Ride #11: Sunday Streets - Fisherman's Wharf to Mission Bay

Ride #11: Sunday Streets - Anthony, Kevin, Jin Hei

On Saturday, I went on a solo bike ride from my old apartment to Lands End, an area tucked away behind the golf course near the Legion of Honor. I had never been there before, and it turned out to be one of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean.

The Coastal Trail wasn’t really meant for biking, but for hiking. I ended up walking my bike along the narrow path and lugging it up and down some stairs. But in the end, it was worth it. I was treated with an awesome sunset.

I wanted to go further along the trail to the Sutro Baths, but by then, it was already dark, so I called it a day.

On Sunday, Kevin and I welcomed our newest CATS member, Jin Hei (aka Judy McBooty). Since she didn’t have a bike, she skateboarded with us instead. This Sunday Streets, the first one of 2010, began at Fisherman’s Wharf and ended at Mission Bay. Along the way, we saw Pier 39, the Ferry Building, the Bay Bridge, AT&T Park, China Basin, and some cool cranes and rusty ships. Of all the Sunday Streets that I’ve attended before, this was my favorite one by far. And judging by the hundreds of people that came out, they thought the same thing.

We started at the Mechanical Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf, which had a collection of vintage arcade machines and creepy, laughing puppets. I think I’m going to have nightmares about these.

Half way along the ride, Jin Hei started getting tired, and being a true gentleman, Kevin offered to tow her with his backpack.

This proved to be Kevin’s downfall. Near the end of the ride, he had severe cramps around his knees, and he could barely walk or straighten out his legs!

After getting some hamburgers at Java House Coffee Shop, we made our way back to Fisherman’s Wharf. Kevin limped to the bus stop with me, while Jin Hei went to work. Despite the agony, this was a really fun ride. All of you CATS that didn’t go missed out!!

Ride #10: China Camp State Park

Ride #10: China Camp State Park - Anthony, Brandon, Debbie, Lark, Oz, Sherwin, Thien

C.A.T.S. is back! And bigger than ever! This President's Day, the gang inducted three more members: Lark, Thien and Brandon! Welcome aboard, guys! (p.s. I don't know why this photo is cropped, but click on it to see the entire photo!)



It wasn't a very long ride at all (about 8 miles) but it was a hilly one. I'm not sure about the others, but these were the types of hills that don't look bad, but they kill me. Just shows how out of shape I am. But hey, it's exercise that I badly needed!

Break time! Thanks for the Clif Bars, Oz!


After we hit a breaking point, some of us split off into smaller groups. Brandon had to head back to work a little early, so he took off. Lark and Thien went on their own excursion to get some sketching done of the pretty terrain. The rest of us headed up into the skinny trails up the hill. It was a bit of a muddy ride...I was trying to be careful at first of not getting dirty, but once I felt the mud splashing on my leg, then I let go and splashed through the puddles freely! Mud is kind of fun!

At one point, Sherwin found a log to pose on! Yay the tradition continues...Oz and Sherwin on a log:



Me on a log:



Anthony and his guns on a log:



After the ride, taking pictures of people taking pictures:



Afterwards, some of us headed over to Manimal's house for some delicious handmade wontons! Thanks guys, they were the perfect ending to a good ride.

Ride #9: Lake Merced

Ride #9: Lake Merced - Anthony, Debbie

This week's ride was a short one...and a small at that! Only Manimal and I made it out this time. CATS numbers are dwindling! Gaahh...



That's ok, Manimal and I made the best of it. Started out at the Doggie Diner sign near the SF Zoo.



We rode around Lake Merced. Neither of us had seen this area of the city, so that was nice. One of the great perks of riding in C.A.T.S.!! *hint hint* you other CATS members have to ride with us more! Sheesh.



Anthony on a log! Ok ok, it's technically not a log, but it's more fun to say than "tree stump."



We ended the short ride at Ocean Beach...the weather was nice and people were out!

Ride #8: Ryder Park and Coyote Point

Ride #8: Ryder Park and Coyote Point - Anthony, Debbie, Sherwin



Manimal here with a report for Ride #8. A bunch of CATS members were busy this weekend, so we did a shorter ride. We met at Ryder Park and biked through Coyote Point. Unfortunately, the bike paths there weren't clearly labeled, and my map was in the car. We ended up wandering along the shoreline and stopping at a gas station for Drumsticks and Häagen-Dazs. Sherwin, being the daredevil, attempted the Crane Technique on a wobbly wooden post and riding on the top of a wavy retaining wall. Debbie safely avoided those vicious children on bikes and surfed a seal sculpture.



Around 4:30 or so, Debbie had to leave, but Sherwin and I decided to bike towards the San Mateo Bridge. This ride proved to be a lot more scenic and straightforward. We saw a dog park (our mortal enemies), some stray cats (our best friends), and a bunch of kiteboarders (daredevils just like Sherwin). On our way back to the parking lot, Sherwin noticed that his rear tire was completely deflated! Oh no!



Now this isn't CATS related, but worth a mention. Traffic along the Bay Bridge was miserable because of Fleet Week, so Sherwin, Yen, and I went to B-Star on Clement Street for dinner. For those of you that don't know, this restaurant is owned by the same people that run Burma Superstar two blocks away. But in my opinion, this place is far better because the portions are bigger, the ambiance is better, and the wait is much shorter.

All of our dishes were delicious! For an appetizer, we ordered pork riblets in a sweet, sticky glaze. Our main dishes included melt-in-your-mouth fish fillets on a bed of leafy greens; grilled steak with mushrooms, asparagus, and mashed potatoes; and garlic noodles with duck. For dessert, we had a scoop of ice cream mixed with an espresso, sliced strawberries, and slivered almonds. It was the ultimate contrast in flavors: hot and cold, sweet and bitter, creamy and crunchy! Yum!

Ride #7: The Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge, and Sausalito

Ride #7: The Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge, and Sausalito - Anthony, Sherwin, Oz

Manimal here with a report for Ride #7. Since Sherwin had never biked across the Golden Gate Bridge, we decided to do a repeat of the second CATS ride. Three minutes into the trip, Sherwin was already having technical difficulties with his brand, new bike. While changing gears, the chain came loose and doubled on itself. But thanks to Oz's magical fingers, Sherwin's bike was up and running again in a few minutes.



Like last time, the ride across the Golden Gate Bridge was pretty spectacular, and we were lucky to have sunny weather. After getting to the other side of the bridge, we felt adventurous and decided to bike to Sausalito. Going down hill was really fun, but the ride back up was BRUTAL. Since I had only 7 gears (versus 24 gears on Sherwin and Oz's bikes), my thighs were burning, and I was completely out of breath.



While in Sausalito, we rewarded ourselves with some Lappert's Ice Cream. I got Banana, Caramel, Chocolate Chip. Sherwin got Blueberry Brownie, and Oz got Guava Cheesecake!! Mmmm-MMMMMM!!



Before biking back to San Francisco, Oz was so exhausted that he put on his bike helmet on backwards!




Unfortunately, without our statistics specialist, Debbie, we had no idea how many miles we biked or our top speed. Time for me to get a nerd-o-meter too!

Ride #6: Sawyer Camp Trail and Redwood City/Foster City

Ride #6: Sawyer Camp Trail & Redwood City to Foster City - Anthony, Debbie, Sherwin



So we had a change in plans for Ride #6. It was originally going to be a trip to Angel Island, but since some members couldn't make it, the rest of us switched it to the beautiful Sawyer Camp Trail. The ride was fairly easy for most of the way. The nice scenery helped to distract from any fatigue! But after about 4.5 miles, the path started going uphill. And once you finished one little hill, another one was around the corner.



Here we are near the top. This is Sherwin exhausted after riding to the top without using any gears. This was BEFORE he realized that the gears actually worked. He was grumbling when he found that out!





























Anthony and Sherwin on a log.




















Anthony and Sherwin sleepin' on a log.

After the initial 6 miles, it was smooth sailing coming down the hill to get back to the beginning of the trail head. It was a nice reward for all that riding up the hill...or walking up the hills in my case.

Later we went on another 10 mile ride from Redwood City to Foster City. The reward for the guys was a jackfruit smoothie. Sherwin was happy as a clam after drinking one. I'll have to try one of those next time!

Past Rides

Cougar here! I'll probably be posting some highlight pics from past rides, but I just wanted to list the rides that CATS has done so far:

Ride #1: March 2009, Golden Gate Park - Anthony, Debbie, Kevin, Mikey, Tissue (and ALMOST Eidelyn)
Highlights: Debut ride! Lynx almost made it, but ran a little late and couldn't catch up with the gang. We'll consider her a half-member for now, but we're still waiting for her to join officially!

Ride #2: April 2009, Presidio and Golden Gate Bridge - Anthony, Debbie, Kevin
Highlights: Beautiful ride. Personally, it was one that I was afraid of, but definitely a nice way to see parts of the Presidio and GG Bridge I've never seen.

Ride #3: April 19, 2009, Redwood Shores - Anthony, Debbie, Jeremy, Michael E.
Highlights: Coctopus and Crookshanks officially join the gang! Cooling it down with a Jamba Juice on a hot hot day.

Ride #4: August 2009, Golden Gate Park and Great Highway - Anthony, Kevin
Highlights: I'm not sure because I wasn't there!

Ride #5: September 6, 2009, Golden Gate Park and Great Highway - Anthony, Debbie, Oz, Sherwin
Highlights: Dr. Sex Panther and Pum-raa officially join the gang! Car free Great Highway was fun. Detour at Polly Ann's for some ice cream.
Lowlights: I eat some pavement when a toddler swerves into my bike. Luckily the kid was ok! I also realize that I am way outta shape and I need to get back so that I can keep up with the rest of CATS!

So far, 9 members have ridden with us, but we're still waiting for more to officially join!

Ride #6 comin' up next...Angel Island, here we come!