[belated] Travel Tuesday // cruisin' through San Fran [p.1]

I have been slacking on Travel Tuesdays since coming back from my 3 weeks of adventures in June, but for understandable reasons [my sweet grandma's passing, mainly]. But I find simple joys in reminiscing the sunny days in California, so I enjoyed looking back at the photos and remembering the stories that went along with them. 

Our fun-filled California roadtrip left-off a few weeks ago as we were meandering through giant redwoods. Today, I am sharing the first part of our biking tour of the San Francisco waterfront. My siblings and I rented bikes from a vendor at the Ferry Building and we ventured across 11 miles of gorgeous scenery of the Bay area:  Golden Gate Bridge, the Palace of Fine Arts, Fisherman's Wharf, and the adorable Sausalito. It was a perfect way to be active while still soaking in all the history and beauty of this corner of San Francisco.

Ferry Building, hub of many of the ferries traversing the Bay

Fisherman's Wharf with all it's distractions

There is something so calming and tranquil about being near water. It is the same for me whether near a bay, river, ocean, or lake. So you can imagine my pure joy riding in the somewhat windy -- but altogether glorious -- June day.

I really like marinas. There is something very calming about them, which may be related to my aforementioned love for any body of water. I could probably sit on a dock for hours, admiring the ripples of water as the boats rocked from side to side, as the reflection of the clear blue sky illuminated the bay.

Funny story: my youngest brother Timmy would not allow me to take any action shots on his bike because he had to wear a helmet, and lucky for him, the only one available that fit him had flames on it! Apparently, there is a local law that kids must wear helmets and will get a ticket if they're caught without a helmet, even if they're from out of town. He was in a sour mood at first, especially since we kept remarking on his adorable helmet ;-)

We rode our little hearts out that day!

Stay tuned for next week when I get to share the gorgeous Palace of Fine Arts during our biking tour of San Francisco!