• Trip Itinerary
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Well, it didn't take long to run into the trip's first problem. Within the first hour of our trip, an overturned semi blocked all four lanes of southbound I-5. If that wasn't enough of an obstacle, the only alternate root had it's own accident to deal with. Because of this, we, and everyone else trying to get out of town for the holiday weekend, sat motionless on I-5 for nearly 4 hours.

Waking the next day in Eugene, Oregon with just four hours of sleep was no easy task. After fueling up on large coffees, the four of us started the long haul (9 hours) down to San Francisco. This time the road trip went off without a hitch.

Arriving in San Francisco, California at 6:30 pm left us with just enough time to check into our hotel on 4th and Market, change and find a place to watch the Fourth of July fireworks. Running on pure adrenaline, the four of us met up with some friends on Russian Hill to watch the displays. It was the ideal spot to take in all four synchronized shows that surrounded the city.

After finally getting some much needed sleep, we spent the next two days touring around SF by foot & bike. The hills in this city will be good training for the rest of our trip. Good places to ride within the city are Golden Gate Park, Lombard Street, North Beach & the Presidio. If you want to ride outside the city, cross the Golden Gate Bridge and find the Marin Headlands, or drive across and ride to the top of Mt. Tam starting from Mill Valley. Places to avoid, Fishermans Warf. The Warf is so touristy that you'll want to get away from it as quickly as possible.

The ride ends as it reaches the Paradise RV Park. Ride through the park and find your car when you reach Old Hwy 395. The creek next to the parking spot is an excellent place to cool down from this incredible ride.