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Trouble in Paradise

Oh, how I crack myself up sometimes.

This is (was) Paradise Drive.

It rained a LOT here in March and April, so much that roads all over the Bay Area developed sinkholes and washed away into creeks or down cliffs. In the last several weeks of riding we have seen many fresh crescent-shaped patches on the sides of roads, countless crumbling potholes, and a few places like Paradise Drive where they haven't even tried to make repairs yet.

Paradise Drive is a shady, winding road that circles the Tiburon peninsula. It offers postcard-perfect glimpses of the Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, San Quentin Prison (which is sort of pretty from afar), downtown San Francisco, and the lifestyles of the affluent residents of Tiburon. The Paradise Loop is probably the most popular weekend bike ride for San Francisco cyclists. It's my default route when I don't want to think about it. ("I need to do 40. Where do you want to go?" "Eh, Paradise? Again?" "I guess so, OK.") Now the road is closed off by big barriers on either side of the above crater, but cyclists and pedestrians can clamber around or over them to get by. And obviously we do.

May 30, 2006 8:25 PM