Finish Line (97)

We procrastinated the inevitable by sleeping in and then getting breakfast and coffee at the Starbucks under the hotel this morning.  Thanks to the Hegarty’s for the gift card!

We contemplated leaving the bags on our bikes for the obligatory trip-end pictures, but decided not to, to save ourselves the trouble.  We aren’t sure we are strong enough, anyhow, to lift the loaded bikes overhead; our workouts have been pretty lopsided lately (every day for the past 100 has been leg day…)

Looking down Lombard Street.
Looking down Lombard Street.

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On our way to the beach, we climbed one of the steep hills in the city so that we could ride down Lombard street.  It wasn’t much fun because of traffic (it took a few minutes to roll down the street which is only a couple hundred yards long), but we’re happy to say we have done it.

Looking up at Lombard Street.
Looking up at Lombard Street.

The next spot to explore was Fisherman’s Wharf.  It was very touristy but fun so we are planning to go back before leaving.  Shortly afterward, we got on a bike path that runs from there to the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge.  There were an incredible number of cyclists, half of which were tourists who rented bikes to sight see.

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The city as a whole is very bicycle friendly; we even found a few dedicated left turning lanes in the busy parts of the city, which we had never seen before.  The path along the waterfront was beautiful, with plenty of piers and viewpoints to take in.

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View of Alcatraz from the Pier across from the Ghirardelli buildling.
View of Alcatraz from the Pier across from the Ghirardelli buildling.
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Looking back towards Ghirardelli.

After the path ended, we rode up past the bridge and down to Bakers beach where we could see out into open water.  It was cold and cloudy, so not the day we had imagined all along, but we enjoyed the ride nonetheless.

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Rachel let me win this cross country race out of the goodness of her heart, although I remember getting a slight head start, so I’ll call it a tie.  We made to end our trip the same way we started: dipping our tires and getting our feet wet.

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Obligatory trip-end picture…

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THE END! (but we will finish the day’s write-up…)

Due to the weather, we didn’t hang around long.  No champagne, no special celebration at the beach.  That was saved for later.

We headed back to Fisherman’s Wharf and were excited to stumble upon a food truck market, but it wasn’t starting for a few hours so we sadly continued on.  Instead, we settled for clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl at Fisherman’s Wharf.  While eating, there was good entertainment and plenty of birds on the prowl for any piece of unguarded food.

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To complement the chowder, we stopped at Ghirardelli Square for an ice cream sundae, which was well worth it.  We might need to come back for another before leaving!

Looks to me like the happiness of this sundae might outweigh the sadness of just having officially completed our trip.
Looks to me like the happiness of this sundae might outweigh the sadness of just having officially completed our trip.

We picked up champagne on our way back to the room to enjoy while looking out at the city from our hotel room, rather than sitting on the cold beach.  We thoroughly enjoyed our celebratory bottle and then ventured out for sushi at Izakaya House in nearby Japantown.

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We followed that up with some Smitten Ice Cream, which they make right in front of you!

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Later on, we met up with Jenny and Lisa again, this time with Jenny’s brothers and one of their girlfriends.  We all played pool at a dive bar called the Thieves Tavern until it closed, then got late night burritos.

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Jenny and Lisa were planning to stay up all night since it was their last before flying back to Norway. We said our final goodbyes and caught a cab back to our hotel.  Again, it was so nice to meet both of you!  Congratulations on completing the trip, safe travels home, we hope to visit you both in Norway someday!

Oh, the places we’ve gone!

Trip stats, to date (Day 97)

San Francisco, CA

Daily mileage: 9.3 mi ;  Trip total to date: 5,599.8mi
Daily riding time: 1hr 12min;  Trip total time: 488hr 25min
Daily ascent: 541 ft;  Trip total ascent: 297,519 ft
Flat tires: Rachel – 4; Chris – 7

4 thoughts on “Finish Line (97)”

  1. Aw, congrats you guys, you did it! It was great meeting you at the top of Luther Pass. I really enjoyed following your blog, very inspiring! Looks like you had a great stay in Tahoe – you should come back some day for the mountain biking. We’d be happy to host some fellow cyclers!

    1. Thank you, Michelle! It was great to meet you too and we are very happy to hear you enjoyed checking out our journey on the blog 🙂 Lake Tahoe was amazing, we would love to come back some day; if we do we will be sure to let you know!

  2. i can’t believe I have tears in my eyes as I read this post. I am so proud and happy for you and your awesome occomplishments ! But I am also so sad it’s over. Thank you for letting us ride along on the ride of your life! You made the summer of 2015 unforgettable.

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