Critical Mass

The "a" on my laptop is misfiring, so the post was "Criticl Mss" for a bit there...whoops.

Nat and I rode Critical Mass last night for the first time in our 8 months here. (I know, no excuses.) It was awesome. Half a mile out this guy got run into by a yellow Hummer, which then stopped, and the driver got out to grab his golf clubs out of the back...we cycled on. Another two miles and I found myself inadvertently leading the pack through a red light by city hall...whoops, hope there aren't any cameras at that intersection. Two more hits, 3 blown tires, and a cross-city tour later we found ourselves squinting through the fog for a sunset at Ocean Beach. I was amazed by the number of people who turned out - there were at least 600 when we convened, and that's a conservative estimate. Not even close to the Boston rides I experienced..in both the true anarchism of the event as well as shear numbers. It was crazy to have no plan, and all these people...there were many times when one group would head off in a direction, and then others would dissent and head another way, Somehow, after 3 hours and a circle through the city, there were still a good hundred bikers left in the fray when we left them at Market Street to find some grub.
         I do wish we had known more people there, however. If anyone wants to ride in May (May 26th), let me know. It'd be fun to have a cohort. It is  great way to experience San Francisco w/out noise or fear of being hit by a car (a fear I experience more than once in my commute each day). Quite fun. And something of a statement. Maybe we can even bike the Bay Bridge. That would be something. ; )