August 17: A Day of Blessings
I am filled with gratitude for friends, family, and the chance to live life to the fullest. Today’s ride took me to the Marin Headlands one last time and then East to Walnut Creek for lunch with family and then north to the Sacramento area for dinner with family and friends. Great riding, wonderful company, and delicious food – what more could anyone ask for?
One thing I love about the San Francisco area is that each day feels new and different depending on the weather. As I rode up Mccullough Road towards Hawk Hill this morning, the Golden Gate Bridge to my left seemed to be floating on clouds. Towards the top of the crest, the view of the Pacific Ocean in front of me was completely obscured, with a thick blanket of fog blanketing the area like fluffy bunches of white cotton candy.
Conzelman Road in any weather is a little hair raising as the route plummets at an 18% grade down from Hawk Hill towards the ocean, creating the illusion that the rider will soar off into the water. But with no ocean to be seen and abundant clouds on my side and in front, I had the feeling I was flying through the sky. As my stomach clenched a little and I took a deep breath, I laughed with joy at the simple pleasure of riding my bike on such a beautiful stretch of pavement.
After descending, I wove my way around the foothills of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, this time under the clouds as I worked my back to do the loop one more glorious time before heading east. This time, the bridge and surrounding foothills were a little more visible.
From the Marin Headlands I traveled north on 101 and east on 580 over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge towards Oakland. I love bridges and thoroughly enjoyed rising above the San Francisco Bay and enjoying the water views as I headed towards my lunch date with my cousin and aunt.
Lunch at the Walnut Creek Yacht Club was delightful. My cousin Mark is a real foodie and can always be counted on to find just the right place to eat as well as the best items on the menu. Our meal started off with Dungeness crab cakes with roasted carrot harrisa, cous cous, red bell pepper, fennel, olive, lemon, and pistachio. We then moved on to a chilled carrot and leek soup made with Greek yogurt, mint, and toasted pistachios. Our main meal was a fresh Pacific king salmon sauteed in lemon, capers, dill, and butter. Of course, I ordered extra sauce for flavor.
It was so nice to catch up with both my cousin and aunt and to enjoy such a nice meal with them. I feel so blessed!
