Season 3 Episode 13 (10/16-10/17) Meet Our Good Friends

Season 3 Episode 13 (10/16-10/17) Meet Our Good Friends – 

10/16 Corte Madera to Atherton, CA. 66 miles 2138’ climb.

We left the comforts and the catering of staying with Phyllis and Hank in Corte Madera, and after passing the houseboats and marina in Sausalito, we had the rude awakening of a steep climb up to the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Crossing the GG bridge lived up to our hyped expectations. And we got to see it clear, then with fog, then clear.

While crossing it, we felt like we were in a plane looking down at the clouds, but in this case looking down on fog. 

5 minutes later the visibility changes.

10 minutes later from Fort Mason

The GG Bridge also has a very personal meaning for me. Back in 1985, at the south side vista shop, I bought a piece of the original GG Bridge suspension cable for $20. It felt like a lot of money to me back then. I’ve had it sitting on my desk for the past 33 years, as a daily reminder of how I felt the first time I went out west - of the “wow” one feels the first time seeing a landmark, be that man-made or natural.

After the bridge, we rode into San Fran and by the luxurious homes on Marina Boulevard with their grand views looking out at the water. A few of them are so modern with all glass facades, it seemed like their inhabitants are in a fish tank and we have unhindered grand views of them. I could not live like that. 

And then we met our guest rider for the day- Sam B., son of friends from our town of Larchmont. Sam has been out in San Fran for a bit more than a year, and we were thrilled and quite honored that a young member of Gen Z wanted to spend time with us oldsters and be part of our experience. (Somehow without any planning or memo, Sam even got the wardrobe right!)

While we rode east along the bay towards Oracle Park, Sam was a wealth of local knowledge and was a great tour guide. We’d never guess he’d been here so short a time. 

I’d been to SF Giants games at old Candlestick Park, but not here. I’d love to kayak in McCovey Cove awaiting a home run over the right field wall. 

Free bike parking is one of just many examples of how cycle friendly the west coast is.

We then headed north through some gritty areas that had me nervous only because I’d kicked into “dad mode” and felt responsible for Sam’s safety. 

After a short stretch on the San Andreas Trail (by San Andreas Lake), we came back towards the bay and rode north on as flat a stretch as we’ve ever had, through Burlingame, San Mateo, Redwood City, Atherton, Menlo Park and to Palo Alto - home of Stanford. I could not believe how flat it was given the hills within view to our west. 

Another example of the positive cycling culture in this area are the bike parking pods at the train stations. 

Most Pacific Coast riders stick to the coast after the GG Bridge for its beauty through Half Moon Bay and down to Santa Cruz and southwards. I chose this alternate route since I’d never seen the Stanford campus and really wanted to visit and get a sense of these towns. 

Sam welcomed us to “his” campus.

Had we come on our own, we’d have missed out on having Sam as an incredible guide. As it turns out, Sam had attended many Stanford classes and lectures and we benefited from his knowledge. 

As we cycled, he enjoyed gesturing to his left and right, pointing out not just the names of all the buildings, but interesting facts that went with them as well.

We were so grateful Sam rode with us, and enriched our day. He took the train back to San Fran and we headed a few miles to our hosts. 

By chance back home in early September, a few weeks before we were leaving on this trip, I met Amy and Bill of Atherton, CA. They are close friends of over 35 years with our dear friend Jacques (some of you may recall Jacques as a guest rider in season 1 and our only guest blogger to date.). Within 10 minutes of meeting them, Amy warmly invited us to stay with them when we cycle through the area. And the thing about it was how genuine she was.

Now 6 weeks later, we show up and Amy and Bill could not possibly be more welcoming. Even before we arrived, she solicited our dietary needs so she could prepare us dinner. She placed a traffic cone at her driveway’s edge so we could easily find the house. I love the small things in life like that!  (As an aside, I don’t normally call them traffic cones which is American usage, I’d refer to it as a pylon which is Canadian / British usage. The 4 of us discussed that - but I digress.)

As Amy greeted us at the door, she pointed to a car and said that’s your car, and welcomed us in to her beautiful home. 

Amy decorated her glass wall with a welcoming message for us. Again the small details that assume large importance. How great would you feel?

We enjoyed a delicious dinner that Amy and Bill prepared, topped off by Amy’s key lime pie. She claimed she hadn’t read season 2 where I was on a quest for the perfect key lime pie as we biked to and through the Florida Keys. Well, she nailed it. Amazing! The night was full of effortless, relaxed conversation. They have 3 grown kids also, and each of theirs is a year older than each of ours, so we have parallel parenting lives. What a fun couples date night! 

And we got to do it again - another date night the next night! They introduced us to a local favorite Gott’s Roadside for dinner. As a reader of the blog, Amy knew I liked ice cream so afterwards we got our initiation to west coast standout Salt and Straw. Others had told me I needed to sample it. Wow. Forget Tillamook if you can get Salt and Straw. I opted for a combo of Seasalt Caramel Ribbon, and Gooey Chocolate Brownie. It was the perfect blend and will be hard to beat. 

A telling moment was when walking in Palo Alto, we bumped into a friend of their son and Amy introduced us to him as their good friends. And she was sincere! 

Amy and Bill opened their home and their hearts to us, and we look forward to continued friendship with them.

On our day of rest, Heather and I had lunch with Chris, a Reeve Foundation board member who lives in the area. 

Chris was paralyzed from a motocross accident about 12 years ago. We instantly enjoyed a warm connection with him. He is an amazing person who helped us grow as we continue to learn more about the variations in spinal cord injuries - no two are alike, and about some of his challenges. We left lunch even more mindful of the importance of the work we’re doing to raise money for the Reeve Foundation. 

The Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding research and  improving quality of life for people living with paralysis. If you have not yet had the chance to support our ride, please donate to the Reeve Foundation at Heather & Mark Ride for Reeve.

© Copyright Mark Segal 2023