Bob had put together a couple routes around the Bay last week and I just assumed the next time we rode, we'd be doing them. We probably could've done some longer rides before doing it but why wait? Unfortunately we picked a very windy day to do it. It was also supposed to be cold in the city but warm most of the day. We did our normal debate of what to bring, vest or no vest? Arm warmers? We even debated lights. I ended up bringing my vest but not arm warmers. Throughout the day I regretted bringing it but was also happy and also regretted not bringing arm warmers, which I oculd've used towards the end of the ride. We also didn't think we'd need the lights but brought them anyways. We needed the lights. :) We thought we might get lucky and have a tailwind for the whole ride but almost from the beginning we had a very strong headwind. Because of that we got to the city later than expected and it also took us a while to find food at the Ferry Building. Some sketchy moments throughout the day with gusty crosswinds too. It was crazy to see how crowded it was, no social distancing at all. There was a group of police officers right there that didn't seem to be doing anything. It was also interesting to see one or two people that didn't have masks at all. Strong headwinds continued on our way to the bridge. We got there right in the middle of the Black Lives Matter protest. The east sidewalk was jam packed and they were returning on the west side. We got to ride maybe halfway across before we collided with the returning protesters. At first I was able to ride slowly next to the railing but eventually I just had to walk. After the 2nd tower, there was protester on a bike helping to shepperd us through the crowd. He had a bell that he was constantly ringing and there were still people that didn't notice. He really helped us move across faster than we could've by ourselves. Bob wasn't so lucky and he missed the train. It took him a while before he was able to get across. If we had just gotten there 30 minutes earlier, I think we would've missed the returning crowd. It was so packed that protesters on the east side, rather than waiting to cross underneath, just ran across the lanes of the bridge. CHP had to stop traffic. That must have been quite a traffic jam. I saw a lot of cyclist out but no one I recognized which I thought was surprising. I expected some flybys. We finally got our first taste of tailwind on the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge. The temporary barrier between the oncoming traffic and the bike lane seemed pretty sketchy but the ride across was nice otherwise. We also had some tailwind in Pt. Richmond but it soon turned to headwind and gusty crosswind again. We had a 2nd lunch in Alameda. I was pretty hungry and tired before that and the food was very welcome. My legs felt better afterward. Most of the ride wasn't very scenic. Just bleh urban riding. My favorite part of the ride was the gravel trail in San Leandro, next to the Bay. Sonny wasn't happy about doing it because he was getting blown around alot with his deep section wheels and didn't feel that would be great with skinny tires. He survived. After the 100 mile mark, the miles just tick over way slower. It's scientifically proven. We were hauling and it seemed like the distance wouldn't go up. My biggest fear was the anticipated, strongest headwind of the day as we crossed the bottom of the Bay. Well I think the headwinds from earlier slowed us down enough that the winds had died down a bit by the time we got there. This was the shorter, flatter version. I would've died if we did the slightly longer and climbier version.