TRIP REPORT: Polishing Silver – Challenging Me. A walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, with a few mental pushes forward

Challenging me: Crossing back and forth the Golden Gate Bridge
Polishing Silver

This is a bit more of a personal writing, rather than a travel monologue. As such, I’m being a lot more looser with language than usual. Those who object, can…  what’s the term… deal with it.

For those of you who have seen the walking stick and the crutches, this will explain a lot, as well as how I might be now. 

In this Tier Point-laden adventure

• All I ask is for one decent airfare. Just ONE. Anyone? 
• Off to Birmingham Airport
• FR669 Birmingham to Dublin Airport with Ryanair
• Welcome to Dublin, Premier Inn – Dublin Airport
• Early Morning Dublin Airport and US Preclearance, 51st and Green Lounge
• AA723 Dublin to Philadelphia – Flagship Business Class
• A Rocky Interlude – Exploring Philadelphia
• Return to PHL and the Philadelphia American Airlines Admirals Club
• AA2663 Philadelphia to San Francisco – US Domestic First
• A new terminal and The Crowne Plaza, Burlingame
• The Intercontinental San Francisco (and trying the new BART trains)
• Asian Eats around San Francisco
• A challenge unto myself: Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge
• Ferrying around the bay with Golden Gate Ferry
• Of Dragons and Lions – Celebrations in San Francisco Chinatown
• Back to SFO, American Airlines Admirals Club
• AA164 San Francisco to New York JFK – Transcontinental Business Class
• A snow-laden pit stop at JFK and the American Airlines/British Airways Greenwich Lounge
• AA104 New York JFK to London Heathrow – Flagship Business Class
• Transiting across Heathrow Terminals and the British Airways Galleries North 
• BA836 London Heathrow to Dublin Airport – Club Europe
• A Two Hour Dublin Turnaround featuring the Dublin Airport Lounge
• BA4469 Dublin to London City Airport – Club Europe by BA CityFlyer
• To the trains… and on the cheap
• Points in the bag

No sugar coating

The past few years have been… crap. Let’s not dress it up in any way shape or form. And no, I’m not talking about the pandemic.

For me, since mid-2021, life hasn’t been wonderful, a rose garden or whatever metaphor I want to use flowery language I would normally use.

Let me start at the beginning.

A fall from whatever grace there was

In September 2021,  I had a fall, where I ended up flat in the middle of a busy road in Birmingham.

The net result was a trip to a Birmingham hospital and its Accident and Emergency Department.

This in the height of COVID was not fun.

I was discharged the same day, but after additional pain, I was given support… in the form of crutches to enable mobility as well as to be a pain.

Like most people, I weaned myself off the, and onto a walking stick, before going stickless by the end of that year. However, the past year and a bit has been me dealing with a wonderful physiotherapist, angered a less than enjoyable surgeon, who sent me for another MRI scan,

And then I had a bit of news drop on me – they found a fracture in a hard-to-operate place.

Hence, if you saw me at AIX2023, you would have seen me with a knee, industrial supports for the knee, and me marching with the walking stick – and in the most rotten mood on the planet. Trust me, I was not the one to have a post-event discussion beer with.

An unwanted travel companion

Why? It gave me confidence at a time when I didn’t have any. It always amazes me about the power of words… and what they can do mentally to a person.

Even the Physio noted it wasn’t worth attempting to negotiate with me, rather letting me support myself at that point, especially when they decided that operating where there was a fracture was not easy or safe.

Since then, it’s been a slow journey. And I mean very slow as I climbed myself out of that pit.

Steps forward and sometimes backwards… both physical and mental

The physical battle is a hard one – don’t get me wrong, and can drive me quite mad some days (mornings have not been easy… and movement first thing can be a challenge).

I would say it gets better day by day, but that would be an absolute lie. Like any recovery, there are good days, there are bad days. And I still have the odd awful day too.

The bigger battle has been the mental side. I’ve gone from the bottom pits (and trust me, night one after the accident when I tried to go to the small room was one that I’ll remember for a very long time sadly), to the moment I walked out of the surgeon’s office on their debate on if to operate.

I’ve gone through points though that have lifted me – from switching from two crutches to one, leaving the walking stick behind, to words of confidence – noticing I could still bear weight on the leg and walk.

And yes. Some days it is two steps forward and two backward. But sometimes, it’s just one step forward. Then another. Then another.

One day after another. One step after another.

Talking helps, but building confidence helps a lot more

I’ll be honest – I’ve accepted that some things I might want to have done in the future will sit on ice – or have to be managed a different way. I’ve got no problem with that believe it or not as the Kubler-Ross Curve tells us.

I spent some time talking – be it to professionals, colleagues as well as my circle of friends,

With them, I faced some of my mental battles – as well as pushing myself out of the flat. Be it when I was on two crutches going to Tesco a few days after an accident, or having a normal coffee in a normal coffee shop afterwards.

Because if you don’t push yourself forward – who can? Wallowing in pity achieves nothing, and only drags you back down a spiral.

On this recent trip

This trip, I had set myself two targets – one that came to me a day before when I realised that I was heading out to San Francisco – I would be stopping at least 7 hours in Philadelipha.

As well as walking myself silly (because I’ve yet to “enjoy” a holiday that has me by a pool sunning myself – that’s not my travel style), there was the obvious –

• Climbing the steps at The Philadelphia Art Institute (do I have to spell this out – Think Rocky).
• Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge by foot. And back

We’ve done Rocky’s steps.

So it’s time to cross The Golden Gate Bridge.

Sunday morning

I’m sure you’ve seen my notes when I explored the streets of Philadelphia, but this time, I prepared to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Although I will be the first to admit I cheated getting there – by getting an Uber from the Intercontinental to the Golden Gate visitors centre.

If you want to do this by bus, the 28 goes from Fisherman’s Wharf/Dalley City BART to the Golden Gate Bridge Park. Be warned it’s normally a single-decker bus.

As I said, adaptability is important.

For me, it was a case of putting a step in front of the other and putting the 3-and-a-half-mile walk into first gear.

And yes, whilst the Golden Gate Bridge is one and three-quarter miles long, no one tells you that if you walk back, it’s 3 and a half miles.

It’s something to bear in mind, especially if you’re challenged in the walking department.

Since I was here last, there have been some safety changes, with additional chain-link fencing, as well as netting being installed to catch fallers. Sadly, the Golden Gate Bridge has its share of people who think that leaving existence here is a good idea.

Please remember – there is always help. For crying out loud – talk to someone. And try to listen sometimes too. 

For me, the trouble was navigating people, as the sun was out after a day spent in the wet the day before, and people were out walking, running and exercising.

Joggers. 

I just focused on one foot after another, hitting the first span and its first tower. From here, the foot traffic thins out a lot, as some tourists choose this point to turn back.

  

 

I chose to continue going forward.

Reaching the mid-point of the bridge, gives you a great view into the Bay Area, San Francisco and Alcatraz, with the different colours of the water and the city.

This is also a perfect point to head back – I did so a few years ago with a less busted leg. This time, I looked ahead and kept going.

And yes, not even pausing. Just focusing on one step after another.

 

Reaching the second tower, you cross from San Francisco into Marlin County, and it again starts to busy up, with visitors from H Dana Vista Point walking down.

I plodded onwards, pealing off the bridge into the parking lot and viewpoint – which seemed to be filled with sellers hawking street food.

 

I have been known to be. 

He’s on the phone. Doesn’t want to go home… 

I found a point and looked out at the world for a few minutes.

I then focused on Pokemon Go. For those of you who play the AR game, there are a fair few number of important points;

• A Gym on the first tower

• Around 6 poke stops on the way

• And a route from between the San Francisco visitors centre to the end of the bridge (Rated for 45 minutes and if you’re lucky two Zygarde cells).

I headed back across the bridge, this time with the small camera in one hand, and phone in the other and took my time crossing back from Marlin County, into San Francisco.

 

 

 

Into the sun 

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike… 

Thankfully the weather held out, being nice and sunny with low winds. No sign of Karl the Fog this day.

 

And it’s a good walk for those who enjoy walking. Just bring some earbuds or headphones if the noise of background traffic annoys you. For me, it’s more a case of it blending into static.

Half way there.

I eventually crossed back over to the first tower, as more people were out exploring the sun that was missing the day before.

 

I took a look at the stopwatch for this challenge as I exited – 1 hour 40 minutes, including the rest in the middle.

By no means world record-setting.

But a mental breakthrough for me. A sign I can still do things.

This a pointer that I need to be careful and not reckless, but to approach each day as it comes, adapting to life and more importantly.

And even make it for the bus back downtown.

Getting on with life.

And sometimes, it’s those small mental steps that help when moving forward with life. I might have to be a little slower sometimes or cause different sorts of chaos, but travel is not impossible. Daily life is adaptable.

I just have to push onward.

 

Next:

Ferrying around the Bay Area.

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