First time breaking down the tandem to fit in the cases was always going to be time-consuming.  Well, first, we rode it one more time on Thursday morning  – to Home Depot to buy some tools and scissors. To the laundromat to wash the stinky bike clothes. (One last chat with a random person who used to ride tandems!)  And Trader Joe’s for breakfast supplies for the next two mornings.

My legs had already decided it was over – it was a slightly painful experience with a muscle on the inside of my thigh deciding it wasn’t having any more of this business, and cramping every minute or so.

We made it back, Marc pulled a few easier bits and pieces off the bike, and then we caught the BART into the city, walked down to Fisherman’s Wharf in the hope of seeing the Golden Gate Bridge in full sunshine.  We kind of did, but it was at a distance, and into the late afternoon western sun. Never mind.

It was tourist madness down there – till we walked out of it and amongst itinerants urinating against doorways…  (From what we saw on our sample tour, homelessness seems to be an even bigger issue here than at home. )

Found a bar with 68 beers on tap. (Marc’s photo to come.)  My last Tangerine Lost Coast Wheat beer.   (He’ll undoubtedly have another beer tonight before the flight, but I’ll desist for dehydration reasons – and to begin the progression back to my ‘I don’t really drink alcohol these days’ position.)

We opted for a light dinner – one more clam chowder so as to give our sample size (of so far only two) a chance to come out with a thumbs up or down determination.  Earlier on our trip we’d had a starter size one at Charleston – which was yum. But then a bowl at Brookings which was not good at all.  So the result?  Thumbs up. This one was good. Clam chowder for the win.

We then lined up in the dark, and cold wind coming off the water, to catch the cable car back to Powell St station.  We ended up scoring a position on the running board.  Amazing. (Would never happen in Australia because of the OH & S panic. Here it’s all ‘come on, who wants to take these two spots on the running board?!’  OK! We will!

So that was fun.

Then back on the BART and through to the airport to pick up a rental car for two days.

Friday we spent dismantling the bike, which included cutting the padding to size. (Obviously, future packing won’t need that step.)

Another trip to Home Depot (acting all like locals now, y’know)… for packing paper, more rags, another tool.

So, I got as far as taking two photos, but not the rest of the process.  The bike is now split and packed into the two cases. We’ve fitted the rest of our stuff in one of the two bags we brought over (so I can ditch the op shop number I brought over, which is a good thing, because the internal plastic shell lining was breaking apart so badly that we weren’t sure it would hold together for the flight back.))

And the laptop needs to be packed now, so – until we get home!  Ciao US.!!

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