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Rush Hour Traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area
It seemed that the closer we got to the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, the heavier traffic was getting. My initial plan was mount up south of the city to ride all the way to the Clift Hotel, but when we arrived at the Chevron station near the southern end of Potrero Avenue to ride the remaining three and a half miles to the Clift Hotel, that plan changed again. As far as I could see, there was stop-and-go traffic heading into the city, with traffic lights at nearly every intersection.
In case I didn’t mention it previously, I will do so now. Beginning with their initial model in 1912, the Henderson brothers built four-cylinder in-line air-cooled engines that depended on movement (preferably at speed) to keep air moving over the engine to stay cool. When we got to San Francisco, I flashed back to the beginning of my trip in traffic-clogged New York City in 2019. Two words came to mind: Not pretty.
Dealing with NYC traffic in 2019 looked not only unappealing, but it struck me as unsafe. But my safety rider and mechanic, Loring Hill, was game. Loring, some forty years my junior, was already a veteran of several transcontinental Motorcycle Cannonball rallies. I watched in amazement as Loring skillfully coaxed the Red One over the Williamsburg Bridge, thirty blocks across lower Manhattan, block by block, light by light, then down and through the Holland Tunnel. He managed his speed to get green lights when he could, or stop and shut the engine down when the lights turned red. While Loring made it look easy, he later admitted it was a challenge even for him.
So here I was in San Francisco facing much the same kind of intense traffic with stop signs or signal lights at every intersection! I was only twenty blocks from reaching my destination on a centennial tribute ride that I had planned for nearly two decades, had twice commenced, and had covered thousands of miles. As I looked into the distance at the seemingly-unending signal lights and bustling traffic, I had to ask myself, “is this worth risking overheating and seriously damaging my engine?” Truth be told, I was also worried about getting run over by a distracted motorist.
The only responsible choice I had was to put the Red One back in the trailer and make our way to the Clift Hotel. Needless to say, it was a major disappointment. But if my decision kept me safe so I could arrive at the end of my journey with the Red One in one piece, then it was a sacrifice worth making.
Arrival at the Clift Hotel
A few weeks before we arrived, I heard back from one of my childhood friends – Dirk Setchko – who said he would try to meet me at the Clift Hotel when I arrived. I spent some time coordinating with Dirk, explaining when we planned to arrive at the Clift Hotel. Unbeknownst to me, Dirk arrived at the Clift Hotel an hour or so before we were to arrive. He informed the hotel staff about the travelling circus that was soon to arrive. He told them we “only” needed an open “pull through” parking spot in front of the hotel to unload the Red One and take a few photos. When we arrived, there was a massive space for us to pull in and park in front, more than we needed! I can’t be sure that it was usual for that much space to be available, but there was a lot of traffic on Geary Street, so I cannot help but imagine the extraordinary efforts the hotel doorman, Todd Shinn, went to ensuring we had the space we needed. |
