Computer Stats:
Miles – 100.43
Avg. Speed – 13.8
With 120 miles to ride to San Francisco on Friday, we were off at sunrise, and on our way South down the Pacific Coast Highway. The Northern California fog was light, and we were able to reel off miles quickly as we skirted steep ocean cliffs on our right and headed through State Park after State Park.
The coast line had been jaw dropping for three hundred miles already, and today was no different. Lush forests gave way to sandy beach which rose to dizzying cliffs all within a matter of miles. Every corner here provides a different vista of the sea, and I never thought that a body of water could change it’s mood so drastically in an instant.
Forty miles down, and we had made great time. The clock read just after ten, and with 80 miles left, our 120 mile day was doable… But why push things when you’re racing into a mega-city fighting the sunset? We stopped at a gas station for a snack, and when a pick-up drove up with an empty bed we hopped in and got a lift twenty miles down the path.
After our driver dropped us off in northern Marin County, it was 60 miles to go and plenty of time to ensure that we would make the city before the sun was down. We were off the coast for a while and riding through parched late summer fields of brown and gold beside streams and rivers. Before we knew it, we began to leave the empty spaces behind, and the fields turned to wealthy suburbs and houses with Bay views. The bike lanes out here are incredible, and it was easy to navigate our way through town after town until finally we reached Sausalito, the gateway to San Fran.
It was 5:30 now and the sun was shrouded in a thick fog. We rode down main street Sausalito, beside the Bay with half of San Francisco’s skyline looming gray in the distance. We were all running on adrenaline after a week of 80+ mile days, and knowing we were so close helped us up and over our last steep hill. When we reached the top, there it was, veiled behind a thick fog, THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE. What a site to see after 4,000 miles on the road across America.
We hopped on the bridge and fought a frigid 40 mile an hour wind, and before we knew it, we were there, in San Francisco, making our way to our hotel. 4,000 miles we’ve ridden to help Darkness to Light prevent child sexual abuse, and we were in San Francisco. It felt surreal riding through this massive city in California with the same shirts, shoes and bikes that we’d left South Carolina with. People gave us awkward looks and cheered us on from cafe’s and newsstands. We made it to our hotel, and our families just before the city went dark. A Thai dinner, a good night’s sleep, and a few days off were just what the doctor ordered.
We have one week now until we reach L.A., and there’s still so much we can do together to help end this epidemic of sexual abuse! Please, donate and join our ride, and together, let’s make this last week mean something special for thousands of children!
, 
843.965.5444 
843.965.5449 
7 Radcliffe Street,
Suite 200,
29403
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