Golden Gate Social Bike Ride! (Take 3)

[eriktheplaid]

[Cross-posted from my MovableType Blog]

...This time with 4 part harmony and feeling.

I’m putting together another all-abilities, all-ages, slow as molasses, stop & smell the roses bicycle ride over the Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday, June 22.
When: Sunday, June 22th (next Sunday, not the day after tomorrow). My plan is to start at my house at noon or 1pm. If I’m riding alone, I can probably be at the bridge in 30 minutes, but connecting with people will modify that, and the schedule for this ride is necessarily a bit flexible. I’m also open to other ideas (see below) Who: Anyone who has a bike, can manage to stay (mostly) upright on it, and wants to ride across the Golden Gate (C’mon! It’s fun! You should do it at least once!) What: Riding a bicycle across the Golden Gate Bridge. Also, you might want to consult your doctor about ADHD, and/or cut down on the fine herb clouding your short-term memory. Where: At a minimum, the Bridge, but see below

I plan to ride from my house and over the Bridge, at a minimum. I expect to connect with people along the way. I will stress again, for the ADHD sufferers out there, that this is a slow, fun, social ride. There are some options to consider, however: (nearly all of these can be played by ear)
Options on the Near End

1. Ride with me from my house. (Ha!)
2. Ride Caltrain to 22nd St, start from there, taking a flat route around Potrero Hill. Mostly for South Bay denizens.
3. Ride BART to 16th Street, and meet me there. Mostly for inhabitants of the Beast, but South Bay folks who are nervous about traffic might consider riding Caltrain to Milbrae & taking BART. This will avoid all but 5 blocks of 16th St. (Once we turn off onto Sanchez it’s all quiet streets and/or bike lanes)
4. New! Ride Caltrain to 4th/King, or BART to Embarcadero, pick up the Bay Trail a few blocks away. This isn't nearly as nice as the ride through Golden Gate Park & the Presidio (and it's longer), but it's all but completely removed from traffic (Caltrain more than BART)
5. Park in the garage in the Marina (at Pier 39), meet us at the bridge. This may be the best option for folks worried about distance / fitness. (Though the climb from the Marina to the bridge is a lot less gradual than through the park, and you’ll need to find your own way (I can give you directions), unless everyone decides to take one of the Embarcadero options).
6. Miraculously find parking in the parking lot at the bridge, or on the streets surrounding, join us there, ride over the bridge, ride right back, get into the car, go home, secure in the accomplishment of actually riding a bicycle over the bridge. I strongly recommend against this approach, but it is an option.

Options on the Far End

1. Turn around at the Marin end of the bridge, and backtrack. Certainly an option, but take a look at #2 before you settle on this.
2. Continue (almost entirely downhill, with one climb) into Sausalito, have lunch / snacks, or just sit in the park. Take the Ferry back to SF (which lets out close to the garage in the Marina.)
3. Same as above, minus the ferry. (What goes down, must come up. It does, however, feel great to conquer it.)
4. Continue from Sausalito to Tiburon (a gorgeous ride, but it’s another 10-15 miles) I, myself, will only consider doing this on the condition that everyone is going. We can take the ferry back from Tiburon.
5. Or not. Complete the circuit. I might be up for this, but I reserve the right to wimp out. Contingent on more of the same above.

(Added!) Distances Involved
22nd St - 16th St. BART 2.2mi 16th St. BART - Fell & Baker 1.9mi Fell & Baker - Presidio 2.4mi Presidio - Bridge 2.2mi Bridge! 2.1mi Bridge - Sausalito 2.7mi Alternate Route Distances
4th/King - Ferry Building 1.6mi Ferry Building - Blue & Gold Ferry Terminal (Pier 39) 0.9mi Pier 39 - Bridge 5.8mi
Deviations from these options are highly encouraged! Any questions? ASK!