N 40º47' W 77º51' or bust: Battling sides and foggy rides

So, SF for Free? No, really. It's true. I found three things to do with my Saturday... and get this... they were ALL free! Take that, SF! First, I rode the lil' Milano over the bridge again this weekend, but I turned to go down to the bay before I got to Sausalito this time. Instead, I made a day of Fort tours: Fort Baker (on the Marin side) and then Fort Point (on the SF side). Both were stupid crowded, but I managed to find some overlooked spots that were way more fun. It's definitely tourist season here in San Francisco (despite the fact that it's cooler now than it is in October and November), and the battleground seems to still be the protection of the bay from intruders. In the presence of the concrete bunkers at Fort Baker, I couldn't help but think about the aggression I had just witnessed on the bridge: all those "happy," "real" cyclists vs. the gazillion rent-a-bikes. Yes, those quotations marks, though obnoxious, are necessary. You see, while I might find myself somewhere between those doofus tourists on the rent-a-bikes and those "real" dedicated cyclists (perhaps a little closer to the former than the latter), I, too, found myself getting a little frustrated with the swervy chicks and dudes on that windy narrow pathway. Still, because I'm not so far from swervy myself sometimes...I feel their awkwardness and uneasiness... and, really... I wonder if so many of these dedicated cyclists have to point out that the rent-a-bikers are not so stable and sort of in the way? As if the rent-a-bikers couldn't tell by the "get-up" and fancy bikes that their opposition is serious about riding... yeah, that's right, mocking, snarls and jeers... wow. You go, cool, laid-back NorCal. Nevertheless, I puffed my way back and forth, did my best to pay attention and had an awesome time (just turned the music up and put my head down)... me and my lil' Milano.

Fort Baker: