Summer Vacation part 6

While hurdling down the two lane car path I see my family pulled over behind a parked car. They were hoping I would show up. They wave me through knowing a stop and start could cause my temperamental chain to go AWOL. Also we are entering the town of Saucalito and no one knows where we are going. I am in charge, I pick . . . down.

The cars start going slower, there are people everywhere. Shops and cute little . . . buildings swhoosh by. We are looking for the bike rental place so we can ditch these Satan cycles. We are running out of down hill, it looks like the center of town. No bike rental place but there is a line about 200 yards long and about half of them are pushing bikes alone with them. Some people look like they are enjoying a relaxing Sunday. Others look like they were just released from a concentration camp. Heads are bowed, there are limps there is hair that looks like it was styled with a jet engine. These are the people pushing the bikes with the logo “BlazingSaddles” on their bikes. We recognize our fate and fall into line.

With feeble disbelief Linda calls the phone number on the map in our bike pouches and asks about the drop off location. The very friendly attendants tell her that we have to bring them back where we got them. We shuffle through the line. I am expecting a number to be written on my arm at any moment. We make it on the ferry but there are so many people with bikes we have to wedge our bikes between seats. Slumped in our seats some of us realize that our skin is on fire. In our haste to go on our Golden Gate Bridge adventure we neglected to apply sun screen. It’s almost over.

As we get closer to San Francisco I have a horrifying realization. The ferry is not going to Fisherman’s Wharf. I can not say anything to my disheveled group, they might through themselves overboard. The Ferry puts us off around the Bay Bridge down wind of our destination. This was almost a crippling blow, we had to ride into the wind (and traffic) to get back. Remember that bike stand we first stopped at? The one we thought was too far from the bridge? We came to that one first. They wouldn’t take our bikes either.

When we finally got back to our own friendly attendants Katie and I arrived first. They asked how it was. If I could have lifted my hand above my shoulder I would have slapped him. I said “not that good” then our eyes met and he quickly took my Satan cycle and positioned it to ambush the next tourist. Just then Linda and Sarah came hobbling up. I told the friendly attendant not to talk to them but he couldn’t help himself. We are basically from Texas so there was a limit to the vitriol but displeasure was expressed with the original expectations. After settling up it only cost us $187.56 for this odyssey. I think it was worth every penny.