Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Bike Tour in the USA (2007), Part 41

Sunday, Sep. 23, 2007

Arrival in San Francisco

Half Moon Bay State Beach  San Francisco
Distance: 90.5 km, Time: 6:26:10 hrs, Total Distance: 1327.88km

   When I woke up I immediately realized that it would be a special day for me. After I left Los Angeles 13 days ago (Sep. 10) I would today, not only two weeks later, arrive San Francisco. 
   At that time with all these impressions and kind people I could not quite comprehend that time would fly so fast. All these thought about the past and the expectations of the day  were running through my mind even before I crawled out of my very small tent.
   My new English friend Mark woke up at roughly the same time and together we packed our things. As I left for the morning toilet he promised me to take care of my stuff, I did the same for him. 
   After I finished I waited for him and the first and last time I had a riding buddy cycling beside of me. Together we cycled through the gate of the Sate Park until to the main road. There we stopped, shook our hands and wished the best. He turned right to the south and I turned left to the north. A strange feeling of sadness overtook me at the moment of separation but life continues...
  A few hundred meters later I turned right into an industrial area and discovered an American fast food restaurant in which I enjoyed a nice breakfast with a cup of coffee. While indulging myself I browsed through a free local newspaper. Inside the pages I’ve discovered an article about the growing population and the problems of the homeless in Half Moon Bay. There were some arguments everyone would or could agree on but I could not believe my eyes when the author truly suggested that the simplest solution of these problems was to put them (the homeless) on a bus and send them to San Francisco!"
   In my own opinion this solution is a total wrong approach to the problem. First someone should research why a problem actually exists. The truth is that a few Americans become richer while the poorer stay poor. This is because the education system is not equal for everyone, only ‘rich’ can afford a good education. The second is the tax system which benefits the companies while there is no break for families or individuals. At that time President Bush was very ‘famous’ for the politics benefitting the wealthy and companies, with Trump it got even worse. The third problem is that the solution of the homeless problem is solved with money. The best way is to educate “teach a person how to fish and not give him or her free fish to eat”.
   Working with homeless for two years I found out that homeless need first of all respect, self esteem and chances to change. The former are for free but it seems America’s social values are mainly based on three things: money, money and money. I do not quite understand that illegal immigrants find jobs why local Americans cannot find work. But as I read the article I did not quite understand that it actually prepared me for my time in 'Frisco'. 
   The husband of the lovely couple in the State Beach drew me a simple map which helped me a lot (thank you!). The road was straight and surprisingly well maintained and clean. I took it very easy and reflected on my trip the last two weeks, especially thought about the helpful people and the great weather! God was kind to me, thank you so much! 
   In Pacifica, a city beside the Pacific Ocean halfway between Half Moon Bay and San Francisco, I discovered a restaurant with a live band playing Jazz on this Sunday morning. With the beats in my ears I climbed a high hill and got somehow lost. Back near the ocean I asked a policeman filling up his private car at a gas station for the right direction. He was so friendly and gave me the right directions. After another steep climb, which gave me nearly the rest, I came to a rather flat road. It looked like a Highway, the cars were driving fast and passed me scarcely close. I was not quite sure if I could ride on this road, but everyone seemed to be busy for themselves.
   Finally I arrived at the doors of my travel destination: San Francisco! In this moment a life long dream came true. When I was small I was too young for the Flower Power, that's why I did not put the "flowers in my hair!" as the song suggests (by the way, I am bold anyway)...
   In the 1970s I was very fond of the TV series "The Streets of San Francisco" with Karl Malden (1912-2009) and the than-young young Michael Douglas as detectives Mike Stone and Steve Keller solving homicides. Especially the car chasing scenes were for a young boy very fascinating.
   It might sound strange but after nearly two weeks on lonely roads I had to get used to the dense traffic. Especially the speed and the aggressive style of the big city was very surprising for me in the beginning. 

(to be continued)

No comments:

Post a Comment