San Francisco, California

Friday 23 July

LOL

One of the inevitable things about being a tourist in a big strange city is you walk yourself stupid

but we got a bit of reward from looking up at the Orpheum Theatre, festooned with the green and black hoardings for.....

Wicked, the musical

so after an enquiry at the box office we walked away with A tickets for tonight, discounted from US$90 to 75!

So for today I can be JohnnyWicked

I even scored a pair of pyjama boxers from the outlet store @ $2.16 tax incl, having left mine at home

also left at home, was my medication, and one plan was to get a local prescription, but on fronting to the walk-in medical centre in LA

and being informed the doc consultancy cost was US$145, and the  pills on top, we'll give that a miss

I'd more likely die of that, than going without

how lucky are we in NZ....

Neil lost his padlock key too, and we managed to find a locksmith of 22 years experience down on 4th, who informed us it was a Master 937 padlock,

he could disassemble the lock for about $20 to pattern a new key, but it'd be better to buy a new lock for $26

Neil also lost a competition for the most economical bike

he's been a bit sensitive about his 850 BMW, and I honestly thought it was a 650 and had been telling everyone so

much to his chagrine, so yesterday we succumbed to his insistence on an economy trial, to let him get some save of face

Well, the winner was, at $3.466, carrying load of 150kg's rider and pack, Johnny Wicked's Honda CB1300

2nd was Sam O'Shea's Suzie Bandit 1250, at $3.60 and small-change, carrying Sam and Rona, plus their side panniers and topbox

and last was Neils 650 Beemer, at $3.80 odd, and the lightest load of all, probably half.

As usual, the harley boys are on a race to the next town, or to keep up with Ken so they dont get lost.

We've gravitated to a little group of muddlers who stop to look at anything and everything

and from all reports, the tail-ender group will grow in size tomorrow when we head north

quite a number have come in direct to SF, and renting bikes here, we havent all met up, but keep bumping into black-shirts in the lift

so the hotel is distinctly kiwi

38 total folks on the tour.

This morning the walkies have taken in breakfast at Rocco's,

then around to a bike shop on 8th where new helmets, bike intercoms, and other gear has been purchased

the pricing looks a heap like somewhere between 30 and 50% cheaper than home.

I had a brief affair with a $270 converted to NZD jacket, that was more enticing than my current $546 model

but it was a size too small.

We figured it was the sheer size of the market in US that gave the marketers superior purchasing power.

San Fran hasnt changed, although the streets look a little dirtier, I guess, and more in need of maintenace, rough surface etc

there are quite a few shops vacant and boarded-up on Market, but definitely fewer panhandlers.

I've got a sense too, that the screw for gratuities wherevever we've been isnt as aggressive as last time

like theyve got a message that they shouldnt quirken the quarry

several times we've been asked if we'd like change in response to deliberate over-payment

and there also seems to be a different attitude in a younger generation of service assistants.

The Americana  Hotel has been taken over by an asian chain, by the looks, even though its still sporting the Best Western signage 

they tried to get another $20 out of me and Neil to cover bike park, Ken's already paid.

It was a pretty full day yesterday from Morro Bay to SF

We took in the WA Hearst Castle, looked at the pictures in the tourist centre instead of taking the $24 bus trip up the hill

During the Great Depression, Hearst was 126 million in the donger, he went underground and left his lawyer to sort things out

the lawyer saved 15 newspapers and this CA ranch obviously, with the castle on the hill

and when he died in the early 50's his fortune was back up to $60m odd.

He started out as editor of a university student rag, although his parents weren't short of a bob.

I should have photo'd the ranch's mission statement

a long winded diatribe about using the environment sustainably and keeping the animals doing what nature meant for them in peace and harmony

and I said....

hey, thats what I do, run a farm!!

I mentioned last year, my surprise nearly everywhere we went in the States, that tourism made up >30% of local economies

converting farms to tourist ventures is very common.

We passed one place with a maze-labyrinth and huge castle, made up of conventional straw bales

no smoking, I bet.

We took in a sea elephant colony, the bulls weigh 5000lbs, and the signs said they were surprisingly fast, so dont tempt the fates

we didnt

then it was back to familiar territory, Straganos family diner on Santa Cruz Pier, where Richard and I breakfasted regally last year

this time char-broiled mahi mahi, green veges, w/ rice, fries or bake spud, a cup of chowder, and a fresh loaf, $15.

The GPS put me crook starting the last 80km leg to SF, trying to run me back to the major internal freeway instead of CA1 up the coast

so we had to turn off the freeway and scored a delightful run down a tree-covered valley road back to Santa Cruz.

The run into SF was a bit on the anxious side but the GPS got us through the freeways and spaghetti's spot on

the others reckoned I ran a red light, in front of a cop, but I never saw it, I was watching the cop.

Not much else, other than its been bf cold

froze on the bike yesterday, 57-60F

we all put extra layers on during the day

one lady told us its been 5deg cooler than normal

the fog hid everything all day.