Not the Wicked Witch

I don't melt in water.

It's officially Fall in San Francisco; today the rain arrived. People often ask me, "what do you do when it rains?" The easy answer I typically give? "I get wet."

This isn't a big deal for me. I shower and change at work, so as long as the contents of my backpack stay dry (a simple garbage bad does the trick), getting wet in the morning isn't a big deal.

On the other hand, the water coming up from the road is pretty nasty. Full of grit, oil, whatever, it's not fun when that stuff sprays you. Fenders are a must. My road bike doesn't fit fenders, which pretty well rules out riding in from Burlingame on days like today.

Moreover, like the first snowfall of the season in places that get it, the first rain of the season wreaks havoc with drivers around here. The roads get slicker and the drivers stupider. Not the kind of day you want to be on a long commute with degraded braking power. Add to that the blocked drains with the resulting large puddles to ford (also because it's the first real rain of the season), and the big, lumbering, mountain bike felt like the right call.

Not all rainy days are created the same. Today's rain is pretty heavy, but some days a light little shower may not corral the road bike.

I remember one day in particular a couple of years ago when I still lived in San Francisco. The wind blew something fierce and the rain came down in sheets. Awful. The strong wind made any riding tough, but additional gusts nearly blew me to a stop. Add the pelting rain, and it was pretty ugly. So bad that I started laughing on my way home because riding in it was so ridiculous. edit: sounds like I might be in for more of the same tonight . . .

Still, I got home. And the rain soaked the folks who were walking just as much as it did me.

Added bonus? The rain clears out the fair-weather bike commuters from the train car, so I don't have to worry about getting a spot. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

Mornin', Sea Dog

When I lived in the City, I rode down Terry Francois every day on my way to work. I got to know my friend the Sea Dog. Well, that's a little silly, it's just a sheet metal cutout in the shape of a dog. It used to have an orange anchor painted on it, too, but that's gone now. Anyway, the Sea Dog stands on the falling down wooden piers just north of the dry docks at 18th. It signified reaching the Bay as I came over from Bernal Heights. When I ride in (as I have every day this week), I take the same route through the City, so I still see the Sea Dog a few times a week.

This morning I took a picture on my way past (you can just make him out to the left of the ledge in the middle):

While I was at it, I took a another on Terry Francois. TF and the Embarcadero are the prettiest parts of the ride. This overlooks the Marina past the ball park as TF turns back towards 3rd.

Beautiful

Monday is my work day. With the weekend of rest, Monday is the day to push myself, to try to increase my speed and decrease my time. That's what I did yesterday. It was rewarding. Despite a little head wind on the San Francisco side of the San Bruno "Mountain," I accomplished both goals.

Today was a day to take it easy. I don't really ever completely slack on my way into work (I still need to get there), but today I wasn't pushing myself, just maintaining a nice, civilized pace. And was it ever worth it. The perfect day for a little bike commute. Cool, no wind, hit the lights nicely (a couple stops, but not bad), and this (from my office window, but it gives you an idea):
There are many reasons this is one of the better places in the world to ride a bike, this is but one . . .