Carquinez to Richmond Bridge
We're visiting family in San Rafael in a couple weeks, and I'd like to ride there via the Carquinez and Richmond bridges, but Google maps is seeming a little inconsistent in the how-to-get-between roads. I'm not familiar with anything off-freeway between the Dead Fish and Berkeley, so I'm trying to piece together a realistic ride as much as I can, to a) stick to the Bay Trail where possible, and b) keep directions as simple as can practically be written on a card and taped to a 100mm stem (I will have my phone as backup, but would prefer to keep riding).
As far as Hercules/Pinole seems pretty straightforward, but several routes through Richmond/San Pablo seem to kind of dead-end at a refinery gate, but at the same time the path-of-least-resistance of just riding the Richmond parkway looks, on streetview, like an unpleasant riding experience, even on a Sunday, and Castro St looks even worse.
So can anyone give any pointers about the best bike route from Bridge to Bridge? Also, where's a good coffee stop with a view of the Bay?