanks to the genius of building a city of a grid system we got home.
Sam now worn out from this activity, went for a lie done while I nipped downstairs to the babours. Anyone that knows me and has seen me recently will agree that during my time in Sri Lanka I did not come face to face with any scissors. However as we will be facing temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius in the next two months or so things had to change. Off came ALL my hair! Next its Sam's turn for a stream lined hair cut.
Tomorrow should be a great day as I have booked some tickets to go and watch Oakland Athletic play baseball vs Boston Red Sox. anyone that has seen or read the book Moneyball will know what I'm talking about.
Day 3:
We woke up early again on Thursday and decided that we should head to Golden Gate Park for the day. It's a big park about five miles long by half a mile wide. So we cycled off there and went to explore the various features it had to offer. On arrival we found the Japanese Tea Garden but decided to avoid that as it was too busy. There was a huge modern museum called the De Yong so we had a quick scan at a few paintings but again this was too expensive for our $35 a day budget so we spent the time exploring golden gate park.
Lunch, again, was a highlight as we found a small sandwich bar that did the best burgers and steak sandwiches we have ever had! Theses things were incredible and we took them to the brilliantly named Shakespeare Gardens where we had a man juggling for our lunch break entertainment. There's always something to look st in San Francisco we have found!
On the way back we had another "cycling moment" and managed to find the steepest hill in the city with a gradient of 32%. As it was pre ceded by five streets all with increasing gradient up to the 32%, it was brutal!
In the evening we got on the BART which is a limited version of the London Underground to Oakland across the bay to watch Oakland Athletics play. The Boston Red Sox were 'in town' so we it was a big game. We had a fantastic time, chatting to the locals with a couple of beers and bigger hot dogs than you could ever imagine! In the end the 'Oakland A's' won 4-2 which was a good result I suppose, not that we had got to grips properly with the rules!
Oakland Athletics Stadium: Coliseum 
Day 4:
After a late night at the baseball, we had a relaxed morning in our hotel watching the World Cup relaying messages to our parents that we were still alive etc before heading out to lunch with the OU contact on the West Coast of America, Will Cazalet. It was great to reminisce about Uppingham and especially Lorne House, comparing stories and hearing hoe the place changed over The 20 years before we arrived.
Next was another meeting with another ex Uppingham and Lorne house boy. However, this time it was George Jackson who was in our year and whom we both know very well. Coninsidently, George and his dad where in San Francisco at the same time as us for 50's birthday partyfter having driven a ford mustang down the coast from Oregon, stopping off to surf along the way. It was greets to see George as we wandered through down town San Francisco checking out all the very expensive designer shops.
Supper was another meal with one of our contacts in California Peter Muray who had just completed a trip of his own from Denver, Colorado to Las Vegas through the Rockies on Harley Davidsons. I'm sure by the time we have finished we will have as many stories as we heard having dinner! These stories combined with the fact that although the drinking age is 21, it's a lot easier than one would think to get served.
Day 5:
Feeling worn out after a busy few days we wandered back to the same creperie as the morning before and Sam ordered the largest breakfast I have every seen. It was a crepe filled with an omelette a huge portion of potatoes. Also tried the 'English Breakfast' tea which was the worst cup of tea I have ever had. The Americans just don't do tea!
We then met George again and decided to try to get to the Academy of Sciences which meant we got incredibly lost about three miles from it but getting on and off various buses we got there. Only to find that it was $35 each to go in and we couldn't justify that sort of cost just for a look around a museum.
We then crossed the bay to alameda to go to supper with George's godfathers partner, at his birthday party which was great and very kind of them to invite us. We were introduced as 'The cyclists' and everyone was very supportive of outer idea and plan. They did however think that we were completely barking mad! After a top evening Sam and returned home, knowing that we would be three, a full team and ready to move out the next evening.
Day 6:
The thought of a lie in was a very nice one considering the amount of early starts we are about to have so Sam and I wrote th e morning off in our hotel rooms before heading back to alameda for round two of the party, a lunch cooked by George. T be fair to him, he nailed it and it was delicious!
We said our goodbyes and thank you's and returned to the hotel where we were greeted by the third, slightly bleary eyed member of our team, Jamie. Surprisingly he wasn't too jet lagged and he managed to re assemble his bike and come out for a bite to eat with us before getting some much needed sleep. This gave Sam and myself the time to pack, make sure everything fits in our panniers before we head off tomorrow!
We woke up early again on Thursday and decided that we should head to Golden Gate Park for the day. It's a big park about five miles long by half a mile wide. So we cycled off there and went to explore the various features it had to offer. On arrival we found the Japanese Tea Garden but decided to avoid that as it was too busy. There was a huge modern museum called the De Yong so we had a quick scan at a few paintings but again this was too expensive for our $35 a day budget so we spent the time exploring golden gate park.
Lunch, again, was a highlight as we found a small sandwich bar that did the best burgers and steak sandwiches we have ever had! Theses things were incredible and we took them to the brilliantly named Shakespeare Gardens where we had a man juggling for our lunch break entertainment. There's always something to look st in San Francisco we have found!
On the way back we had another "cycling moment" and managed to find the steepest hill in the city with a gradient of 32%. As it was pre ceded by five streets all with increasing gradient up to the 32%, it was brutal!
In the evening we got on the BART which is a limited version of the London Underground to Oakland across the bay to watch Oakland Athletics play. The Boston Red Sox were 'in town' so we it was a big game. We had a fantastic time, chatting to the locals with a couple of beers and bigger hot dogs than you could ever imagine! In the end the 'Oakland A's' won 4-2 which was a good result I suppose, not that we had got to grips properly with the rules!
Day 4:
After a late night at the baseball, we had a relaxed morning in our hotel watching the World Cup relaying messages to our parents that we were still alive etc before heading out to lunch with the OU contact on the West Coast of America, Will Cazalet. It was great to reminisce about Uppingham and especially Lorne House, comparing stories and hearing hoe the place changed over The 20 years before we arrived.
Next was another meeting with another ex Uppingham and Lorne house boy. However, this time it was George Jackson who was in our year and whom we both know very well. Coninsidently, George and his dad where in San Francisco at the same time as us for 50's birthday partyfter having driven a ford mustang down the coast from Oregon, stopping off to surf along the way. It was greets to see George as we wandered through down town San Francisco checking out all the very expensive designer shops.
Supper was another meal with one of our contacts in California Peter Muray who had just completed a trip of his own from Denver, Colorado to Las Vegas through the Rockies on Harley Davidsons. I'm sure by the time we have finished we will have as many stories as we heard having dinner! These stories combined with the fact that although the drinking age is 21, it's a lot easier than one would think to get served.
Day 5:
Feeling worn out after a busy few days we wandered back to the same creperie as the morning before and Sam ordered the largest breakfast I have every seen. It was a crepe filled with an omelette a huge portion of potatoes. Also tried the 'English Breakfast' tea which was the worst cup of tea I have ever had. The Americans just don't do tea!
We then met George again and decided to try to get to the Academy of Sciences which meant we got incredibly lost about three miles from it but getting on and off various buses we got there. Only to find that it was $35 each to go in and we couldn't justify that sort of cost just for a look around a museum.
We then crossed the bay to alameda to go to supper with George's godfathers partner, at his birthday party which was great and very kind of them to invite us. We were introduced as 'The cyclists' and everyone was very supportive of outer idea and plan. They did however think that we were completely barking mad! After a top evening Sam and returned home, knowing that we would be three, a full team and ready to move out the next evening.
Day 6:
The thought of a lie in was a very nice one considering the amount of early starts we are about to have so Sam and I wrote th e morning off in our hotel rooms before heading back to alameda for round two of the party, a lunch cooked by George. T be fair to him, he nailed it and it was delicious!
We said our goodbyes and thank you's and returned to the hotel where we were greeted by the third, slightly bleary eyed member of our team, Jamie. Surprisingly he wasn't too jet lagged and he managed to re assemble his bike and come out for a bite to eat with us before getting some much needed sleep. This gave Sam and myself the time to pack, make sure everything fits in our panniers before we head off tomorrow!
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