In the morning, we slept in and made breakfast together. The woman who took us in was a caretaker for an elderly man named Bud, and he told us stories from his younger days all morning. The woman was also extremely generous, having gone from a very successful business life to retiring and caring for Bud and working at a rescue shelter for dogs. She once tried to pilot a program where homeless people could adopt dogs to give them companionship, but unfortunately it didn’t work out and she was stuck with 3 dogs. She loves them though, they are definitely her children.
She took us to a local farmers market and she bought us lassi, a delicious yogurt drink, and pastries. She also bought us picnic fixings and packed our lunch. She was eager to show us around, but you couldn’t see any of the viewpoints because of the smoke. We said goodbye and cycled into San Francisco, where we cycled over the Golden Gate Bridge.
We accidentally ran into Craig and shared lunch with him overlooking the bridge. Then, upon my request, we took the pave bike path through the city to Fisherman’s Wharf so I could see seals up close and personal for the first time.
Ruth and Rob needed to buy a box for their flight to Mexico. They had decided to take a train from San Francisco to Los Angeles because of the fires. From there, they would go to Mexico. We all headed to Oakland on a ferry, had a celebration at Public House Bar, and shared treats and a sketchy hotel together. It was a bittersweet night to part with people I had become so close to.
That girl on a bike 