Day 1: San Francisco to Fresno

We were going to take a short trip to Monterey to get used to the bike on the coastal roads.

But, as sometimes happens, we decided to follow the road. That explains why there are photos of freeways and the Bay Bridge in this post.

Let's go. First adventure is crossing the Bay bridge which is 8km long

Glad we are not on that bridge!

Complex overbridges are a minor challenge. We manage to find a gas station in the middle of all this.

We ride on freeways all day.  But it does get us well on the way to the South East into  the San Joaquin Valley. 

We were blown through this pass into the valley. Wind turbines that scatter the hills have plenty of wind energy to keep them turning.

The countryside is various shades of ochre except...

...where water is available. 

Fields of pistachio, almond, cherry, olive trees and grapevines extend for huge distances. 

Irrigation channels plot the landscape. 

The last rest stop for the day before we arrive in Fresno.

We will take a day or so to adjust to the new bike and to being on the road again.

I can report that I am very comfortable up on my leather armchair. I am developing new techniques for mounting and dismounting.

My driver is adapting very well - it is not quite the same as riding Mella the GSA so I am told.

We were happy to manage to fit our possessions on this bike. A tight fit even though we are travelling light.

We haven't decided on a name for the new bike.

I have a few technical challenges blogging from my iPad. These are mainly to do with the slow wifi we have encountered but the IPad App is not as user friendly as the laptop I was using. Any suggestions are welcome.

I had intended to start a new blog but have decided to stay with Pearls on wheels for the meantime. 

Distance 222miles 357km