So it's been a while since we provided an update. I could run the test pattern of excuses... We haven't had a lot of Internet, we've been on boats and trains and planes, we have been battling the flu or jet lag or something (all of which are true), but really we've just been having too much fun doing things and haven't spent our 'down time' blogging. While we've moved on to the East coast, our blog is still stuck in the west, so we'll pick up the story there. As we catch up, we'll probably write a couple of times in the next few days. And with that, we head back to the mission area of San Francisco.
Today was a big day. We caught the BART (subway) down town to the waterfront - aka, the tourist area. Our mission was to ride across the golden gate bridge. Our leisure was to take in all the sites as we went.
Our good friends Carlos and Merran had given us the low down before we left Australia... It'll be fine, they said, reassuring us that you don't need to be super fit to do the ride and that we could take it at our own pace. So, we hired bikes from the aptly named 'blazing saddles' and made our way down the foreshore, which was supposed to be the preamble to the main event over the bridge. For one not familiar with this part of the world, the ride passes Alcatraz; meanders along beside the famous San Francisco style houses, and through parkland with a view of the bridge. It took us a good couple of hours to do what was probably a 30 minute ride because we kept stopping to take it all in and to take photos, particularly of the gorgeous houses.
Amanda and I both really wanted to see some Californian redwood trees while we were here. We contemplated hiring a car for a day but discovered on our 'blazing saddles' map that there was a bike route to a grove of giant redwoods. I'm not sure if it was an effort to save money, that initial euphoria you feel in the first few minutes of exercise as the oxygenated blood flows, or just plain blissful ignorance, but that little decision doubled or tripled our riding distance to just shy of 30km. It doesn't sound like much, but it was my first major piece of exercise since having viral meningitis in September.
Anyways, the views were spectacular, the ride thoroughly enjoyable, and the redwood trees just amazing - they were well worth the extra effort. Our photos simply can't capture their magnificence and peacefulness.
[Amanda note: standing in the circle of old old trees in Mill Valley there was almost a deep hum resonating from them. Just further on there were houses built in between some of the Redwoods, like serene forest hideaways.]
Oh, I forgot to mention that the way the bike hire works is you ride one way, then catch the ferry back. To have the bikes back in time, we had to catch the 6pm ferry. We tried. We really tried. We have the sunburn, the exhausted quadriceps and thighs, and the 'blazing saddles' to prove it. We made a mad rush over the last 10km to try to catch the ferry. We were passing fellow riders left, right, and centre as we chased the deadline. Cadel Evans would have been proud. We rounded our last bend and saw the glorious site of the ferry just 50 meters away! Unfortunately for us, the last 25 meters were water and the ferry was going the other way. Public transport - 1, Swanboroughs - 0.
It wasn't a total disaster. 5 minutes later a bike-riding family turned up who called the bike company, got the details for where to take late returns and we all waited an hour for the next ferry. Unfortunately, it meant we had to ride a few extra kilometers to the overnight depot... which was up a hill.
On the ferry back we had an interesting chat with a guy about life and God and CGI in animated films. He did the cgi for the water scenes in 'the legend of the guardians' - that movie about the owls.
When we finally got back to the mission, we stopped in to mexican taqueros joint for a quick dinner. As we neared our apartment, all the police were out in riot gear standing at the edge of the police station car park. Then we started noticing some extra paint on the buildings and sidewalks. A few steps later, there was a guy with a high pressure hose cleaning his shop front. It turns out there was a riot about 15 minutes earlier that went right along the street where we were saying. Lucky we stopped for dinner or we would have ended up in the middle of it.
We later checked the local news site and saw rows of cars with their windows smashed and tyres slashed. Really? That's how you make your point that you've got a better system of philosophy? If the link still works you can see photos here - http://missionlocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/car2.jpg
Depending on which news report or blog you read, the riot started as a peaceful march by occupy wall street protesters and was either hijacked by anarchists or shows the lack of respect/civility of the protesters. I suspect the truth is probably a combination of both. Having genuinely tried to understand what the occupy wall street movement is trying to achieve or is protesting about, it seems to me that what probably started with a a genuine concern about the flaws of capitalism has morphed into a beacon for anyone with a gripe about anything... including the rule of law, respect for other people, 'the man', and any form of social civility.
Don't get me wrong, civil disobedience and struggle has often been the only way to correct gross injustices throughout history. But usually it was undertaken by the downtrodden and oppressed. My limited observations of 'occupy' is that it seems to be amateur philosophers and rich kids with plenty of time who are trying to kick perceived shackles they've inherited (okay, that's a little unfair, but you get my point). With 'occupy' we're not talking about slaves, exploited workers, or people born into poverty with no obvious way out. Alright, enough with the rant, back to our adventure.
[P.S. Amanda: yes Jahda, some people just want to hear about our travels. So please continue otherwise they won't get to my blogs!]
We woke up the next morning feeling as fresh as yesterday's salad. I had severe sunburn - particularly on the back of my hands and lower legs... Areas I clearly missed with the sunscreen even after I realized how hot the sun had gotten and applied some cover. Amanda was pretty lucky in that regard. She credits the coconut oil and previous basic-level sun exposure.
In need of some cheer, we ventured Down Town, with the words of Petula Clarke ringing in our ears telling us 'things will be better, down town.' (A song permanently scarred by the advertising executives at Coles.) She was right. We enjoyed a delicious and massive salad - easily the best either of us had ever had before.
[Amanda: we walked, not into a basic food court, but into a haven of gastronomy. Food venders offered tastings at every turn; and burgers and salads were not mere burgers and salads...]
Inspired by the different fashions of the mission district (see last post) I also picked up some new threads to fill my life with some more color - including some new shoes. They're like sunshine in a step.
Amanda and I also picked up a pair of vibram five fingers each (toe shoes) but those on facebook would already know that. I can still see the smile on Amanda's face as she saw the range available.
We also explored Golden Gate park and the panhandle, a park that is so named because if the Golden Gate park was the pan, these little parks (really just super-sized nature strips) would be the handle. It was also the meeting place for lots of hippies during the 60s.
Lastly, an observation on the productivity of the American economy. It's time to phase out 1 cent coins. Nickels and dimes are antiquated. The time spent looking for them and energy used carrying them really isn't justified. There are surely massive productivity gains to be made here. Someone should look into that.
Someone should also look into Seattle. It's a pretty boring place to visit. We went to the Pike Place markets - a good place for a bite to eat. But that's about it. On the way, we must have passed 6 or 7 Starbucks in as many blocks. That raises two questions - how do any of them make any money. And secondly, why? I mean, really, it's Starbucks. (Full disclosure here - my brother, Blaine, runs One Drop Specialty Coffee, currently serving the second, third or fourth best coffee in Brisbane depending on which review you read).
The other thing about Seattle is that it rains. A lot. Also, the trains don't run on time. Sometimes they don't run at all... as we had the privilege of finding out. In this case the rain caused a mudslide, which closed the track. When we checked, only part of the track was closed so we were to get on a bus then the train. They later closed the whole thing, so it was a bus all the way. Ironically, if we'd booked the bus in the first place, we could have left rainy, sleepy Seattle, several hours earlier. Or we could have skipped it altogether and flown straight to Vancouver... Sure would have been easier. Transportation 2 - Swanborough's 0.
On a brighter note, the bus route goes past the town of Blaine. It must be the most north western town in the mainland of the United States (or as we learnt to call them in Alaska - the 'lower 48 states' as if somehow the countries' geographic reference point is Alaska??). Anyway, passing my brother's namesake reminded me to email home and check in on family.
We finally made it to Vancouver and the delightful bed and breakfast, 'O Canada House' (yes, as in the Canadian national anthem), which would be our home for the next week. But more on that next time.
J.
Photos: a mix of snaps from the Golden Gate Bridge, Down Town San Francisco, Golden Gate Park, cable cars, pike place markets, crazy chocolate covered caramel apples (pronounced 'carmel' by many Americans), and new shoes.
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