Wow! Just got back from a nice trip to SanFran and a side trip to Napa/Sonoma Counties.
SanFrancisco is a great city, but cold! Not cold like winter, just chilly wind. Does it ever get warm and how do you plan to dress for the day? I hear real estate is expensive, too.
Rented bikes and rode across the Golden Gate Bidge to Sausalito and back. Great views, nice ride, couple of big hills, fun.
I’m not a big wine drinker, but I highly recommend a trip there for anyone who drinks.
I noticed there were a lot of marked bike lanes everywhere. Is this a California thing or just because there are a lot of riders in the area. Also, do you have better bike/car experiences?
Off the beach (beach? who knew?) in the marina area, I saw a bunch of swimmers. Cold! Then I saw they all wore tri wetsuits. And they were all women. Is this a club or is is it just a known place for triathletes practice open water swimming? No men?
That was my first impression also. I went there during August and was shocked how cold it was. Back then, it was my first trip to California and expected to see surfers like in the old “Beach Party” movies but instead the water was darn cold and nobody on the beach. The other thing was the fog. It would drift in and out every fifteen minutes. At times you couldn’t even see Golden Gate. I was told August was the worst time for fog and to come back in the fall.
I also learned not to call SF as “Frisco”. The natives don’t like it but to say “San Fran” is OK.
Yes the city gets warm, but the tourist always make the mistake of coming early in the summer when the warmest months are actually August and September and even some high temperatures in early October. Those are the months that tend to have less or no fog as well. When in SF you always dress in layers. Yes, It’s one of the most expensive areas to live in country, along with Orange County and San Diego County in SoCal.
The other mistake tourist make is to think that SF is SoCal, it’s not. Northern California and Southern California might as well be different states. The people are different and the climates are different as well. You don’t don’t go surfing without a wetsuit in Northern California, at least rarely.
San Francisco is a “cooler” city in terms of climate, but most triathletes train in the warmer parts, Walnut Creek, Sausilito, and Oakland. It would probably be better to think of the area as the “Bay Area” since San Fran is really a small city with a LOT of people. You should have tried to ride Mt. Diablo or Mt. Tam while you where out =).
Man, don’t let our secret out! There are too many people here already and the tourist hordes have also arrived.
Layers. And never leave home without a jacket. May and October are the best months, and there is usually a week or two of 80F temps in February.
Ah yes, many of whom slow down and oversteer on the bridge, or decide that a great place to stop and take a picture is at the towers where they are sure to cause a pile up.
Both Sonoma and Napa have their charms and one should visit both, especially Van der Hayden Winery in Napa and Davis Bynum Winery and Hop Kiln Winery in Sonoma Co. Stay away from the big conglomerates andd hit the smaller places.
Probably both. I think we don’t have the obvious car/truck-bike problems that other (Texas especially?) places have where people try to run you off the road or throw things at you. Here it’s more stupid people/soccer moms in a hurry or tourists who try to read a map and drive at the same time.
Probaby Aquatic Park. If it was a bunch of women, it was probably the Embarcadero YMCA Women’s Tri Club doing a group swim. You might have also seen the Golden Gate Tri Club, the SF Tri Club, the local TNT group or any other number of tri clubs or training groups, or the local swimming groups (but they wouldn’t have had wetsuits on). Lots and lots of triathletes in the Bay Area. And no matter what Jimmy says, there are hundreds of athletes who do most of their training in SF-proper.
Glad you had a good time. Give us a shout next time and we’ll take you out on a run or ride or even a swim in the bay.
What about the wackos we saw riding in 60 degree weather, cold windy weather, wearing shorts and short sleeves? Do you just get acclimated?
Yes, we did stop at the towers, the view was too awsome. We did pull off to the side, though.
If I knew that you could swim there, I might have been tempted to bring my wetsuit. My original plan was to try and get in touch with you, but as it turns out, that weekend was Caliman. How was it?
Van Der Hayden! Fantastic! Found it almost by accident, it was suggested by a guy at Plumpjack. Best wine I have ever tasted (granted, I don’t know anything about wine, but I know more now). If it wasn’t recommended, we would have never gone there. The tasting room was a shack, the bathroom was a portajohn, Andre almost ran over us backing out of the driveway. Great experience.
My husband said when he was first stationed here at Moffet Field in the late '80s, he and his buddies headed out to the beach at their first opportunity to oggle babes, imagining the warm sunny Southern Cal beaches from the movies. It’s really funny to still hear the disappointment in his voice when he tells how when they got there, there were precious few babes to be found, since it is too bloody cold to swim and most days, too cold to get sun.
What about the wackos we saw riding in 60 degree weather, cold windy weather, wearing shorts and short sleeves? Do you just get acclimated?<<
You get used to it, though arm warmers are always in my back pocket.
CaliMan was AWESOME! 40 minute PR and I got to hang out with Jaylew, Hinds57, Francois, Fishman, et al. Full report on my site.
Did you taste the Van der Hayden Late Harvest Cab? I came home with a mixed half case from there. Worth every penny. Places like that are why I tell people to hit the small wineries.
San Francisco is a “cooler” city in terms of climate, but most triathletes train in the warmer parts, Walnut Creek, Sausilito, and Oakland. It would probably be better to think of the area as the “Bay Area” since San Fran is really a small city with a LOT of people. You should have tried to ride Mt. Diablo or Mt. Tam while you where out =).
I am planning to be in the Bay Area (Oakland/Emeryville area) next week on business. Generally, I should be done by 5 in the afternoon each day - is it possible to ride to/from, up/down Mt. Diablo before dark? (9pm?) I am a pretty strong rider, and would need to find a place to rent a decent road bike (can’t bring mine)…and I won’t have a car. I may have the better part of full day at either end of my trip…so how much time would it take…and can you recommend a route?
Or is Mt. Tam a better climb? Which is higher/harder/better/more worthwhile? Same questions as above for Mt. Tam…
yes, the late harvest was excellent, they also broke out a version of a Sauterne (I forgot the actual grape used). however, at $125 per half bottle, I am not that much of a wine drinker. great job at Caliman! open up some of that Cab and celebrate.
No problem doing Diablo in the evening. Take BART from Oakland to the Walnut Creek station. You can go up one side (North Gate or South Gate) come down the other and back to BART. The only issue will be going through Watnut Creek in traffic.
No problem doing Diablo in the evening. Take BART from Oakland to the Walnut Creek station. You can go up one side (North Gate or South Gate) come down the other and back to BART. The only issue will be going through Watnut Creek in traffic.
Dave
Thanks. Any ideas on where I can rent a decent bike?
Very generous Cousin Elwood after the exchange you two had last week.
Cholla,
I have a 59 cm Bianchi Daytona if you need a ride. You and Cousin Elwood should ride Diablo together and discuss politics along the way. The first one to the top is right (or left).
I appreciate the offer very much…but I may not know until the last minute whether or not I can ride…thus I wouldn’t want to put anyone out with last minute arrangements…thus I seek commercial rentals…
