12th-14th Jan.

40 miles to reach the city.  Hectic roads roaring into San Francisco.  Climbs going on and on.  Hectic, fast and loud.  Just had to hunker down and keep pedalling.  19th Street, Golden Gate park joggers, Haight St. with its hipsters, trendy, grungy, air thick and tangy with marijuana, scarves and comic books...  Market Street, bright green cycle path, jazz and drumming in the street, incredibly steep hills, street murals everywhere, ornate houses painted pink, blue, yellow.  Met University friend Hazen at the Ferry Building.  We started University together in Edinburgh10 years ago, that sounds like a long time ago, doesn't feel like it.  Took the BART train to Berkeley, to Hazen's beautiful studio apartment.  Found a bike shop to get my back wheel trued, no problem, come back in half an hour, $10, sweet!  Himalayan curry, and Vietnamese noodle soup with tendon (delicious), tripe (would have guessed octopus, not bad), and trendy coconut water.  Berkeley Bowl marketplace - the best, most extensive produce and wholefoods shop I've ever seen.  Stocked up with tasty supplies...Afghan spinach bread, peanut butter with coconut oil, caraway crackers, organic kale, broccoli pie, yellow mangoes, and cheese from an array that wouldn't have looked out of place in France.
Hazen works for 'Veritable Vegetable', a female-strong organic produce wholesale company, buying from farms all around California and beyond, including small growers, and selling to restaurants, shops, markets and catering companies. A logistical feat with perishables, getting produce sold, out by truck everyday, and returning to the San Francisco warehouse, via the growers, large and small, trucks loaded with bought fresh produce.
Palm-tree lined Hispanic Mission district, and Dolores park, lying on the grass.  Evening cycle up one of San Francisco's steep steep hills, views out across the bay, rolled back down into the city lights after dark with the brakes on hard, onwards to beautiful lantern-strung China town, downtown financial district towering giants all lit up...so much fun cycling around, following Hazen through the streets.  Rocky Alcatraz clear across the bay, sea lion antics.  What a great city!
Cycled across the Golden Gate bridge with Hazen, a great couple of days catching up and exploring.  Set off north again with tears behind my sunglasses.  Distracted by coffee, little leafy towns and quirky places, made it to the next campground as it was getting dark, by this time 20 miles out of San Francisco, and worlds apart.  Winding quiet roads, flanked by redwoods, river down one side, and something close to silence.