Velo Club Miwok

Inverness Park, September 11, 2011

2011-09-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

It was very foggy and wet (mist in Petaluma) when I headed out. I met the Novato contingent (Don, Linda, Jim and Bruce) at the Cheese Factory. Rode as far as Platform Bridge before returning - had a date planned at Art in the Park in town and wanted to get back before it got too late. Besides, this day I didn't meet the group's riding attire requirements too well :-O But they tolerated me a bit before riding on to complete the ride ;-)

Just a few photos (if the slideshow above doesn't work on your device). These include shots of a failed tire (mine) that occurred a few days before the ride. I think the lousy Sonoma County roads might have something to do with this, but everyone else thinks I kept the tire on too long. Anyway, just glad the tire didn't blow while riding.

Tomales, September 4, 2011

2011-09-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

The 'advertised' ride was sort of done. Mark and Jim started in Novato and met up with a group (Linda, Don and...) at Hicks Valley School. From there it was Marshall to Tomales and back via Chileno Vly, I think. Pretty much the reverse of the scheduled ride. Yours truly headed out in the opposite direction from Petaluma hoping to meet the others in Tomales. I got there about 10:30 but missed them as they had arrived a little earlier and had just left. Oh well. Each of us had a good ride and I had fun looking at the crowd in Tomales (the annual Founder's Day celebration was this day) before returning.

Photos here if the slideshow above doesn't work on you iPad/iPhone/etc.

Apple Ride, August 14, 2011

2011-08-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

A fun time was had by all again this year. Weather was very nice - sunny and mild. The cycling route was the same as the previous year, but new for yours truly as I wasn't able to do it last time. For me, I discovered new bike paths out of Santa Rosa, a new bakery stop in Sebastopol (yeah!) and Florence St. (wow, what fun metal art). There was no juice making this year (the press was reserved by another group for this weekend) but apples were there to be picked for people who wanted to make pies or sauce or ... But we still had fabulous Diane apple pies with ice cream to go along with the BBQ. And, of course, a great time socializing.

Davis Livestrong Challenge, July 10, 2011

2011-07-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

The following is Jim's report on the event. - ed

The 2011 Livestrong Davis turned out to be a very inspiring weekend of events. Thanks to the generosity of Team Fatty, we were invited to the Saturday night awards dinner at the beautiful outdoor setting of the U.C. Davis "Good Life Garden".

The "Meet and Greet" featured lots of organic nibblies and some superb Rodney Strong Cabernet. The first person I met in the reception line was the woman who runs Twin Six (distributor of the fine Team Fatty Jerseys and gear), and she was a delight to talk with. Team Fatty was out in full force, and I got to meet several riders from various parts of the country. I also spent about 15 minutes talking with Fatty himself (Eldon Nelson) and the "Runner" (Lisa). Talk about some of the nicest people; even though he's quite the celebrity these days, Eldon was "just another guy" - very unpretentious and just an absolute pleasure to talk with. Despite his self-deprecating writings, he's someone who definitely has his act together and really knows how to leverage his writings (and media) to "massively" support the noble efforts to fight cancer.

When we assembled for dinner, I ended up at a table full of vendors (Rodney Strong Vineyards, Michelob Ultra, and so forth) off to the side (there were no available seats at the huge Fat Cyclists' tables). The food they served was fabulous, and about halfway through dinner one of the vendors I was sitting with said "Look, right next to you, there's Lance eating his dinner". Instead of interrupting his dinner, I just took a picture of him.

Sitting next to him was Don Perata, former California State Senator from Oakland who gave a great speech about support the upcoming initiative to further tax cigarette sales to raise 700 Million dollars for cancer research.

In fact, it was the speeches, both by Lance and his executive team, that really made the evening special. In addition to the advocacy Livestrong does for raising money to fight cancer, I had no idea of the programs they run to provide "Navigation" and services to those afflicted with this horrible disease. Several members of the Livestrong 4000 Team (a group of 33 U of Texas students that are riding from Austin to Alaska, 4000 miles, to raise money and support Livestrong) got up and gave some truly inspiring speeches not so much about their riding but more about how their lives have been affected by cancer fighters and survivors.

After a much later-than-usual bedtime for me because of the length of the awards banquet, I awoke early Sunday morning to get ready for the 105-mile Livestrong ride. I had already picked up the rider packets for myself, Mark and Bruce, and at the end of the Awards banquet I managed to snag 2 large Fat Cyclist jerseys loaned to us by none other than Eldon himself (another example of his incredible generosity). I met Mark and Bruce at the Davis Park-and-Ride near the Amtrak station, and we proceeded to the start area.

Livestrong had almost completely taken over Davis' sprawling Central Park, with all sorts of pavilions, tents and a start/finish line that extended the entire block. Being members of the honored Team Fatty, we were able to take a position at the very head of the 1435 registered riders, and promptly at 6:55AM we had our team photos taken right under the start banner.

As we were waiting for the 7:15AM lineup and actual 7:30AM official start, this guy in Livestrong kit rode up and walked up to the microphone and started talking.

Little did I know that when I lined up at the start, I was only a few feet away from a 7-time Tour de France champion...a pretty special moment.

So Lance and his speedy entourage took of first at the starting horn (being paced up front by an electric car Nissan Leaf), and we followed a few minutes later. I was somewhat worried about the mass of riders clamoring for position at first, but it turned out to be a very orderly and sane ride out of Davis through the U.C. Davis campus. After taking one of the bike paths that goes through an Olive orchard (we were told to beware of slippery pavement in this stretch), we were soon out on the flat country roads on our way to Winters. These are roads I've literally ridden hundreds of times in all my Davis Double Centuries (39 of them!), Brevets and so forth, but this was the first time Bruce had seen any of the Davis territory. It was a real contrast of perceptions, and I'm sure Bruce was enjoying that unique feeling of seeing new roads and sights for the first time.

We skipped the first "Power Station" (they didn't call them Rest Stops :-)) and went on to the first Power Station in Winters. The stop was well stocked with vendor's treats (energy bars, gels, etc.) in addition to the requisite Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches and so forth. We stocked up on water because it was starting to get warmish (in the 60s at the start, but now getting into the 80 degrees very quickly in the morning).

The Winters stop concludes the flat beginning section, and from there the rolling hills up to Monticello Dam begin. Following that is the big climb of the day, Cardiac Hill, and then the deceptive uphill called "Tandem Hill" with an eventual downhill to Moscowite Corners, where there's another "Power Station" and the turnaround for the 105-mile spur. Same vendor treats, same food, but many more people and not enough water dispensers, so big lines were in evidence just to fill the water bottles, which was essential because it was really starting to warm up.

The course continued back over the same hill we had just conquered (Cardiac), and for this North side, it's a longer, hotter climb. Eventually we got down to Lake Solano Park and the beautiful stretch of Pleasants Valley Road down to the Cantelow region of Vacaville. They had a water stop along the way (huge vat of really cold water in the shade), and then eventually another Power Station on the edge of Vacaville. I personally felt very strong here and proceeded ahead of Mark and Bruce, and so I waited for them (as planned) at the Power Station (and as Mark quipped, I had time to finish up my latest novel :-)). After we were all food and watered up, we left that stop to climb the hills through Vacaville and back to the flats. This is one of the most interesting parts of the ride scenery-wise, as there are lots of ranches and interesting domiciles to observe along the way. Unfortunately Bruce was having some cramping issues here (probably from the warm temps), and so he got through all the hills but not without a bit of suffering.

Eventually the ride drops out of the hills and goes underneath Interstate 505 (on Allendale Road), and boom...you're on the flats again. The guy with "feel good" engine of the day decided to take the lead and do most (but certainly not all) of the pulling. We came upon several groups of riders, but decided the accordion nature of the groups was too much effort, so we pressed on together (just the 3 of us). Eventually we got back to Winters and another Power Station, where we once again filled up nearly empty water bottles. So after a well-deserved rest in the shade (while rubbing ice on our foreheads), we headed out on the final flat miles back to Davis in the company of several Fatty riders. At some point we lost Bruce off the back of the pace line (owing to the return of some cramping), so Mark and I pretty much rode the rest of the ride at great haste (in fact, too much haste at some point and we fell off the torrid pace line). Returning to Davis and the shade of the trees and out of the afternoon sun was a welcome relief. After zigzagging once again through the U.C. Davis campus, we got to Central Park and the same finish line where we'd started that morning. Wow - they announced your name as you crossed the finish line, and then handed you a towel before you went through a small device spraying misty water on you - ah, that sure felt good at the finish! My Mom and sister Susan were there at the finish to greet us.

We waited for Bruce to finish, but he somehow slipped by us when we were not paying attention. Eventually the three of us met at the Michelob Ultra Beer booth (the good news is the beer was cold; the bad news is that it was Michelob Ultra - yuck!), and then we went off and had some of the post-race meal.

The final activity of the day was to head over to the Fat Cyclist tent and have some pie! Mark and Bruce finally got to meet and talk briefly with Fatty himself (Eldon Nelson), and then we headed back to the parked cars at the Park-N-Ride. What a great day of riding. We all agreed that Livestrong put on a really classy ride; certainly one I'll never forgot. One didn't even need a map to follow; the course was extremely well marked and the pavilion area was well laid out for the post-race festivities.

Most of all, besides having a great Century (aka Year Rounder) bike ride, the Three Amigos had the satisfaction that we had done something good for humanity by raising cancer awareness and contributing to those venerable causes. So the "feel good" at the end of the ride was not just the endorphins we earned while blistering through the course, but from the overall satisfaction of a job well done both for ourselves, our team and fellow riders, and the community of people making a difference to wipe out this pernicious disease from our daily lives.

- Jim

Enmanji Teriyaki, July 10, 2011

2011-07-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

I met Diane and Jess at their place for an 11 a.m. start. We had earlier agreed to skip the 'Lucy Tour' for this year and just do an impromptu ride in the Sebastopol area. The late start was timed so we could (hopefully) miss most of the crowd at the teriyaki feed.

Unlike last week's ride in similar environs, today, while still very sunny, was much cooler. Our route took us up Bloomfield and along the West side of Sebastopol via Pleasant Hill and Ragle Rd. We got onto 116 and then rode Vine Hill, Laguna, Trenton, Trenton-Healdsburg, Mark West Station before turning onto Slusser to go to the Airport. After short stop there to admire all the planes (and to get a Snoopy and Woodstock photo :-) we headed back to Sebastopol on Laughlin, Woolsey, West Olivet, Olivet, Piner, Willowside, Hall, Sanford, Occidental and High School Road.

We were on track for our 2 p.m. arrival at the temple when yours truly picked up a 2 inch nail in the rear tire on High School. Immediate flat. Grrrr. Oh well, at least it wasn't hard to find the hole. We weren't too delayed, either. Got to the feed at about 2:15 or so. Lines were short and table space plentiful. The chicken was great as usual and we had nice entertainment from a local judo club.

After the lunch, I took the 'short' route back via Elphrick while Diane and Jess went the slightly less steep Bloomfield way. The day was capped off magnificently with baked apple slices on homemade crepes with ice cream. Yum yum!

July 7 - Sweetwater Springs Road

2011-07-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Don and I, Mark, met Paul and his friend Donald in Healdsburg. We rode out Westside Road until the right hand turn onto Sweetwater Springs Road. This is the first time Don and I had ever ridden on Sweetwater Springs. (Here's the GPS track.) This is a one-lane road with potholes, some loose gravel, and several cattle guards that undulates for several miles before taking a sharp tilt upward. The main climb goes up 775 ft in 1.35 miles for an average grade of 11% , with one brutal section of 18%. That's where I ran out of air and had to drop down to my 24 inch gear (my 2 feet) until my uncontrolled gasping stopped. Fortunately, this day was not as hot as the previous week, and the road has several shady sections.

The others were waiting patiently at the top, where we were treated to a spectacular view. The downhill featured several off camber and decreasing radius hairpin turns, but the road seemed to be in slightly better condition. We went very slow. At Armstrong Woods Road we went left and followed it into Guerneville, where we stopped at Coffee Bazaar for a really excellent latte. The four of us traded pulls on River Road, then played some cat-and-mouse interspersed with conversation on Westside Road back to Healdsburg. An excellent ride.

Rushing Russian River Ride, July 3, 2011

2011-07-03T19:42:00.001-07:00

Was this a hot day? You betcha! Was this a good route for a hot day? You betcha, too! Riders were Mark, Paul and me along with Linda and Jim riding their tandem. We went into Windsor on Conde Rd and headed west to Eastside Road via Windsor River road. From there we went south, crossed the Wholer bridge to Westside Road and continued south again connecting with River Road where we went west into Guerneville for a short stop.

After watering up and eating a few energy bars, we crossed the river and rode up Mays Canyon Rd. Next it was a short section on Hwy 116 then we turned onto Green Valley Rd., grunted up the short but steep grade and cruised into Graton. Up to this point we had benefited from very shaded, cool roads. Now we were back in the sun, so we skipped making a stop and pressed on to beat the heat. Except for one wrong turn, the ride back was smooth and we finished up right around noon before the afternoon heated up more. Nice ride.

Pt. Reyes Station, July 1, 2011

2011-07-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Yeah, the date is right. Right in the middle of the week (Thursday) - retiree's choice :-). I cycled over to San Marin HS to join Don and Mark for a 'where do you want to go today' ride (and what's in your wallet). We settled on PRS and goodies at the Bovine as our destination. The weather was perfect. Sunny. Warm but not too hot. No wind. Beautiful!

After our break, we checked out Black Mountain Cycles and then headed back. Since I had already put in some extra miles going out to Novato, I just went straight back to Petaluma. Don and Mark, meanwhile, split off to Nicasio and returned to Novato via Lucas Valley (plus a bit of La Coppa for an 'expresso' boost at the end.)

Gourmet Bicycle Tour - Plumas County

2011-06-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Linda, Jim, Mary, and I, Mark, joined the Gourmet Bicycle Group for a tour of Plumas County from June 18-26. We arrived in Taylorsville on Saturday and set up camp at the County Park and Campground. Taylorsville sits at an elevation of 3500 ft. on the edge of Indian Valley, a beautiful alpine valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks.

We did three rides in the Taylorsville area. Sunday's Greeville-Indian Valley Loop was a pleasant 41 mile ride. On Monday, we rode to and around Lake Almanor. By the time we got back to Greenville, the temperature was in the low 90s. Road construction forced Linda, Jim, and me to take a detour back to camp, adding 15 hot miles to our route. Back in camp, Jim and I decided to make it a century and took a leisurely spin up to the Genesee Store and back. Tuesday was another scorcher for our ride up to Antelope Lake.

On Wednesday, we transferred to Graeagle and pitched our tents at the Movin' West RV Park. Thursday's ride took us to Portola, and across the large and very flat alpine valley to Loyalton. Encountering very strong headwinds on Hwy 49, we decided to retrace our route back to Portola where we stopped at the soda fountain to replenish our energy before heading back to camp. Jim somehow found the energy to ride another 30 miles solo to complete the century. On Friday, we took on Yuba Pass and the climb up to Gold Lakes - 4600 ft. of climbing in less than 50 miles, but with fairly easy 5-6% grades. Our effort was rewarded with a spectacular long and fast descent back to Graeagle. On Saturday, it was back to Portola and the climb up to Lake Davis.

This was my third trip to this part of Califonia. It reinforced my opinion that Plumas County offers some of the best cycling anywhere, with good roads, little traffic, and spectacular scenery. I look forward to returning.

ALC 10 Day 7 - Ventura to the LA Vet Center

2011-06-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

The morning of day 7 always comes as somewhat of a shock. Afer 6 days of routine - riding, eating, sleeping - the end is in sight. Just 61 miles to go.

Bruce and I woke early and packed up for the last time. The legendary Chicken Lady had left a plastic egg on all 2500 bikes, with a thank-you message and a symbolic lifesaver inside. We rode through Oxnard, and stopped at a Starbucks I remembered from previous trips. We drank cappuccino's and charged our phones. I had managed to get a cable for my ailing phone in Paso Robles and a USB power adapter at a Radio Shack on day 4. The problem seems to have something to do with power, because I was able to boot it when plugged in. I got enough of a charge for the remainder of the day.

The ride went fast due to a tail wind, us smelling the barn, and the desire to get through the traffic on the PCH through Malibu. At the Santa Monica Pier we turned east, portaged our bikes though a tunnel under the road, and climbed a short but steep hill to San Vicente Blvd. and last leg of our journey. We were greeted at the VA Center by cheering throng, a great way to finish.

Here's the GPS track for day 7.

We rolled our bikes to the moving shipping company, found our gear, cleaned up the best we could and changed cloths in a porta-potty. After 7 days of nothing but porta-potties, we were glad this was the last. We splurged a little and hired a town car to drive us to our destinations, Bruce to a hotel in Westwood to meet Monica and start another adventure, and me to the airport for the trip home. It felt weird riding in climate controlled luxury after 7 days almost exclusively in the fresh air. It also felt weird to travel in one hour by plane the entire distance we had worked so hard to cover in a week.

Bruce, thank you for being the perfect traveling companion and riding buddy. You showed a lot of patience when I was stubborn and annoying (and I know I was). You always had my back, and you always came up with good ideas to make things work smoothly.

ALC 10 Day 6 - Lompoc to Ventura

2011-06-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

Day 6 starts with a 15 mile climb up highway 101. It's not very steep, it just goes on forever. I felt great. My strategy for a recovery ride on Day 5 worked to perfection. I didn't even mind all the traffic, I just hammered away.

Paradise Pit is a rest stop set up by the city of Santa Barbara for the riders. They served several flavors of ice cream, fresh fruit, cookies, and all kinds of other treats. They really do a nice job.

The last 20 miles of this ride features long stretches on 101 again. There is a wide bike lane, and with a nice tailwind, it goes by fast. Still, the traffic is deafening. It's hard to enjoy the beautiful ocean views.

About 10 miles from Ventura, we pulled into a rest stop and unleashed our secret weapon for the trip - Cliff Double Espresso and Mocha Gel Shots. The combination of caffeine and sugar gives you a "turbo boost" and makes the last few miles fly by.

The camp in Ventura is right next to the beach. There is a candlelight vigil on the beach after the evening program that is quite moving. This time, however, neither Bruce nor I wanted to brave the cool, breezy evening and decided to turn in early.

Here's the GPS track for Day 6.

ALC 10 Day 5 - Red Dress Day

2011-06-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

Day 5 is a rest day, only 41 miles from Santa Maria to Lompoc. There are a few hills, but nothing major. It's also Red Dress Day, where many riders don red dresses of every description: tutus, evening gowns, kilts, Roman soldier outfits, you name it. One group had body stocking with red bikini's painted on them and wore gold corn-row wigs - they were the Bo Dereks. One guy is famous for wearing 8 inch spike heals, with SPD cleats. There is a contest at one of the rest stops for the most - outrageous? - outfit.

My strategy for day 5 is to go as slow as possible, spinning easily on the flats, creeping up the climbs, and coasting on the descents. I never went out of my small ring. Oh, and no dress for either Bruce or me. I did wear a red jersey and red Headsweat. Bruce also had a red jersey and some flashy red soccer socks.

We got back to camp just after noon, showered, and took a shuttle bus into Lompoc. Their, we found a nice coffee house, sat next to a power outlet and charged up our GPS's and my external battery pack.

No GPS track for me on this ride. I decided I didn't want to know how slow I was going.

ALC 10 Day 4 - Paso Robles to Santa Maria

2011-06-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

The morning routine starts off with donning our cycling gear, packing up the tent, taking our gear to the truck, breakfast, and then to bike parking, where we get our route slips, pump up the tires, and fill water bottles. Oh, and apply the very important Chamois Butter.

The Day 4 route is 98 miles and the toughest day of the trip. It heads west on Hwy 46 over two long, but not very steep, climbs know affectionately as the Evil Twins. At the top of the second Twin is a lookout, and the halfway point to LA. Most people stop here for a photo, holding their bikes over their heads, with the expanse of the Pacific in the background. Unfortunately, the fog was in, so Bruce and I decided to forego the photo op and continue on.

The downhill from the lookout is the real highlight of this route. It's about 6 miles of downhill bliss, with smooth pavement and gentle bends. At the bottom is US 1, which we follow through Morrow Bay, San Louis Obispo, and Pismo Beach before heading back eastward to Santa Maria.

There's a coffee shop in the little town of Cayucos that has become a favorite stop for many riders. When Bruce and I arrived, almost every available sign, tree and curb had a bike on it. While heading for a vacant pole, I accidently bumped a bike wheel, that started a chain reaction, sending 3 other bikes to the pavement. I was mortified. A very nice woman named Joanna came to my rescue, and helped me set all the bikes back up. No one was mad. The people whose bikes I knocked down just shrugged and said "don't worry, accidents happen." That's normal for this group. It would be a wonderful world if everyone got along as well and were as kind to each other as they are on this ride.

Here's the GPS track for day 4.

ALC 10 Day 3 - King City to Paso Robles

2011-06-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

Here's the end-of-ride drill. Park your bike and remember the rack name, a Disney or Looney Toons cartoon character. Once parked, your bike can't leave the secured parking area until the next morning. The number affixed to the bike has a bar code, and all the bikes are scanned each evening to 1) make sure everyone is accounted for and 2) help people find their bike in the morning if they forgot where they parked it. Next, get your gear bag from the truck, and wheel it to your spot on the tent grid, F23 for Bruce and me. ALC provides the tents - blue, 7/7 two-man tents. Once you've set up the tent, grab your towel and a change of cloths and head for the showers. There are several shower trucks, each with 10-12 showers. There are also trucks hauling water in, others hauling away the waste water, and one with a big propane tank. After the showers, Bruce and I like to head to the mess tent and grab a cold chocolate milk as a post-ride recovery drink. Then, it's back to the tent or explore the camp until Dinner. Dinner is served from 4PM to 9PM. Everything is dished up for you and the portions are limited, but you can go through the line as many times as you want. The food is excellent. There's one or two entres, a selection of vegetables, bread, pasta, and dessert. At 7:30, the evening program starts. Then it's back to the tents. We're usually asleep by the 9:30 quite time.

Tuesday was our one day of summer on the trip, lots of sunshine and balmy breezes. It also features the toughest climb on the trip, a hill known in camp as Quadbuster. I'd equate it to the north side of Wilson Hill, maybe a little longer. The rest of the day is mainly flat, with some long, gentle rollers. There's one really annoying section, about 5 miles on 101 where the shoulder pavement is buckled about every 10-15 feet. There's a 6 inch smooth strip just inside the white line. The trick is to set a fast pace, stay on the strip, and try to ignore the trucks whizzing by your elbow at 70mph.

Lunch on day 2 is in the little town of Bradley. They school puts on a barbecue, and sells hamburgers to raise money to fund field trips for the 50 or so kids in the grade school. Everyone in the town pitches in. It's their biggest event all year.

Rest stops on the route are usually 10-20 miles apart. Most days there are 4 rest stops, a lunch stop, and on the longer rides there may be an additional water/bathroom stop. Each rest stop has a theme, and sometimes the crews put on a show. Rest stop crew 4 is legendary. I understand they hold tryouts to get in. Rest stop 4 on day 3 is at a mission, and the crew always puts on a special show, always outrageous. This year, the theme was Jazzercise. They pass a jar to collect money for the mission, bringing in thousands to pay for most of the mission's maintenance for the year.

At only 65 miles for the day, we got into the Mid-State Fairgrounds at Paso Robles early in the afternoon. Some friends of Bruce's who live in Paso Robles invited us out for dinner. We had some time to kill, so we wandered around the fairgrounds and just sat enjoying the nice warm weather. As we were waiting near the entrance of the fairgrounds, one of the riders came by, pulling his large suitcase. He was obviously on the Princess Tour, someone who stays in hotels instead of in the campground. He proceeded to accost one of the roadies who was walking by. "That's along walk from the gear trucks. You should provide a shuttle!" Bruce and I just looked at each other and laughed. After riding some 250 miles in the last 3 days, he's complaining about walking a couple of hundred yards to catch a cab? Maybe is seemed so strange because it was so rare. It really was the only negative thing we heard from anyone on the whole trip.

Back in camp, after a very nice dinner and conversation with Bruce's fiends, we were walking back to the tent and passed by a building where a group of people were gathered watching something inside. Curious, we stopped and saw a number of young women on roller skates on an iceless hockey rink. They were doing some exercises and stretches. One of the people in charge skated over and explained that this was a roller-derby development league, and we were welcome to stay and watch their scrimmage. The track was not banked, just some lanes drawn on the floor. The girls lined up, and off they went, to delight of the gathered group of riders and roadies. There was lots of cheering and yelling. The scene was surreal.

Here's the GPS track for day 3.

ALC 10 Day 2 - Santa Cruz to King City

2011-06-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

Every evening at 7:30, ALC holds a program in the dining tent. News of the days ride is recapped, including a safety report on the number of violations and injuries. The route for the next day is presented, with highlights and area where extra care is needed. Then the heads of the SF AIDS Foundation and the LA Gay and Lesbian Center talk about what they saw and heard during the day. These are always entertaining. Lori Jean from the LA Center is especially good. Her talk is the highlight of the program. A video blog from two days prior is shown, and there may be a film about the services of the two organization. Some days, there is entertainment.

At Sunday's program, they warned us that the day 2 ride was 107 miles, that it would be a long day and should get an early start. We all dutifully were at our bikes bright and early, and then stood and waited. The first 10 miles of the course is slow going through Santa Cruz. In the past, some riders have gotten impatient, have blown through stop signs and lights, and have generally caused traffic problems. The CHP warned the organization to clean it up or no more permits. They decided to only let a few riders go at a time to spread us out and relieve some of the congestion. So we waited. And waited. after an hour and a half waiting, they finally gave up and let us all go. Not a good start to the day.

Finally on the road, a steady "tick-tick-tick" started coming from my crank area, one tick per crank revolution. I later discovered it only happened when I put power on my right pedal. I chalked it up to the double-sided pedals from my rain bike that I put on for the trip. Annoying, but I decided I could live with it for the rest of the ride.

After about 20 miles, we begin riding through valley farm land, fields of strawberries and artichokes. In one of those fields is a little store with a stand out front that sells deep fried artichoke hearts. The little parking lot is crammed with bikes and riders enjoying this treat. I'd guess we give this merchant more business in one day than he normally sees in weeks.

The rest of the day is spent on roads paralleling 101. A strong north wind came up in the afternoon, usually at our backs. At times we cruised at 25-30 mph in a perfectly calm pocket of air. The few times we had cross-winds, we leaned into them to stay upright.

A second treat on day 2 is provided by the Cookie Lady. The story is that she lost her son to AIDS years ago. She bakes thousands of oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies for the riders each year. They are delicious. In the past, she handed them out in front of her house along the route. This year she set up her table at a water stop.

We got into King City some time around 5:30, very late for us. That evening, as I was using my iPhone, being careful to conserve the battery, the thing crashed. Every time I tried to restart it, it crashed again. I had to borrow Bruce's phone to call Mary. So much for advanced technology.

Here is a GPS track of the day's ride.

ALC 10 Day 1 - Cow Palace to Santa Cruz

2011-06-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

The alarm was set for 3:30AM, but I was already awake and getting dressed. While my outmeal boiled, I checked the weather. The forecast was the same - thunderstorms, rain. At 4AM, the text came through: "Opening and Rideout on schedule".

Bruce and Monica arrived picked me up at 4:30. On the way in, I realized that I had forgotten the charger and cord for my iPhone. Oh well, I'll conserve battery until I get to a place to buy a new set. We got to the Cow Palace around 5:30. To our relief, the weather looked good. There were clouds, but no rain. The gear trucks were all lined up, A through P. We were assigned truck F, and tent spot F23. We dropped off our gear bags, then it was into the main arena for opening ceremonies. There were brief speeches, highlighted by the announcement that we had raised $13 Million, a new record! A procession with a riderless bike, representing all those who have died of AIDS, slowly made its way to the stage.

We worked our way to the staging area, found our bikes, mounted our fenders, lights, water bottles, computers, and got in line to start the day's ride. This year, even with several hundred more riders than in the past, there was a lot less standing and waiting. Within 15-20 minutes, we were riding slowly down Geneva. Lanes were blocked off for us, with police directing traffic at the intersection. After mile 6, the reserved lanes ended and were supposed to be riding single file. The reality is that we were two-abreast, with faster riders passing and calling out "on your left" for much of the route until the first rest stop.

We rode down the peninsula, then over Hwy 92 to Half Moon Bay, where we turned south on US 1 and got a big surprise - headwinds. Normally, the prevailing winds give a nice push all the way down to Santa Cruz. Not this year. The headwinds were brutal from the lunch stop at San Gregorio to rest stop 3, then eased as we gradually turned eastward approaching Santa Cruz. The first night's camp was at Harvey West Park.

One thing that always amazes me are the number of people cheering along the route. Every town, every major climb, and at the end of every ride, there are big groups of people cheering, ringing cowbells, holding signs. It's like being in a big-time race. The support is unbelievable. Riding into camp, someone always yells out "Welcome Home." That always puts a lump in my throat.

Here's the GPS track for day 1.

ALC 10 - Orientation Day

2011-06-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

It rained hard Saturday morning. The forecast for Sunday was scattered thunderstorms, with a 60% chance of rain. Conditions did not look good for our 6AM Sunday start.

Saturday, June 4th, was Orientation Day. Bruce and I brought our bikes and paperwork to the Cow Palace in the early afternoon. There is a precise organization to the AIDS/LifeCycle ride, as to be expected for an event involving 2500 riders, 600 roadies and staff, over 7 days and 545 miles. After parking our bikes and noting the section and row, we headed for the Safety Video.

The Safety Video is serious business. Once seated, you cannot leave, talk on your phone, text, or in any other way miss any part of the video. If you do, you have to sit through it again. The video is about 45 minutes long. This year's edition was better organized, slicker, and avoided the unintentionally funny parts from past years. It started out with a long series of "way to go, you're awesome!" comments from a number of B-list celebrities and A-list politicians. The highlight was an out-take by Gavin Newsom - "What I really wanted to say is 'You're all crazy!"" The remainder of the video talked about life in the camp and presented a long list of rules and safety tips.

The rules are mainly common sense things, such as no-alcohol, no drugs, quiet after 9:30, pick up after yourself, etc.. They stress obeying all traffic laws, then add some additional rules. Drafting and pace lines aren't allowed, but in practice this is very difficult to enforce. A new one for me was at stop signs, you put one foot down. When you pass, you say "On your left", and the response is "Thank You" as acknowledgement. Another new one is that you can't stop to pee at the side of the road, you're supposed to hold it to the next rest stop. I understand the reasoning, but come on, when you got to go you got to go. As for penalties, they only say that anyone caught breaking the rules could be pulled from the route for that day. More serious safety violations could result in expulsion from the ride and being banned from future rides. This does happen.

A new motto for this year was "One rider, one town, one permit." What this is supposed to mean is that one rider caught doing something stupid on one town could result in the permit for the ride being pulled and that's the end of ALC. They need to work on this one, it really didn't catch on.

At the end of the safety video, they fasten an orange band on your wrist that you can't take off until after the ride. If it comes off, you have to watch the video again.

Next, we picked up a packet containing rider numbers for our bikes and helmets, dog tags you wear around your neck (presumably so they can identify the remains), tags for your gear and tent, and another wrist band, the color indicating if you are a vegetarian or meat-eater. After a stop at the ALC store to pick up the 2011 jersey (a nice one this year), we found our bikes, affixed the number, and went home to finish packing.

Packing this year had the added challenge of preparing for rain. We decided to bring fenders and lights, just in case, and rain gear for on the bike and in camp. Everything went in plastic bags. A text message arrived in the evening saying there would be an announcement at 4AM regarding a possible delayed start. Oh boy.

June 14 - Retirement Ride

2011-06-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

This was my first solo, weekday ride after my retirement, and the first ride after AIDS/LifeCycle 10 (more on that in another post). This also felt like the first day of summer. My only concession to the cool morning was a pair of arm warmers, and after the first half-hour, I didn't really need them either. The conditions on the road to Marshall were just about perfect - 60s, sunny, light breeze, grass still mostly green. I took my time and enjoyed it. The birds seemed to be enjoying it too, singing their hearts out. My legs felt heavy, still tired from last week's trek to LA.

The climb and the downhill seemed to revive me, and I cruised along Tomales Bay. I must have been lost in reverie, because before I know it I was at the Bovine Bakery, enjoying a Pain d 'Amande and coffee. There was only one other cyclist there, another kindred soul. We ended up having a long conversation about racing, Lance, doping, the Tour of California, our favorite TdF stages - the usual. Weekdays are sure quiet in west Marin.

I decided my legs had a little climbing left in them, so I headed for Olema. There's a big hole in the road near the Bear Valley turn, and they've closed the right lane on a short section of the downhill after Olema, with stop signs at both ends. Use caution of you go this way.

By the time I got to Nicasio, the temp. had risen into the 80's and my legs were shot, no snap at all. I had a mocha gel and drank lots of water, and that was enough to get me to La Coppa. By this time, I had a real salt craving. I asked the barista who made my iced latte if he had any salt. He looked at me king of funny, went in the back, and came out with a shaker. I put some in my hand and licked it up. Not very elegant, but it got the job done. I used the 5 miles home as a recovery ride.

June 5, 2011 : Island in the Sky to Grand View Pt.

2011-06-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

This link will show a National Park Service Slideshow of the park.

We seem to be stuck in winter mode. Press Democrat Letter-to-the-editor writer, Brian Narelle, coined a most apt name for the month: "June-uary". While the unseasonable weather is putting a damper (pun intended!) on riding here, it's not so bad everywhere. Here's a little something to warm you from 'Desert' Don:

Mark Griffith invited me to do a road ride out in Canyonlands Nat’l Park. Since it was Sunday I thought this was appropriate. We met at the Island in the Sky Visitor Center at 10am. We started into a breeze. This ride climbs about 300’ on the out bound leg and a lot of that is in the first climb. This is augmented by an immediate descent from the parking lot. Oh well a good steady climb does warm you up but it took me a bit to get to an aerobic state. Once up that first climb, we started a series of rollers that lasted all the way out to Grand View. Island in the Sky is a massive bluff cut out of the earth by the Green River to the west and the Colorado to the east. As you ride south you are treated to views of the rivers a well as the White Rim Trail which is a signature MTB ride. On the way out a couple of riders caught us and we rode the rest of the way out with them. Turns out they are down from the snow country to enjoy some good riding weather.

After a break at the view point Mark and I enjoyed a brisk tailwind on the way back to the cars. At about 3 miles from the finish this blast was interrupted by a flat of my rear tire. Quick change of the tube and we finished the ride.

Petaluma Occidental, May 29, 2011

2011-05-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

No motivation to go this day, even though it was bright and sunny. Still on the cold side and windy, even starting. No 'motorvation', either - although I rode the distance, the tank was on empty all day. No legs at all.

It was another 'bird' ride. This time a turkey did the posing, calmly sitting on the side of Bodega just before the turn onto Jonive as I came huffing and puffing up the hill. Didn't move an inch as I stopped, got off and walked around for a photo. I think it was trying to extract some warmth from the road. Some others stopped to see if the bird was OK at which point I guess it got disgusted with all the commotion and sauntered off back into the brush. Been seeing lots of snakes lately, too, and saw one on this ride as well. And a deer hightailing it near Freestone. You could say this ride was one for the animals. For me, it was a bear.

May 21, 2011 - Jim's 39th Davis Double

2011-05-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

2011 Davis Double Century Ride Report by Jim.

I wrote last year that my ride was a day of contrasts. This year was a ride of uniformity, mainly because I rode most of it solo (alone). I didn't really plan it that way, and given my druthers, I prefer to ride with groups. But for some reason the groups didn't come along all day long, so rather than panic about it, I just "went with it". It makes a very different kind of ride by oneself, and I don't remember ever having ridden my previous 38 Davis Double Centuries with that much solo riding.

In fact, the only time I had a group to ride with was about 15 minutes (3 or so miles) before the Rest Stop at Guinda, mile 160. And there's a story that goes with that. As many of you know, I've battled cramps for many years, and have tried many remedies and changes to try and relieve their frequency. I've found that aggressive hydration the days *before* the event, plus a lot more attention to drinking more fluids while on the ride, in comination with regular small intakes of salt have mad it almost a non-problem. As I've learned, one can get cramps from a disparity in one's electrolyte balance (of which the main ingredient is salt). The other axmiom of cramps is that they can come from either too much fluids *or* not enough fluids; it has to be a balance between salt and fluids. This def
initely gets more tricky to keep balanced when the weather gets hot. So all day long, including the gut-busting 12% slog up Cobb Mountain, I didn't have a hint of cramps. Now cut to the late afternoon coming down the Cache Creek Canyon on Highway 16. The wind had really stiffened up, and since was riding alone, I pushed it pretty hard coming down the upper canyon. But just as the route empties into the flat valley below the canyon, I saw a small group of riders coming up behind me. Of course, I would not mind having some help against the wind on these flats. So just as this group came by at a fairly good clip, I dug into my thighs to take the 10 pedal strokes needed to latch onto the back of the pack. Yeow! Wouldn't you know it; almost instantly the inside of my right thigh tightened up and that was "all she rotes"...I lost the draft and had to slow down to figure out what the heck was going on. I reached for my bottle of water, and with a good intake of water found myself r
iding just as strong as always less than a minute later. Regrettably the group was long gone. So onward I trudged along by myself. But about 15 minutes later I saw another group coming up behind me, and guess what I did...yup, took a good slug of water! When they came by me I had no trouble latching onto the back of this 3-man group and we traded pulls for the next 15 minutes to the Rest Stop at Guinda. Although this was the only time I rode in a group all day long, it was good to have that brief respite with good group or riders.

One notable difference on this ride - last year I left a bit earlier (a few minutes before 5AM), but didn't have any lights with me. Fortunately I subsequently found a group to ride with that all had lights, but it was not the safest way to start a ride. So this year I outfitted my bike with a small, but powerful Cateye headlight with a quick release dismount and a small Cateye taillight that also comes off with a quick release. It's a good thing I had the lights...since I left around 4:45AM, it was very dark and there were not many riders to light the way; the bike lights were much required. So when I got to the first Rest Stop at Farnahm Ranch, I filled my water bottles and quickly removed both the headlight and taillight. I then put them in a small bag and hid them near one of the buildings at the back of the Rest Stop. The unique thing about this particular Rest Stop is that one goes through it twice; once early in the morning, and then again as the 2nd to the last Rest
Stop before the finish. So late in the day, which would be my last stop before the finish (I traditionally skip the official last Rest Stop at the Fire Station only 6 miles from the finish), I rolled into Farnahm Ranch and the first thing I did was go to the building at the back of the Rest Stop and retrieved my lights. Of course, this was only around 6PM, and there was plenty of light left in the day, so the lights were not required to finish with. But it was nice to know that if I blew up during the day or ran into problems, I would have those lights waiting there so I could continue, even if I had to finish in the dark.

This was also the first year I tracked my ride with the venerable Garmin 500 GPS bike computer. This unit has performed flawlessly for me for almost a year, and I noted that even after 14 hours of being switched on, it still had almost 30% battery left when I finished. For those of you needing a data fix on my ride, here's the URL at connect.garmin.com:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/87321431

One last note: I missed riding with my Lake Tahoe friends (Mike and Kathy Bradford), and although I saw Dan Spano at the check-in, the only other time I saw Dan and his awesome tandem was just after Moscowite Corner when he was headed downslope at 25MPH+ with two singles desperately trying to hang on. I know better...it was way too early the catch this ride, and I estimate Dan and his stoker finished 3 hours ahead of me.

Well, next year is number 40, and that seems to be a significant number. I'm interested in riding my 40th Davis Double on tandem, so hopefully I can cajole someone into joining me on this venerable event.

Cheers.

Jim.

Ed's note: There have been 42 DDC events and Jim has nearly done all of them! Wow, what an accomplishment! Congratulations, Jim!

Although he had no photos to share, he passed along this great YouTube video link.

Sunday, May 22 - A Day On The Bay

2011-05-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

O solo mio. Yeah, I did this by myself. Haven't ridden into SF in awhile so this looked like a nice opportunity. Anticipating sun and some warmth, I laid on the sunscreen but it turned out to rather cool and I never did expose much skin this day. Did have some periods where I got warm though -like going up the grade under the GG bridge from Ft. Baker. Got to try out the new path off Lincoln next to the freeway. Pretty good except for the awful intersection with Mission at the end. The ride back up this trail was also nice in that it was a steady gradient and avoided the parked cars and traffic on Lincoln.

I managed to make the 10:30 a.m. SF ferry back to Sausalito. Calm waters. Pretty views. Good cup of coffee. (Mentioned the cool weather to the server and she agreed noting she had turned on her space heater, too.) Back in Marin, it had finally gotten warm enough to strip off the windbreaker but I kept the warmers on. Glad, too, as the breeze was still on the cool side. A little treat for the return was at the end of the Mill Valley bike path. There, standing right beside the trail, was a large crane. Rather than running off or flying away as I came to a surprised halt, he (or maybe it was a she) kindly posed in Karate Kid crane fashion and let me get close for a photo.

The rest of the trip back was OK although I could have done without the headwind. I thought I was early enough to avoid most this until I got a blast in the face in Sausalito. Oh well. Can't complain, though. I got back to the start before the really serious winds came up in the afternoon. Nice day on the bay.

Russian River/Chalk Hill, April 17, 2011

2011-04-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

The fog/overcast was in but the temperatures were pleasantly mild as we got ready to go at Esposti park in Windsor. (The riders were Linda and Jim - tandem, along with Don, Mark and me) After last weekend's flatland special, yours truly was interested to see how my legs would react to some hills, especially with the company I would be riding with today! (I should note that Don was somewhat in the same situation as I since he had been off for a couple of weeks recuperating from eye surgery. And I would be remiss to not to recognize that Jim was seriously jet-lagged having just returned the day before from a long flight from South Africa. But, knowing Jim, I really doubted we would see much effect!)

The ride heads into Windsor via Conde Lane and then out of town via Windsor River road. In Windsor, we just caught a glimpse of the Earth Day fair when we made the turn west to go to Eastside Road. A turn south took us to Wholer and over the bridge to Westside for a nice flat, mildly rolling ride through the vineyards where we were treated to spectacular views of the fog and clouds clearing on the distant mountains. I couldn't resist stopping for a few photos and got completely unhitched from the group. Knowing me as they do, they figured that was the case and kindly waited for me to catch up at the Madrona Manor at the turn onto Old Dry Creek.

By this time the sun was out and it was beginning to warm up so that when we stopped at the store on Dry Creek, jackets and warmers all came off. A little food and a short rest got us ready for the hilly portion of the ride (and the test of my legs). The route took us out Lytton Springs and Lytton Station roads which were surprisingly new territories for Jim - he usually goes over Canyon or Dutcher Creek when out in this area. This connects to Alexander Rd. which took us to Jimtown where I asked for another photo op stop (I mean, it's Jim's town, after all :-). The ride then hooks up with Hwy 128 before turning off onto Chalk Hill.

This portion is rolling until the climb up Chalk Hill in the center and then finishes with a fast dash, more or less downhill to intersection with Faught Rd. Don and I were the tail end Charlies here. Don, I think because of tactical error in refueling at the earlier stop and me, just because. I felt better than I expected, though, probably due to a well timed banana at Jimtown. I think it put a little extra boost in the tank - sort of the opposite of Don which kind of even things out performance-wise between us.

The others held up at the end of Chalk Hill for us to regroup and for the last few miles, I got to suck wheel with the tandem. Sweet way to finish the ride. And we made a final stop at the In-n-Out in Petaluma for a burger and fries fix. Great!

(My thanks to Linda for taking some of the photos. Nice to see me riding in a few of the shots :)

Glen Ellen, April 10, 2011

2011-04-10T22:35:00.001-07:00

Jerry and I met to do this Glen Ellen out and back - well sort of... about 1/4 of the actual route and then the rest something completely different, totaling about 80% of the advertised mileage. Yours truly had not been on a bike for a month and was in no way ready for all the hills the trek to GE would entail. My thought was a flat, easy paced ride - more of a check to see what condition my condition was in (K. Rogers, 1968) - and this suited Jerry just fine as she had done a brisk 40+ miles out in West Marin the day before. As it turned out our rambling, relaxed route ended up giving each of us a peek at something new.

We went out the usual Sonoma Mt. Parkway/Petaluma Hill Rd. route but skipped the Crane Canyon turn off for Glen Ellen and headed around in a loop back to Petaluma Hill Rd. over Synder Ln and the RP Expressway, roads Jerry hadn't been on. We then connected with E. Railroad and rode into Cotati for a stop to use the facilities at La Plaza park in the center of town. From there, Jerry took the lead taking me over to E. School Rd. and a pedestrian/bike tunnel under 101! I have lived here how long? And had no clue this even existed. The tunnel connects to W. School Rd which then ends up at W. Sierra. Very cool. From here it was back to Petaluma via Stony Pt, Mecham. Pepper, Center, Liberty, Skillman, Eucalyptus, Middle Two Rock, Eastman, and Chapman.

Sunny day. Cool spring temperatures. Wind, mercifully, much less than the day before. Total miles: about 40. My condition? Legs were tired at the end but overall, felt much better than I expected. Very nice :)

The Old Stand By Year-Rounder, Feb. 20, 2011

2011-02-20T21:40:00.000-08:00

There's Snow in Them Thar Hills

We call this the Old Stand By because it's the route we use when we can't think of anything better, which is often because it's such a nice course, we start and end from home, and it's so familiar we can just ride and not think about it. At 95 miles, it qualifies for the UMCA's Year Rounder Challenge. It's relatively flat for Marin-Sonoma at 5500 ft. of climbing, perfect for an early-season ride. Jim and I did this route in January. Today, it was Bruce's and my turn.

Our run of great weather ended this week with rain and cold. Fortunately, this morning broke clear. It was 34 degrees when I left the house, and the road had a glassy layer of frost. When I stood to accelerate from a stop sign, my rear wheel broke loose. I met Bruce at San Marin High, and we headed west. The sun quickly warmed the pavement, but frost remained wherever there was shade. We rode carefully.

Last Saturday, the downhill on Hicks Valley Road was very icy, so I expected even worse today. But some kind sole sanded the road. Wilson Hill was in the sun and we enjoyed the warmth. At the top, we were treated to the beautiful view you see in the picture above.

Don met us at Chileno Valley Road, and accompanied us to Valley Ford and on to the Tomales Bakery. From there, Bruce and I continued south on Highway 1, while Don headed back to his car. Thanks for the pulls, Don!

We've often commented that Highway 1 from Tomales to Point Reyes Station is the nicest road in Marin, one of the best rides anywhere. Today fortified that opinion. Crystal clean air, blue sky, sun sparkling on the water, green grass, smooth pavement, plus a slight tailwind - we took our time, and enjoyed it.

In Point Reyes, we made the usual stop at the Fire Station. As we sat in the sun and ate lunch, Bruce decided it was warm enough to shed the leg warmers and I followed his lead, removing my tights. Bad move. As we rode on to Olema, the sun hid behind some clouds and the temp. dropped. After the Olema hill, I couldn't stand it any more and had to put the tights back on. The cold didn't bother Bruce, though, and he continued sans leg warmers for the remainder of the ride.

At Nicasio, we stopped and ate the rest of our food. I was still hungry, so I went into the store to buy another Cliff bar or some peanuts. Then I saw them, in the bright yellow bag with the red lettering: Lays Classic Potato Chips. Nothing tastes better near the end of a ride. Just thin slices of potato cooked in oil with some salt. Perfect. Not kettle fried, baked, hand cut, skin on, organic - nothing comes close.

We went slow on Lucas Valley Road. We always say we will, but today we actually did it. Just the usual stop at La Coppa, and then we were home.

Camino Paradiso, February 6, 2011

2011-02-07T18:34:00.000-08:00

Bruce, Don, Mark, Linda &Jim

The club ride for Sunday, February 6, 2011 was the Paradise Loop. If you did this ride last year, you will recall that it was a clear, sunny day although perhaps a little cool. Well the weather gods took care of the "cool" factor by giving us a light but warm breeze out of the East for this year's ride. Linda, Jim, Bruce and Mark all met at Novato High School to ride the 55 mile loop while I opted to park at Northgate and do roughly 32 miles of the ride. I needed a bit more time to get organized in the morning (dog duty) and further needed to nurse a strained lower back. By starting at Northgate I got the opportunity to use the new tunnel between San Rafael and Larkspur. After meeting at Northgate we took off and very quickly stopped for the first of 2 flat tires. Mark picked up a staple which was very quickly removed, a new tube inserted, tire pumped, and off we went. (The second Flat belonged to Bruce at Lucas Valley Road. This appeared to be a faulty tube. - Mark) In addition to the tunnel, I got to use the new bike trail along the freeway adjacent to the new sound wall. A very neat transition down the Lincoln hill.

Once through San Rafael we picked up the bike route near Anderson and very quickly transitioned into the tunnel. Very cool. Before you know it you are in Larkspur behind the theaters. From there we transitioned over towards Nordstrom's and thereafter picked up Paradise Drive. It could not have been more aptly named. Skies were clear, the bay was blue, and the road was full of riders going to and from Tiburon. We very quickly picked up a pace line with Mark leading the charge. Mark, Bruce and I in front kept waiting for for Jim and Linda to come blowing by on the tandem. Jim and Linda on the other hand decided to simply enjoy the rolling cruise. In Tiburon we all loaded up on pastry and caffeine and enjoyed the scene. The City, Angel Island, the Bridge, the people all combine to create an impressionist painting. Mark said "it can't get any better than this" to which I said "I suppose it could be less windy" whereupon we both laughed. We took a photograph and decided to send it to our less fortunate friends in colder places around the country. It was truly an awesome day. At about this time Linda decided it was time to ride and off we went.

We decided to retrace our route. We were joined by several other bike riders in a pace line with Jim and Linda cruising at the rear. After several miles our two incidental companions decided to set the pace and I fell to the back of the singles just in front of Jim and Linda. I again had the feeling that it was only a matter of time before Jim put the hammer down. Fortunately when he did I was in the right gear, not trapped by the riders in front, and was able to hop on the rear wheel when Linda and Jim came by. And off they go! The hardest part trying to stick with Jim and Linda were the down hills into the curves. Their line is so different and with their greater momentum I figured the only way to stay with them was get off their wheel and use a shorter line through the curve in order to make up for the lower speed. After doing this a couple times I got the hang of it although it was still a struggle. Unfortunately Bruce and Mark got stuck behind our incidental companions when Jim and Linda made their move. At the bottom of the hill we were back together again and off to Northgate to drop me off. - Don

Lucas Valley, January 16, 2011

2011-01-16T20:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the fog burned off by 9 and it was a nice, sunny, mild day. Perfect for riding. Today? Dreary fog at the start, only a brief respite at Nicasio and then back into the soup up over Lucas Valley and back to Novato. At least it wasn't too cold so the ride was otherwise fine if not as nice as before. In Novato, I took up Don's offer to give me a lift back home as I had developed a slow leak and was just as happy not to deal with it or the extra mileage. This turned out to be a gift of sorts as I took advantage of the extra time 'bonus' Don had given me to fix the flat (piece of glass - grrr) and give my machine a bit of a clean up from all the wet-road gunk that had accumulated on it. And I needed all that extra time, too, as it ended up taking the rest of the afternoon to do it all. Thanks, Don!

Pedaluma Roundabout, Jan 9, 2011

2011-01-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

Too cold for too many pix - fingers didn't work :-(

Maybe not frozen, but foggy, chilly and damp enough to still be bone chilling. Why was I doing this? I even gave myself an out if it proved too much to take by not signing up so no one was expecting me. Well, I was too thick headed (frozen headed?) and kept on to the Cheese Factory. There I surprised Don, Jim and Mark as they were headed out. They didn't care for the conditions anymore than I did and were planning to mod the ride into a loop around Lucas Valley when I showed up. They kindly decided to head back to Petaluma (thank you!) over Wilson Hill (oops! Will I get up this?) and straight back on Chileno Valley rather than the advertised loop.

It was a struggle up Wilson Hill as I expected - indoor riding is not sufficient training - but I got to the top OK. Even got a couple of photos (needed coaching from the others about covering the lens with my gloved fingers - numbed brain and extremities didn't help. Took 5 minutes to close the %$#@! zipper pocket on my jacket!). The down grade was as evil as the climb. Maybe more so. I really went down slowly as I didn't want any more wind than necessary. Still ended up with numb face.

Once back at the outskirts of town, the 3 Novato Eskimos skipped a stop and cut directly over to D Street for their return to Novato and a warm up there. Yours truly just went home to melt (literally) in the shower.

Jim recorded the Novato trail on his GPS. He described it as "one of the strangest looking course maps" because of all the ins and outs. I think it was the due to the conditions. Jim's ride title said it all: "Cold and Bold". I was cold. The others? Definitely bold.

New Year's Eve - Marshall Loop

2010-12-31T17:56:00.000-08:00

Jim, Bruce, Linda, Mark, and Don.

One last ride for the year. Linda and Jim on their tandem, plus Bruce and me, Mark. We left bright and early, 8AM, from San Marin High School. It was cold - 34 degrees when I left the house - but the sun was shining and so the chances of it warming up looked good. Or so we thought.

Did I mention it was cold? The fields near the junction of Hick's Valley Road and the Marshall Road were covered in frost. We were on the lookout for black ice in those places in the valley that seem to never get sunshine. If there was any, we didn't see it. More importantly, our tires stayed firmly glued to the road.

Hwy 1 along Tomales Bay was slightly warmer. But then clouds started moving in. The high, wispy kind. Also, we were met by - SURPRISE - a head wind. Not a struggle-to-creep-forward headwind, but just enough to drive the cold air a little bit deeper into your bones. Still, is there a nicer stretch of road anywhere then Hwy 1 from Marshall to Point Reyes Station? Even on a cold and windy day, it's glorious.

We stopped at the Bovine Bakery for our usual coffee and nosh. No dallying though, we didn't want to get too cold. Plus we had a rendezvous to keep. Don promised to meet us at the turn to Nicasio at 11:15. And he was true to his word. By this time, a thick layer of clouds hung over us. There would be no more sun today.

We chugged on. At Ignacio, we made our usual load-up-with-caffeine-to-make-it-the-last-5-miles stop at La Coppa. For the first time all year, we opted for indoor seating. It was with great difficulty we left that nice warm coffee shop and got on our bikes.

We all appreciate living in a place we can ride all year-round. And I know those who ride in freezing weather in other parts of the country probably think we're wimps for complaining about temps in the 40s. All I know is I was glad to be home, and that nice hot shower never felt better.

Still, this was a wonderful ride, and a great way to cap off a terrific year of cycling. Happy New Year!

PS. The photo above is not from this ride, but one we did on Christmas Eve. But, it has the same crew and we did stop at La Coppa. This is what happens when our club photographer can't make it. Rawls, we missed you.

The Three Amigos Ride Again!

2010-12-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

Note: To complete the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association's Year-Rounder Challenge, riders must complete a century each month for a calendar year. The following is Jim's ride report from the December 14 UMCA Year-Rounder Challenge News.

The Three Amigos (VCM members Jim, Mark, and Bruce) finished their 12th Year-Rounder for 2010 in fine style. This was a half-rural, half-urban loop through the diversity and beauty of Marin County. After completing the first half in rural Marin, which included climbing the Marshall Wall, Coast Highway 1, and the beautiful wooded bike path through Samuel P. Taylor Park, we headed into the urban part of Marin going through the notable Northern California bicycle havens of Fairfax, San Anselmo, Kentfield, Larkspur and Mill Valley. From there we completed the well-known Paradise Loop around the Tiburon Penisula with its striking views of the San Francisco Bay. Then the highlight of the day - just last week was the grand opening of an old railroad tunnel that was rebuilt connecting Larkspur with San Rafael, so we were one of the first cyclists to enjoy this bicycle and pedestrian improvement (previous to this getting between these 2 towns required either taking the freeway in a car, or many more miles of traffic-choked routes by bicycle). The final highlight of the day was a toast to our YR completion at La Coppa in Novato, one of the best bicycle-friendly coffee houses to be found. It was a momentus day for the 3 of us, having met our YR goals and enjoying a year of great camaraderie riding them all together. Time to celebrate!

Sunday, November 28 - Don's BD Ride

2010-12-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

Well the scheduled club ride for November 28 was the Sleepy Hollow route. As luck would have it, November 28 was my 60th birthday and the night before there was a party to celebrate. At the party Bruce and I were foolish enough to commit to the ride and agreed to meet at 9 at the school and "decide" on the route. Sunday morning was clear, windy and COLD. I had 3 layers on top and my lead underwear on and I was cold. I stopped at the Dr's for a cuppa to warm me up, no luck. I got to the parking lot , no Bruce, so I sat in the car with the heater on full tilt boogie. In the distance I could see Bruce fighting a headwind, so my prayer was not answered. Upon arrival Bruce says, "good thing you were here, if not, I would have turned around and gone home". Well we decided that given the wind and the temp no heroics today and we would do a quick run to PRS and return.

Off we went with Bruce doing most of the work (because it seems I'm able to ride slower than he can). We started to warm up as we headed up Mr. Corda's hill (So. Novato Blvd) although that was brief as we then had to come down the hill. We stopped at the Cheese Factory figuring we could warm up in the bathroom which did work but now we are in the ride mode. So off to PRS. Strangely we saw no riders on the way out (imagine that) and soon we were down the hill into PRS. We went to the fire station first so as to beat the crowd (there was no one there) and decided to skip coffee and go back. As we passed the Bovine there were 2-3 riders huddled around a burning trash can but otherwise the street looked like the gunfight scene from High Noon.

At this point Bruce says, heck why don't we go back though Lucas Valley. Sure I say, thinking we can warm up going through the redwoods. Well on the way back we started seeing riders who had gotten a late start headed out. We stopped at the Rancho for a Cliff bar and a banana. By this time I was warm enough to take off the polarfleece vest and brave the redwood gauntlet. Not bad actually and soon we were blasting down Big Rock hill and down to 101. We stopped at La Coppa where it was pleasant, I put the vest back on, and enjoyed a birthday latte courtesy of Bruce. As we sat there a cloud came over and the wind picked up just in time for the last of the ride. Bruce suggested we go Center instead of Indian Valley to which I agreed and we finished up the ride. 48.5 miles. Thanks, Bruce

Cemetery Ride, October 31, 2010

2010-11-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

Rain threatened to be a mean trick at the start of the weekend but nicely ended in time to give us a treat for this Halloween special ride. The ride was not long in distance but the scenery was beautiful, the cemeteries visited fascinating and the light fantastic for photos.

Two bikes and three riders. Diane and Jess on their tandem and me on a single. For me, though, the ride almost didn't happen. I woke up with a headache and generally feeling punk to the point of debating whether to ride or not. Good for me things internal calmed down enough by the time I needed to leave and I made the trip. And as I rode along the super route Dinae and Jess had devised, I slowly perked up and ended feeling pretty good. Difficult to keep up with the tandem duo at the start but did fine at the finish. Nice way to end a ride.

Oh yes, the cemeteries:
1) Pleasant Hill Cemetery - C. M. Schultz grave and beautiful old section
2) Gilliam Cemetery - visited on a previous ride; lots of old head stones and remnants from the 1906 earthquake.
3) Green Valley Cemetery - ridden by many times and never even noticed this one; nicely laid out on a hill overlooking a vineyard; very peaceful place; more earthquake headstones, too.

At the end, we had the piece d' resistance - incredibly chocolaty Halloween cupcake treats with corn candy toppings. Yum, yum! Thanks Diane and Jess!!

Napa/Angwin Tour becomes the Anguish Tour, Sunday, October 17. 2010

2010-10-17T15:57:00.000-07:00

Your's truly was thinking of doing this ride. Then the feedback from the others that they were staying in the local area instead of driving over to Napa made me change that notion. Thought I was going to do a Tomales run - maybe add a few more miles out to Valley Ford, Bodega or something. But when I got up, it was raining! Definitely didn't expect this. Ditched any thought of going out. But...

The other hardy souls? They were not deterred! Here are their stories:

Linda, Jim and their 're-born-to-cycling' friend's adventure (hope this doesn't douse his rekindled interest!).

I was going to give this email a different Subject: "Is it okay to shoot the weatherman?"...but, decided to copy Mark's title and change the destination town instead :-P

Weather.com said 10% chance of rain, and WeatherUnderground.com said 30%. Nobody said 100%!!!

Our ride:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53376915

We were going to leave the house at "dawn's early light" of 7AM, but Linda announced "it's raining outside". So we shoved the tandem into the Caravan and went out to the school near the Cheese Factory. We had a few little sprinkles climbing over Wilson Hill, but when we got to the meeting place at the end of Chileno Valley Road and Wilson Hill Road, it looked like the weather might just be okay. Ironically, on the *other* end of Chileno Valley Road, where it "T's" with Tomales/Petaluma Road, it start raining *really* hard...not just a sprinkle, but a full fledged heavy rain. Not having enough sense to turn around and go back, it only rained harder as we made a fast dash for Tomales to get out of the rain at the bakery. But alas, we only had time for a Cliff Bar because our friend, who had stopped riding for 10 years and decided to join us today as a reborn cyclist, was approaching hypothermia from the relentless rain and 50 degree temps. Fortunately we pulled him all the way back to the beginning of Chileno Valley Road where his car offered him refuge from the bad weather.

But this is where the story gets interesting, and I managed a new "first" in my cycling career. Linda didn't want to continue on the tandem back over Wilson hill, and wanted me to go get the car, which was parked near the school at the Cheese Factory, while she waited on the other side of Wilson Hill. So I suggested *she* get in the car and go get the van, while I slowly pedal the tandem by myself to keep warm until she returned with the van. Well, you guessed it...I completely climbed Wilson Hill (the long way, going South) and even descended to Hicks Valley Road and was most of the way back to the School when Linda finally approached with the Caravan. So this was my first-ever *solo* ascent and descent of Wilson hill on the tandem without Linda, or anyone else for that matter. It actually wasn't that bad, as the clothes I wore (under layer of wool, wool socks and wool glove liners) kept my vulnerable extremities warm despite the soaking and the cold. I also give my Pearl Izumi jacket credit for keeping my core toasty, even though the jacket is listed, at best, as water repellent (it kept me quite comfortable despite being soaked with rain).

Like Mark said, that warm shower sure felt good when we got home. Since didn't have La Coppa on our route, we stopped at Peet's on the drive home down South Novato Blvd and the woman behind the counter must have felt sorry for me as she gave me a free double-expresso (I probably looked like a drowned rat at that point).

Hope everyone has a great week!

GO GIANTS!!!

Then there was the Bruce and Mark adventure. Their report is more terse :)

Here's the trip log:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53373107

A nice hot shower sure felt good. Felt like needles hitting my hands and feet. This is the kind of ride that builds character, or so I've heard. Funny how it got colder once we left La Coppa. Have a great week.

Great Handcar Regatta, September 26, 2010

2010-10-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

The Great Handcar Regatta this year was another fabulous fantastical event. So was the cycling! I came out from Petaluma and joined Diane and Jess for the ride from there place into Santa Rosa. That trip was very pleasant along the bike paths through Sebastopol ending at Rail Road Square. Bright, sunny and moderate temperatures.

At the event we passed our bikes to the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition who had free valet bicycle parking, Jess changed into his costume, we met up with Mary, saw Tim and his daughter for a brief moment and headed out into the crowd. It also started to bake just like last year. Very hot. And speaking of hot, lots of fantastic costumes from the end of the 19th century, amazing human powered mechanical creations racing on the rails and all sorts of wacky displays. A very retro, Jules Verne affair.

After a few hours of wandering around looking at the people, watching some races, taking closer look at some of the contraptions and wilting in the heat, we retrieved our bikes for the ride back. I discovered that my rear tire was soft but not flat so I took a chance that is was just a slow leak, pumped it back up and we were off. Made it back to Diane and Jess' without incident although it was scorching. The thermometer on my bike said 104°F. Hot enough for me to call it quits and take up Jess' offer for a ride back to Petaluma. Good thing, too, as my slow leak was really more than I thought and I would have likely ended up miles from home out in the hot sun fixing the thing if I had elected to ride back. Thanks, Jess!

Inverness Bakery, September 12, 2010

2010-09-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

Hover the mouse over the video while it is running and click the 'arrows' icon in the lower right for a full screen view. Press Esc to exit full screen.

This was a pleasant little ride out to the bakery in Inverness Park with a return over the hill at Olema. Mark suggested an early start (8 a.m.) and that brought out Jerry and Bruce to ride with him from Novato while I came out from Petaluma. My start was in the fog but by the time I was going up Red Hill it evaporated away thanks to the sun. Glorious sun! Our non-existent summer has finally made a late appearance now that fall is upon us. Some days have even been fairly warm but not today. It was warm without been too hot and there was even no wind. Perfect!

Our destination was the Busy Bee where good pastries and coffee awaited us. After the stop, our ride back was over Olema, Platform Bridge and the Nicasio grade before splitting to our respective routes back home. Very nice way to end the week.

Bloomfield BBQ August 29, 2010

2010-08-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

Hover the mouse over the video while it is running and click the 'arrows' icon in the lower right for a full screen view. Press Esc to exit full screen.

The schedule said go to the Delta but I went to Bloomfield instead with Diane and Jess. This was the weekend for the annual BBQ fundraiser for the Volunteer Fire Department. Good opportunity to test my leg to see how it was healing without being miles and miles away in case it didn't work so well.

My route was out Spring Hill, over to Pepper and then up Meecham to meet Diane and Jess on their tandem. We then rode over Walker to Bodega Hwy ending at the park in Bloomfield. Mary joined us there for the BBQ. Afterwards, I cycled back with Diane and Jess to their place where I had some more apple pie for dessert (didn't get enough last week :-). Then it was time to see if I could get back. Jess kindly offered to drive me back, but the leg seemed OK and with plenty of fuel from the BBQ and pie, I thought I would be OK. The route back to Petaluma I took was Bloomfield, Bodega, and Chileno Valley. In the end I had done some climbs and slogged through a bit of wind but the leg held up OK. Well placed stops and plenty of good food certainly helped, too!

Mamils and Cyclisk

2010-08-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Are you a mamil? Read on and find out (thanks, Eva!)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10965608

And next, the Cyclisk, the newest art in Santa Rosa:

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100826/ARTICLES/100829569/1350?Title=Spire-inspires-in-Santa-Rosa-

Apple Ride, August 15, 2010

2010-08-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hover the mouse over the video while it is running and click the 'arrows' icon in the lower right for a full screen view. Press Esc to exit full screen.

Great picnic and even some nice, warm weather for a change. I assume the ride was good - the route slip looked great and included a special sculpture garden destination. I wasn't able to join in thanks to a hurt leg but all the riders were smiling when they got in. After lunch - hamburgers and portobellos (great cooking Jess and Jim) plus a super potluck spread - the group went into the orchard to pick apples. Then it was grinding and pressing to make fabulous fresh apple juice. With our calories again depleted from the juicing work (well, some of us that is), Diane brought out the apple pies and ice cream. What a treat. As always, a great celebration of summer. Thanks Diane and Jess! And also, Eva for the videos!

Mountain goat video.

2010-07-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

Thought some of you might like this...

1910 Challenge movie.

Sonoma Coast from Occidental, July 18, 2010

2010-07-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

New - embeded slideshow. Hover the mouse over the video while it is running and click the 'arrows' icon in the lower right for a full screen view.

Another ride with adventure! This time I met Don, Jerry, Jim and Mark at the Union Hotel parking lot in Occidental for the ride to Highway 1 and a tour along the coast. The drive out was through a thick, cool fog but, as usual, Occidental was bright and sunny tempting us to leave our warm clothes behind for the start. Experienced as we all were, no one took the bait and, with winds predicted to be coming from the south we again choose to head down to Freestone and, eventually, North, up the coast as we had the last time here.

The first part of the ride was fairly typical. Once down the hill and past Freestone, Don, Jim and Mark set a hot pace and quickly dropped Jerry and me. We reconnected at the turn onto Bay Hill where they stopped to let us catch back up. Then they repeated the act up the hill. Sort of cat and mouse - we, the mice and them the cats. Meow!

The cats waited for the mice 'autobus' at the intersection with Hwy 1 and then we turned North for a foggy ride to Jenner. I was pleasantly surprised to find my legs, instead of being like dead logs from the slog up Bay Hill, felt OK and so I made an attempt to keep in contact the the mighty trio as they blasted up the highway. It was working, too, until suddenly my chain started to jump and skip on the gears. What the heck? I had no idea what was going on so I dialed it back and watched the rest ride off into the murk. (How ironic that I should somehow anticipate Schleck's troubles and the rest 'Contador' me!)

Hwy 1 is not a great place to stop, so I limped along until the turn onto River Road at Jenner to investigate what was going on with the help of Jerry. It looked like maybe my front derailleur was out of adjustment, so I managed to make a minor adjustment with a key that seemed to help. (No doubt about it, I've got to start carrying some tools.)

Repaired enough to continue, Jerry and I caught up with the other three at the coffee shop in Duncans Mill. After a bit of coffee and pastry, we took a minute to fiddle with my bike some more - Mark had a handy multi-purpose tool - and got ready to go again. I then made one last push on the rear shifter when kerpop! Oh shift! Believe or not, the cable broke! Worse, it broke at the shifter. Evidently, that was probably the problem all along. But now what?? There was no way I was going anywhere as the derailleur shifts to high by default. After a few moments of trying to figure out what to do, genius Jim pulled out a zip tie and secured the derailleur into a suitable low gear that I could now push. The front still worked so I now had a two-speed and could get back. Whew!

With some good-natured ribbing (this is a good way to get him to spin; want to slow the others down? Break a cable!) and Jim acting the 'directeur sportif' coaching me along, we made it back OK. Mark even gave me a commemorative water bottle to make up for the one I lost last week. Me? I was most grateful for bail out. Thanks, guys!

Post script: when I took the bike to a shop after I got home, it was not a simple repair to replace the cable. The shop thinks the shifter is broken. I am not so sure - it may just have cable pieces stuck in it - so I am going to get together with Jess and see if we can maybe fix it. Or maybe I'll just put the zip tie back on and make it a fixie :-)

P.P.S. The shifter is fixed! Ace mechanic Jess helped me dismantle the shifter to see if we could fix it. Once apart, we found the about 1/2 inch of frayed cable including the end piece stuck inside the housing. Removing that, cleaning up everything and then reassembling (that was a trick, but after a few false starts including dealing with a fraying brake cable - when it rains... - we got it), the shifter worked great. Later that day I made a final fix to the brake cable, did some minor derailleur adjustments and the bike worked as good as new. Maybe even better :-). (I added some repair photos to the slide show.)

European Bicycle Tour

2010-07-16T11:24:00.001-07:00

Eva and Ken sent a note about a fabulous 3 week bike tour they took in Europe. Looks like they enjoyed lots of good food, as well - I got hungry just looking at the pictures :) We'll have to get all the details at the picnic in August. In the meantime, you can enjoy their equally great photos (click the slideshow tab to see all the pix one after the other):

Eva and Ken Photos

Tour d' Lucy's and Enmanji Teriyaki, July 11, 2010

2010-07-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

Flower Garden Lucy and the gang.

Instead of the usual ride around the Sebastopol country side followed by a big feed at the Enmanji temple, Jess worked up a tour of the new Peanuts Lucy statues in Santa Rosa with lots of photo ops before ending up at the feed. And what a great ride it turned out to be. Considering the 'adventure' I ended up with, Mark had a good name for it, too: "Lucy Goosie" :-)

I started early from Petaluma in a blanket of cool fog, got to Diane and Jess' place a bit early so did some extra wandering out Pleasant Hill, Water Trough and up a short section of Burnside to the top of the first hill. Nice views, even in the fog. And by then it was time to head back for the 'official' start. When I arrived, Jim and Mark were already there having ridden all the way from Novato. They were going to end up with a long ride today! All together we set out for Santa Rosa and the Lucys.

The route out introduced Jim and Mark to the Joe Rodota trail that parallels Hwy 12 into Santa Rosa. Our exit point was at the Hyatt just across from Railroad Square. There we found our first Lucy, "Flower Garden Lucy". After some photos, we headed over to RR square where there was "I Love Santa Rosa This Much Lucy" and "Sonoma County Tourist Lucy" along with "Conductor Snoopy". And, being this is VCM, we made a stop for coffee and pastries there, too!

By the time we were done with the goodies, the sun was coming out and we headed for the our next stop, "Impressionist Lucy". Along the way we took a short detour to check out the Zap Alias, an all electric sports car and then made our official stop. Close by was "Lucy, Blucy, Blue C, Blue See, Blue Sea Lucy" (who, unfortunately, had some damage to her hair) and "Back to the Garden Woodstock". We then headed away from downtown and found "Tooth Fairy Lucy" tucked away in a dental group's building courtyard. Very cute.

This stop is also where I managed to get dropped (!!!) by everyone else. Slow on the get-go when everyone else left (I stripped off my arm and leg warmers and was packing them up when the gang left), I emerged from the courtyard with no clue where the peleton had gone. They had disappeared from view! OK, now what? I circled around a few streets. Jim circled around a few streets. Mark called me. I called Mark (after calling the wrong number 1st - his home rather than his cell - Sorry Mary!). Neither heard each other except as voice messages.

While I was lost, I did find another Lucy ("Candy Striper Lucy") and "Charlie in Disguise with Glasses" (at an optician's place - cute). Then I figured I could reconnect at the Enmanji temple, so I retraced the route back to RR square and tried one last time to call Mark. Success! And just in time as Jim and he were going to split off from Diane and Jess for their ride back to Novato (they were skipping the teriyaki feed). So, Diane and Jess doubled back as I pressed on towards them and we eventually met on the trail for our sojourn to the temple.

Ironically, as we turned onto Petaluma Rd. in Sebastopol, who should we see but Jim and Mark stopped at a cafe for some lunch before their trek back. So we stopped for a brief chat and laugh at my adventure before continuing on our way.

The stop at the Enmanji Temple was quite welcome. And although we got there a little earlier than planned so that the lines were still long, we got to see some of the acts (drummers and dancers). The food was great, too. A a lot of it! Almost (but only almost) too much to eat. Teriyaki BBQ chicken, rice, veggies, salad, fortune cookie. Yum!

Once done, we headed back up Bloomfield for our return. It was at this point that I discovered one of my water bottles had gone missing. Did someone take it from the bike as it was parked there? Nah, who would want it? I think I may have left it on the table where Jim and Mark stopped - there is photographic evidence that it was there. What a ride. Loose my way and my bottle. Glad, I had a second bottle for the ride home.

And speaking of the ride home, the lunch clearly did some good. This was the most comfortable ride up Bloomfield after a long stop ever (calories are good!). It was a little drag going up the grade toward the town of Bloomfield since it was into a stiff, cool wind. But once the turn was made onto the Valley Ford Rd, it was a glorious tailwind and the sun warmed things up very nicely all the way back to Petaluma. Good route, great sights, good food, great ride!

Below are links to the routes captured by Jim and Mark's GPSs (96 miles and almost 5000 ft! Well done, gentlemen!).

Jim's: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40117579

Mark's: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40093083

Photos (opens in a new window)

Inverness Park, June 20, 2010

2010-06-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

Our objective.

Saturday gave us threats of excessive wind and too cool temperatures but this day turned out quite nice (a Daddy's day present :-) I joined Jerry at Walnut Park for an 8:30 start. After a little photo fiddling, we set out for the Cheese Factory. Although nothing like the day before, it was still a little on the cool side with a light wind but the sun was brightly shining and we soon were nicely warmed up as we cycled over Red Hill.

At the Cheese Factory, we joined forces with Don and then headed out to our destination, Inverness Park and the Busy Bee bakery. As we started, a couple zipped by us but Don held up our honor, gave chase and reeled both in. They split off toward Nicasio and with the "rabbits" now gone, our pace dropped back a bit as we cruised on past the reservoir and on to Inverness Park.

The stop at the Busy Bee was very pleasant - warm, sunny, a little coffee and some great pastry. (You can check out the sticky bun I had in one of the photos. Yum!) From there it we headed for the climb from Oleama. Don was in fine form this day and quickly motored away from Jerry and me. We reunited on Platform Bridge and then repeated the process going up the hill to the Cheese Factory from the reservoir. Last weeks ride up Veeder obviously had a good training effect on Don!

After saying good-bye to Don at the Cheese Factory, Jerry and I made the last leg into Petaluma a laid-back easy ride adding an extra jog onto San Antonio and I Street before ending up back at Walnut Park.

The ride back was especially nice as the wind had come back up but was behind us all the way. Great way to finish!

Photos (opens in a new window)

Mt. Veeder, June 13, 2010

2010-06-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here we are, ready for some warm sun :-)

This ride was supposed to be a ramble across the GG bridge for some clam chowder and then some hill climbing in the Marin Headlands. With all the construction at the bridge and closed roads where we were supposed to ride, Don and I decided to reprise the Mt. Veeder ride that didn't happen in April.

Surprise, surprise! After all the drawn out winter-like weather, summer arrived this weekend. Like instant summer. The week previous was 60ish temperatures and then, bang!, on Saturday was into the 90's. And very windy, too. What a shock.To try and beat both the heat and the wind, we started about an hour earlier than usual (once Don figured out where the school was again :-). And it worked more or less (at least with regard to the heat).

The trip along the creek was very pleasant. The climb up Veeder was, well, let's just say I was challenged. Don kindly waited for me to come wheezing up, stop for a moment to catch my breath back and sweat an ocean at the top. As we were about to leave, another group of riders came up from the other direction. Their lead guy looked like a mirror image of me (in terms of sweat and heavy breathing). Guess I was not the only one challenged. To our collective chagrin, however, was the lady riding just behind these guys who spun on by over the summit, cool as could be. No sweat. Nice Sunday ride, eh what? Sheesh!

Anyway. We headed on down the back side but hadn't gone far when the rough road turned on Don and gave him a 'snakebite' flat. Bummer. Last time out with us, he had a flat. I think he hopes these are 'out of the system' now.

We rode into Yountville via the usual Yount Mill Road route (but new for Don!), got some superb pastry at Buchon (why we ride :-) and then finished up on the flats back to Napa. Should have been an easy run. Our plan with regards to the heat had worked OK (it helped that this day was cooler anyway) but with regards to the wind, not so well. We had an unusual, stiff headwind all the way back. Not part of the plan! Still, it was sunny and warm. A nice change from all the prior cold weather.

Photos (opens in a new window)

Two Rock Two Step, May 16, 2010

2010-06-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

Cool or not, ready to start!

Another overcast, cool day for Jerry, Mark and me. It's the middle of May and we were wondering if summer is really coming. Indeed, the only 'bright' spot this day was the bakery: good pastry and something warm to drink. On the return, Mark was still too chilled to hang back and cranked up his pace to generate some much needed BTUs. Yours truly couldn't hang on. In fact, I was really sore and tired from riding the previous days. Felt like I hadn't been on the bike for months. Jerry kindly kept me company on the slow trek back. Said it was because she preferred not to ride alone, but I think she was kind of keeping an eye on me just in case. As it turned out, there was a reason for the sore body - a week later I was nursing a cold. Bleah. Maybe with the recovery, the weather will improve, too.

Photos (opens in a new window)

Tomales Yet Again (Love that Bakery!), April 25, 2010

2010-05-03T23:30:00.000-07:00

John and Don ready to ride

Well the scheduled club ride was in the eastbay today but the weather was so fine here nobody could bring themselves to leave. Well except Mark, Bruce and Jim who decided they needed to do the Wildflower in Chico. So Rawls and I opted for the Mildflower with pastry, of course, and we rode to Tomales and back. My friend and fellow pilot John texted me last night to see if I was up for a ride and since he lives (part time) in Petaluma I invited him along. We all met at the park and off we went. Let me say that the conditions were without fault. Temp, wind, humidity.....all perfect. Only if the Sonoma county roads were up to par. Springhill was rougher than it was last month if that is possible ( I have decided to buy a carbon plush bike after today's ride), but the poppies, and the yellow flowers(name?) were outrageous. The birds were singing, even the farmers were happy. Amazing what a little sunshine and warmth will do after all the rain.

After a quick 20 miles we arrived in Tomales. Just in time too, because just after we sat down with our coffee and pastry here comes Linda G and her retinue. After a very agreeable discussion of the issues of the day (almond croissants vs lemon bars: the perfect meal), we saddled up. As we were leaving one of the members of Linda's posse were heard to say; "its all about what Linda wants......" Off we went, back via Chileno Valley.

What a great day. Perfect friends and great weather, now if I could only round up a peloton.

Thanks again Rawls, Don

Photos (opens in a new window)

Other rides not written up.

2010-05-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

These rides are long past so no write ups. But here are some photos.

Lovall Valley, February 28, 2010

Candy Is Dandy, March 14, 2010

Emanji, March 21, 2010 (you might also find NPR's Retracing the Path of the 1906 Earthquake interesting)

Tomales Loop

2010-03-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

Route:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28296349

Riders:
Rawls: Specialized
Mark: Land Shark
Don: Tesch
Linda and Jim: Santana
Bruce ,the Iron Man of ILM: In spirit only, unfortunately.

Conditions:
Cool and overcast at the start. Foggy on the west side of Spring Hill. Warm and sunny after Tomales.

Mishaps:
Mark dropped his chain and managed to get it wedged between the small cog and the dropout. Rawls lent a hand to get it loose. The tandem developed a ping in the front wheel on Chileno Valley Road. It's a mystery.

Refreshments:
Coffee and pastry at the Tomales Bakery - of course! Post ride - fish tacos.

Photos (opens in a new window)

Petaluma - Pengrove Loop

2010-03-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

Tim, Rawls, Don and Mark
Started out from Walnut Park
Mark said "take it easy today
Yesterday we did 200K"

Couldn't decide what route to take
Someone lead, for heaven's sake!
Talk of cameras, bikes, just yammering
No one interested in hammering

Coffee and pastry would sure taste good
Rawls knew where, it's his neighborhood
Now back home, time for a nap
If you want more info, here's a map

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Davis 200K Brevet

2010-03-06T10:20:00.000-08:00

MARCH 6 2010 DAVIS CA

MARK AND JIM COMPLETE DAVIS TWO HUNDRED K STOP BRUCE NOT HERE BECAUSE HE CANT STOP WORKING STOP PICTURE AT HUNDRED MILE STOP NEED DRUGS TO MAKE PAIN STOP HERES A MAP STOP

Inverness Park, February 14, 2010

2010-02-14T16:39:00.000-08:00

We went to Inverness Park despite what it says. Good, too :-)

Inverness Park and the bakery was a nice destination for V day, but was it ever foggy at the start. I rode out from Petaluma in a thick soup. It was warm enough that the roads were not too wet, but I had to continually wipe my glasses all the way out to Nicasio so I could see where I was going. Made for a rather slow descent to the reservoir and the planned rendezvous with Don.

After we were teamed up the fog began to lift and by the time we got to the Busy Bee in Inverness Park it was nicely sunny. (Must have been Don :-). At the bakery we had a warm cup of joe and some delicious sticky bun (thanks for the treat, Don!) and then headed back over Sir Francis Drake out of Olema.

I kind of hoped the calories from the stop would have helped propel me up the grade a bit but today I seemed stuck in idle mode. Well, that is until I got to the bottom of the hill and turned off onto Platform Bridge. Don was patiently waiting but I just motored by thinking he would reel me in right away. Maybe it was the 'target' ahead of me or the sticky buns, but it took most of this road segment before he caught back up.

He made a comment about breaking away, but the truth was, that was all that was left in the tank, pastries not withstanding. We cruised back to where he parked at the reservoir no problem (it was flat), said our goodbyes and then I headed out to face the couple of climbs that remained before I made it home. (Don had kindly offered to ferry me back part way, but I was too thick to take him up on it. Oh well. No pain no gain, I guess.) Made it back OK but I sure hope the effort results in some better stamina next time. We'll see. Otherwise, Don, I'm tying a rope around you!

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Paradise Loop, February 7, 2010

2010-02-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

Are you a gearhead? Well, are you punk!?

Yours truly arrived early (don't count on it in the future, guys), then Mark and then Bruce. Linda was supposed to come too, but by a quarter after we decided it was best to get started as Don was supposed to meet us at the Nordstrom shopping center. Well, we hadn't gone very far when who should come screaming down a side street yelling at us to wait up but Linda. She had mixed up the HS we were starting from and made a mad sprint to catch us. Pant, pant.

After all the rain and gloomy cold, the day itself turned out very nice. So much so, everyone quickly discovered they were way over dressed. This occasioned a 'pit' stop at Mike's Bikes where we all shed the excess layers. Yours truly amused everyone with my struggles to stuff my windbreaker into it's pocket.

Once that was sorted, we continued on to our next adventure - getting criss-crossed on the route. In the midst of another group of cyclists, I made the 'normal' turn with the strangers on Irwin to go over to Sir Francis Drake on the west side of the freeway while the rest of the bunch headed straight to go over by San Quentin. No worries. We reconnected at Larkspur landing as if we had planned it.

Next stop was the shopping center where we found Don's car but no Don. We continued on to Tiburon and, as it turned out, connected with Don at the bakery there. He didn't think it possible that we could take so long to get to where he was starting and, assuming he was late, took of on his own to catch us!

All together again, we got a bite to eat and cycled back. The day had really turned gorgeous. Bright and sunny with pretty puffy clouds in the sky - beautiful views along Paradise and even a light wind at our backs.

Don and Linda finished their riding at the shopping center and said goodbye to us while we took another short break to drop in on Monica and say hello before resuming our riding. Not yet done with stops, we made yet one more at La Coppa Coffee for a final jolt of joe. Mark sez this a new tradition! The extra kick was just the ticket for me to finish up.

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Laguna School, January 3, 2010

2010-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

At Laguna School - cold, foggy and wet!

The new year is here and although the weather dude promised sun and some warmth, Petaluma and vicinity didn't get the message. It was really foggy - wet and cold. But that didn't stop the Marin contingent of Bruce, Jim and Mark. They were lured out by nice sun at Lincoln school only to find pea soup after the climb over Wilson hill. Your's truly, starting in Petaluma, knew right away what it was like out. Fool!

Well, I am glad I did it anyway. It was nice to see everyone again. Especially since both Jim and Mark were recovered from nasty colds. (But sorry to hear that Linda tweaked her back and couldn't come out. Hope you recover quickly. Linda!) There were also enough times the sun peeked out to keep the chill at bay and we made a 'pit' stop at the Tea Shop in Petaluma for some hot drinks and a bit of food. Yum!

I then got everyone back on D Street so they could return to Lincoln school. before bidding them all adieu and heading back home for a nice warm shower :-)

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Two Rock Two Step (modified) - Dec. 20, 2009

2009-12-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

Let's get this 2 step going. We're cold!

It was a cold and foggy morning. (This is equivalent to "It was a dark and stormy night" in bad mystery novels.) Rain loomed. Jim had a sore throat, so he and Linda stayed home. Bruce and I showed up at Walnut Park. Rawls too.

We went out Chileno Valley Road. Felt good. Wind at our backs. Bogies ahead. We passed em all, except for one young gun. The last part of CVR is great. Mostly downhill. With a tailwind, you can really let out some shaft. Got to the end of CVR, and no Rawls. He turned back to make his appointment with a Christmas brunch.

Bruce and I decided to follow our cravings, instead of the plan, and go to the Tomales bakery. Love those almond croissants. Then Highway 1 to Fallon-Two Rock, Alexander, and back up Chileno Valley. The wind in our faces this time. The legs felt tight, like they might cramp. Bruce was in better shape, but was content to show restraint. We spun low gears. No rain! Even saw some sunshine.

Tour of Novato - Sunday, December 6, 2009

2009-12-14T21:19:00.000-08:00

Don stretches out at Dr. I's.

Would it be damp and freezing like last year? Would rain come and soak us on the ride? ... Neither! Well, it was a bit chilly to start but Don and I were prepared with multiple layers and a sunny disposition :-). And, surprise, surprise! The early morning clouds gave way to clear skies and brilliant sunshine.

Since there just two of us and in keeping with this year's tradition of tossing out the planned ride route, Don led me on a modified tour of Novato that featured in some short, steep roads (School and Crest), some fabulous repaved road (Olive) and, the piece d'resistance, Dr. Insomnia's for coffee and pastry.

The ride ended up being quite short, just under 20 miles, but that was good, too. You see, by the time we got back to San Marin the sun was gone, replaced by ominous looking clouds. I got home just in time to unload and put away the gear before a big cloud burst soaked everything. Nice to have been home when that came through!

Only two photos this time (opens in a new window)

Mt Veeder Oakville - November 15, 2009

2009-11-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

Vineyards on Mt. Veeder

Yet another beautiful fall ride! But this one now brings us into the cold weather :-( It was quite chilly at the start and while it never really got very warm, it was in the sun and the finish was pleasant enough. Besides, there was a bakery to go to! On the ride with me this day were Bruce and Mark.

One very unusual occurrence was my arrival: I was way early. Like waiting-for-the-others-to-show-up early. That never happens! And while I was waiting, another very unusual thing happened: a balloon descended overhead (literally) and landed in the backyard of someone's home behind the school! Wonder if they got a free ride out of it?

After that was done, we headed out for Veeder all bundled up. There the climbing got us all toasty as Bruce flew up with Mark in hot pursuit while yours truly was just happy to survive. And get warm again. As usual, I had no sense of where I was on this particular grade - there always seems to be one more steep pitch up when I think it is done.

After having CPR to get me going again (just kidding), we descended back down into some really chilly areas again. Good thing this part was not very long and we were quickly climbing up the backside of Oakville and to some warmth. From there another visit to the Bouchon in Yountville (some went there just last week :-) was the bait that kept us going. Then, after the pastry and warm drinks, we returned to our start to complete another nice ride.

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Napa / Angwin - November 1, 2009

2009-11-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

Bruce at the Pope Valley Market.

This day we met at the park in Yountville for a trek up into the beautiful Pope Valley. My riders 'in crime' were the usual gang of desperados: Bruce, Don and Mark. Actually, I was the real desperado. Desperate because of the climbs, especially the Ink Grade into Angwin. I really did not want to be too much of a drag on the others, particularly since there was the bakery waiting at the end of the ride!

As it turned out, I don't think I held them back too much. I was even a 'rabbit' for awhile when I passed them while they were taking a bio break. And we were all together for a food/drink break at the Pope Valley Market. There Don discovered a Chevy Cameo pickup parked at the intersection of Howell Mt. Road and gave me a little history of it and the subsequent 'spinoffs' like the El Camino.

After the stop it was up the Ink Grade and then the very fast downhill on Howell Mt. Road (nicely paved!) to the Silverado trail for our return to Yountville. Needing to get back home, I skipped the bakery stop the others took. Besides, I knew next week there was another chance :-)

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Lucas Valley - October 25, 2009

2009-11-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

The gang at the start.

OK, how's about doing an actual club ride? This day I joined the Linda and Jim tandem duo as well as Bruce, Don, and Mark for a beautiful fall Lucas Valley ride. I rode out from Petaluma and met the rest of the crowd from Novato at the Cheese Factory. As usual, the ride went down to Nicasio, up Lucas Valley and then back down for a stop at LaCoppa Coffee in Novato. Delicious! My next stop was at San Marin HS with Don (everyone else had already turned off to head home in town), were we chatted for a few minutes before I made my final leg back to Petaluma. Nice ride.

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The Great Handcar Regatta - September 27, 2009

2009-11-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

Diane and Jess ride a bicycle built for two at the Great Handcar Regatta

Yet another 'scheduled' ride not done - This time the Petaluma Out and Back. Well, the 'replacement' needs to go onto the permanent list: The Great Handcar Regatta (a.k.a., The Great West End and Railroad Square Handcar Regatta & Exposition of Mechanical and Artistic Wonders) held in Santa Rosa.

Starting from Diane and Jess' place we cycled the bike paths into Santa Rosa (you can all the way there now. Very cool!) There we could put our bikes in a secure area kindly provided by the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition (free!) and then wander around the festivities. And what a show it was. As Jess' says, you feel like you have stepped back in time to the end of the 19th century. Jules Verne times. It was truly amazing to discover this sub-culture.

We saw all sorts of booths with period clothes and crafts, various food vendors and, of course, incredible human powered contraptions on display and raced that day. While there we also ran into Tim as well as Frank (but we lost contact in the crowds and I never saw Jerry).

After a few hours - enough to catch a few 'heats' - we headed back to our start. And speaking of heats, this day was triple digit hot. The ride back was like being in an oven. It was very nice to finish and enjoy a cool drink with Diane and Jess. But next year... we'll have to be in costume :-) Jess already has a hat! In the meantime, check out the photos.

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Marshall Loop - September 20, 2009

2009-11-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

A new stop: The Cowgirl Creamery

Eva and Ken enjoyed our Northbay riding so much they crossed the bay again for this ride the following week! This time they were eager to go over the notorious 'wall' they had heard so much about. Considering all the challenges in their neighborhood (e.g., Grizzly Peak, Pinehurst, the 'bears'), I am not so sure how this measured up, but our efforts had great rewards - goodies in Pt. Reyes Station. Also joining us was Jerry from SF and I got to show off my new 'bones' - just in time for Halloween.

Speaking of Pt Reyes Station, when we arrived, the Bovine was overrun with other cyclists enjoying the great fall weather, so we changed plans and went to the Cowgirl Creamery instead. Turned out quite nice with a shady picnic table to sit at rather than the usual sidewalk seats at the bakery.

Fueled and re-watered, we headed back up the hills to Petaluma. Many miles the previous weekend and then some pretty good climbs this day - well, let's just say Eva was happy to be done. Me, too. But it was fun!

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Go Eva and Ken - September 13, 2009

2009-11-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

Eva and Ken.

Instead of doing the Inverness Loop ride this day, I went out to Bloomfield to join Diane and Jess in cheering Eva and Ken on their 2nd day of the Wine to Waves MS ride. Jess had the Flight of the Valkyries blasting from a boom box and a huge sign encouraging them on. And when they arrived they were all smiles. We chatted a bit and then rode with them a short way to their 'lunch' stop (9 a.m.?) in Sebastopol. There, we split off and headed out to Windsor to get a bite at the coffee shop and take in the art fair going on. Saw some really cool owls the Bird Rescue Center had on display. From there it was back to Sebastopol where Jess went to work taking down his TV antenna to get ready for a new roof coming the next day.

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Bloomfield BBQ - August 30, 2009

2009-08-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

Tandem duo at the Bloomfield BBQ.

Another day where the weather drove the ride choice - and threw the scheduled ride away. The day before it was really hot (triple digits!). It had been hot and humid the day before, too (shades of back East). Mark and Co had done 60+ miles in the heat with blast furnace winds at the end on Saturday and were in no mood to repeat. He and Don were just going to do a short, early ride around Marin instead of the scheduled ride in the Delta where a repeat of the heat and wind would have been brutal.

Yours truly agreed. But in terms of distance ridden, I end up doing the opposite which turned out to work well for me. On the hot day, I also left early to beat the heat but kept the ride short and got back before the heat took off. So what do you think happened this day? Yep, the fog came roaring back in and it was cold again. What a difference a day makes around here.

My ride plan was to join Jess and Diane and end up at the annual Volunteer Fire Dept. BBQ in Bloomfield. So, 'woollied' up, I rode what I thought was the reverse route that Jess and Diane were planning on their tandem, the idea being we would find each other and ride to Bloomfield together. The route I took went out Spring Hill, Pepper, Meecham, Roblar, Patterson, Blank and Hwy 116. (Don't recommend Hwy 116 into Sebastopol - too may cars!) Turns out, the tandem took Lone Pine to bypass a bunch of 116 so I never saw them. Instead I cycled up Bloomfield Rd. to their house and then reversed course deciding to take some back roads I've never done (and, hopefully, not get competely lost.)

My trek to the BBQ turned out to almost match the tandem route: Schaffer, Cunningham, Lone Pine (a very nice little road, by the way), Hessel Rd, Blank, Patterson, Roblar, Meecham, Pepper. I did take a 'short cut' over Walker before reconnecting to the Valley Ford road to get to Bloomfield. (Jess and Diane also took a 'hill' route - they went over Carmody which is impressive on a tandem!)

I arrived in Bloomfield right at noon when the event was to start - amazing timing for me. There the three of us had a very nice, leisurely lunch in the sun (!) before our ride back. I rode with them up Roblar to Canfield but, since I had already done Roblar in the direction they were going twice, I elected to turn around (even with the wind) and go back to Valley Ford Rd. for my return. Thought it would be sunny.

Dumb thinking on my part. Cycling to Two Rock put me back into the thick of the fog. It wasn't until a few miles outside of Petaluma before there was sun again and that was the only time I pulled my arm warmers down. The rest of the day I had been completely covered up. Waste of sunscreen, if you ask me. But still a good ride. 100K for the day!

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Bakery Ride, August 23, 2009

2009-08-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

Our destination.

Another ride where we threw the schedule out the figurative window. Nobody was up for a trip down to SF given the weather - gloomy and cool again. So, it was out to Tomales for some pasteries - warm drink and a bit to eat with it in Tomales was going to be most welcome. But a little road kill along the way with turkeys instead of turkey vultures feasting away was an ill omen for later in the ride.

On the way out, Don was on fire. I thought he would just disapper from us. Unfortunately, some sort of lower GI bug attacked and took the wind out of his sails. Not good as he skipped eating at the bakery. With no food on board he bonked. The only positive to come from this was, slow poke that I am, I had someone to ride back with.

And to comiserate with. You see, it was on the Chileno stretch that yours truly decided to practice juggling-the-camera. Bad move. I dropped it. Made more road kill. Sob. Such a nice point-n-shoot, too. Sigh. At least the photos I took up to that point survived.

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Apple Ride, August 16, 2009

2009-08-31T10:05:00.000-07:00

Apple ride 2009 - certified organic :-)

'Summer' has been so cool this year we moved this event back in the hopes a few more apples would ripen up so we could make juice and have pies. The crop was pretty small but enough was ready.

The weather turned out OK, too - sunny and eventually it warmed up. The ride to Kozlowski's was good as usual. We even had new 'sights' to see this year - a minature cable car display and more animals in the wooden menagerie on Barlow Road (made up for that bumpy strech of pavement). Besides our crowd, there were lots of other cyclists out with us thanks to the 'Tour de Organic' happening this day. And, of course, the food at the picnic was suberb. Great bar-b-que (burgers, and portabello mushrooms), fabulous apple pie and ice cream, enough apples (plus great pears this year) to make juice for all. A perfect end to the summer.

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Eva's photos (opens in a new window)

Pt Reyes, August 9, 2009

2009-08-31T09:53:00.001-07:00

Nice was this ride's theme. This contented crew agrees.

Ride schedule? Pshaw! Who needs one. We just make up our own as we go. The advertised ride this day had no food! Can't let that happen. Mark said, "To Inverness Park and the Busy Bee!" And so we did. Weather was nice. The trip was nice. The food was nice. Even the climbs up Olema, Nicasio and back to our starting destinations were nice. Very nice :-)

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Occidental - Bodega Loop, July 19, 2009

2009-08-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

Start with the finish. We had a nice ride.

Don't know what happened to June and the first part of July. Everyone doing something else it seems. Whatever the reason, we got it back together for this ride - just the June 'bug' carried on in the recording department...

Anyway, it was a 'typical' summer day toward the coast: cool and lots of fog in the area - except Occidental. The sun was out. It felt warm. We we NOT fooled. We kept bundled up knowing what was likely in store once away. And Mark noted that the weather man claimed there would be light winds so we took the bait and did the ride clockwise - north up Hwy 1.

After a few pre-ride goodies at the Union Hotel cafe and a bit of bike repair (dropped chain on the tandem), we were off. Sure enough, the temperature plunged like we did heading for Freestone. But the weather man got it right: almost no wind :-). It made for a nice ride to the 'bird' town of Bodega, but once through, I got dropped as the hills started (so what else is new?). Left to my own devices, I was off in outer space as I cycled right past everyone waiting and yelling at me at the Bay Hill turn off. Totally oblivious, I didn't see or hear a thing although somehow I came to my senses before going too far and realized I was not where I was supposed to be. A U-turn plus retracing my steps let me sheepishly re-joined the group.

Well, not for so long. One again, I rode 'backwards' as everyone else rode up and disappeared over the ridge. Oh well. I took a few moments to stop, take in the views and get a few snapshots, something I rarely do when huffing and puffing up a hill. Everyone else probably wondered if I had expired as I found them waiting again, this time in the cold fog at the bottom. Oops. Sorry guys!

The fog, with bits of sun here and there, stayed with us all the way to River Road. But still no wind! Then once we turned east, the fog went away and sun stayed for good. We made another coffee stop at Duncan's Mill amidst a cacophony of loud booming. Dyamite blasting at a quarry? Prehistoric monsters stomping cyclists up the road? No, just cannons being fired for the Civil War Days celebrations happening in the area. Impressively loud. Must have been something to see in person.

Our final leg back to Occidental up the Bohemian Highway left the boomers behind. There, Mark, Don and I said our good-byes to Linda and Jim who headed home while we went to Mexico Lindo in Graton for a nice lunch in the patio out back. In retrospect, this was a muy delicioso ride!

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Two Rock Two Step; Sunday, May 17, 2009

2009-05-23T13:25:00.001-07:00

Ready to roll (once Jim gets his helmet on!)

This day promised to be hot so we (Jerry, Jim and I) agreed to start at 8 instead of our usual 9. Besides beating the heat, the early start was extra nice with beautiful light, no wind and little traffic. The route followed the usual Chileno Valley, Tomales-Two Rock, Alexander, Carmody, Walker and Pepper up to the point where the tar and chip abomination started on Pepper. There we turned onto Meacham and made our bypass along Stoney Point to Jewett before reconnecting with the normal route back to Petaluma. All in all, a very nice little ride.

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Russian River / Chalk Hill, April 19, 2009

2009-04-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

Cruising down Eastside Road heading for the Russian River.

Not a lot to say about this ride except it doesn't get much better than this around here. Wow, what a beautiful day. I found Jim at Esposti Park in a huge crowd of cyclists - SR Cyclists celebrating a member's BD. Turned out that Jerry and Frank were there, too. We traded hellos and then said good-bye as they took off with the other group and the two of us headed out on our ride to Windsor, the Russian River, Westside Road, back across the river and returning over Chalk Hill. Gorgeous scenery, lots of photo ops, a good lunch at the store on Dry Creek - all in all a very nice day.

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Mt. Veeder, April 5, 2009

2009-04-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

Miniature cyclists ;-)

Looking out my window there was frost on the roofs. "Great", I thought, "another day where we freeze our tuchus off at the start". But I was too pessimistic. It was bright. There was little wind. And there were some BTUs in the old sun. Don't get me wrong. It was still a cool 55 or so when we (Bruce, Mark and me) started and there were pockets of cold air along the way, but it wasn't a total freeze out as threatened.

The climbing didn't hurt either. By the time we 'conquered' Darth Veeder (Bruce's affectionate term for the featured mountain on this ride), we were quite toasty. We took a short stop at the top of the climb to cool down a bit and also to let me restore my senses addled by the effort of the climb. When I had recovered, we set out for our last ascent of the day, Oakville.

After that and a very cautious descent down the east side - the road is really starting to go to pieces - Bruce suggested adding a few extra miles by heading over Oak Cross Rd. to the Silverado Trail. It was a good detour. We avoided more lousy road along Hwy 29 and the fresh leaves and blossoms on the trees lining the way across the valley were just lovely. And speaking of lovely, there was the stop at Bouchon. Delicious!

Full and mellow, we finished up with a laid back cruise on the flatland route to our starting point. Another nice ride.

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Tomales Loop, March 29, 2009

2009-04-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

These two 'cow pokes' were not slow pokes. Once we were underway, they were gone!

Last ride of March. Out like a lamb, they say. And so was this ride - at least at the start. Nice crowd. Good to see Mark and Bruce again. And joining us other 'regulars' (Jim, Jerry, Frank and me) was local super cyclist Rich and courageous Monica who had been abroad and off the bike for a month.

The various amounts people had ridden immediately showed up on the first 'bump' out of town. Rich and Mark disappeared up the hill, never to be seen again. We think Rich, who had ridden to the start from Cotati, split off at the end of Spring Hill to head back home and keep to a noon deadline while Mark did the ride as scheduled - just way ahead of us. We thought Bruce and Monica were going to cut the ride short, too, but were delighted and impressed that Monica decided to keep on. (The lure of the bakery proved too much to resist as usual :-)

Although the day was very sunny and seemed like it was going to be low wind, by the time we got to Fallon the gale was back in full force, much like last week. We were again grateful to get it at our backs when we made the turn onto Middle Road and then be pushed into Tomales.

After good eats and warm drinks at the bakery, the tailwind gave us a very nice ride back to Petaluma. That tailwind and whatever was in the focaccia Jim ate turned him into a rocket. I mean chasing him at nearly 30 mph (did I mention the it was a strong tailwind?) and he was still pulling away. He kindly backed off on Chileno Valley letting us finish the ride together at a more civilized pace. But I'm thinking maybe one of those focaccias is on my menu next time :-)

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Candy is Dandy Ride, March 22, 2009

2009-04-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

A message to Dan and Jeff...

Rain was a threat again for this ride. Last week we wimped out and it didn't rain until later. This week, I think we were more determined to go, rain or shine. Well, it turned to shine! In place of the rain it started out cold (just look at how Diane was dressed at the beginning) and windy (really windy!). There was even snow on some of the peaks (got a pix of it, too). We were not deterred. The sun was too inviting and there was a prize waiting in Windsor (Powell's!).

No one did the long loop - too little training prior thanks to the weather. But that's not to say we didn't get a workout. The wind made sure of that. It was really (really) nice to stop at Cafe Noto for something warm and some shelter from the breeze. After we thawed out, Jim got his Heath bars and then we set out for the return ride. With guidance from the tandem team, we traded slower rural backroads for a fairly direct route back, albeit with more traffic. With the coffee shop warm up and the super tailwind, we were jet propelled. Really flying.

Speaking of flying, we also took a short detour by the airport museum to check out the displays followed by a spectacular ride along the bike path to Sebastopol through a vast field of mustard.

To cap it all off, Diane fixed sandwiches and Jess poured up scrumptious sarsaparilla ice cream floats (it had warmed up :-). Wonderful ride.

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Enmanji Buddhist Temple Ride & Dinner, March 2009

2009-03-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

Chow mein chow hounds.

Well, it was wet in the morning and nobody wanted to chance getting rained on so the cycling was skipped. But we did go for the chow mein! Mmmm, good! And then Diane and Jess treated us all to some great sorbet and a nice afternoon of socializing. We will have to burn these calories off on the bike another day!

(p.s., corrected misspelled temple name. Oops. Good catch, Jim)

Petaluma - Penngrove Loop March 8, 2009

2009-03-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

Nice crowd :-)

After all the rain in February, it was finally a beautiful, sunny day...on Saturday. And Sunday? Well let's just say it wasn't raining (and not sunny, sigh). Oh well. Not a problem. It was dry and people wanted to ride! Indeed, it was nice to see Don again after his being laid up for quite a while with neck and knee problems. Welcome back, Don!

As for the ride, we all met at Walnut Park and, after some discussion about route particulars, set out East across town and then North to Penngrove. There we had a pleasant ramble through the rural countryside and then split up into two ride groups. Jerry and I headed up Stony Point for a little more mileage while everyone else opted for the "as-advertised" route back. Either way, it was nice to get out again. Next week is the Emanji ride (food!!). If it is a dry day, let's hope we can get another crowd out :-)

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Ironic Paradise Loop Ride, Feb. 8, 2009

2009-02-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

The ride is to Tiburon and back. An ironic loop.

Just Bruce and me. Rawls called and said it was starting to sprinkle in Petaluma. He got dowsed already this year, and didn't want a repeat. Jerry showed up at Novato High, then thought better of it. Not that I blame either of them. The forecast was 70% chance of rain.

We considered alternate routes, maybe something where we could bail if it started to rain (so to speak). But once we got to Marinwood, the sky looked better. Bruce said "let's head south", so we did.

The bike path along the freeway to Lincoln Avenue is gone. You just stay on Los Ranchitos and it turns into Lincoln. Instead of humping over Eliseo Dr., we decided to take the easier route up Andersen, past the sewage plant, to Sir Francis Drake. Paradise drive was smooth and dry. So far, so good.

We made the usual stop at Caffe Acri. On the wall are two clocks: Tiburon Time and Acri Time. Acri is a town in the Cambria Region of Italy. Charles Atlas was born there. Still not sure why the Acri clock said 3:15, when it was 11:30 here. We have micro-climates, maybe Italy has micro time-zones.

We headed back into a gusty wind, and then it started drizzling. Just 10 minutes worth, then it was dry all the way back. We even had a few patches of blue sky and sunshine! We rewarded our perseverance and good fortune at Lacoppa Coffee in Ignacio.

Tour d' Petaluma, Feb 1, 2009

2009-02-02T22:07:00.000-08:00

Come on, slug, pedal harder!

Weather before this ride began was a little strange. First it was completely clear at daybreak. Then, in just a few minutes, a heavy blanket of fog developed which lasted for about 20 minutes before dissipating to reveal bright sun in the sky and frost on the roof tops. It looked to be another chilly ride but surprise! By the time I met up with Jim and the tandem duo Jess and Diane at Walnut Park, it was actually warming up. And it made for a very nice ride through the East side of Petaluma and Penngrove followed by a return over Mecham and the the North west roads back to town. The ride itself was pretty uneventful except for the little bit of Pepper Road we road on. I had read complaints about the recent tar-and-chip resurfacing in Sonoma county and can confirm this is one of the &%$@# worst re-pavings I've seen in a while. Really atrocious. We got off of it as soon as we could.

Back in Petaluma, Jim headed back home for some bruschetta Carole was doing for the Super Bowl while the rest of us stopped at Flipper's for a burger by the river. Nice finale!

Photos (opens in a new window)

Hicks Valley / Marshall Loop, Jan 25, 2009

2009-01-25T17:44:00.000-08:00

Surreal cyclists for a surreal ride.

The forecast said occasional showers but the day dawned clear and sunny. Looked good except for another specter: wind. The day before, Linda, Mark and I had stated our intentions to go if there was no rain, but only Mark and I actually did it. I suspect Linda to one look at the wind and said forget it!

Well, she may have been on to something. Until we turned to head South, our ride was more or less a Miwok no-talk affair. Just heads down and get through the stiff wind. It was especially mean going over the wall. But we made it and then the wind was our bud, pushing us very nicely down Shoreline.

After a nice stop at the Bovine (coffee and a Pain d' Amonde - um, um, good), we headed back. The wind still pretty much kept to our backs or sides which helped us get over the grade out of Nicasio. At the intersection with Novato Blvd, I bid Mark good-bye. It was still sunny as I went up over Red Hill and down the other side. What had been a rather pretty cloud formation when we were at the Cheese Factory now looked ominous. Very dark undersides. Rain for sure. Would I make it back before it got to me? Would it blow farther east than I was going? Hah! The raindrops started little by little just past the county line. The intensity increased. Then I turned to the North back headon into the gale and rain increased. By the time I reached the city limits it was a deluge. Even a little hail. I was soaked.

Then it tapered off and by the time I got home it had stopped. To add insult to injury, while I was stripping off my soaking things, the sun came out. Grrrr!

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Lucas Valley Jan 18, 2009

2009-01-18T17:35:00.000-08:00

Shadow Peleton on the way to Nicasio.

Another cold morning (at least in Petaluma - things were frosted up all over) but the day promised to warm up quite a bit like yesterday. I was dragging some from the day before and didn't want to deal with the cold, so I opted to drive out to the Cheese Factory and meet the group from Novato - Jim and Linda on their tandem along with Bruce, Jerry and Mark.

We headed out like the day before, but this time we turned at the reservoir to go to Nicasio and then Lucas Valley Rd. I was a real boat anchor this day. Not only was I slow, I had a slow leak in my rear tire that I was unaware of. Coming down the downhill side of Lucas Valley on one of the hairpin turns, I nearly lost it as my rear wheel skidded out. I was not going fast, so I think it must have been from the soft tire. Somehow I managed to keep upright, but it was a bit of a fright. A little further down the road I was finally aware that the tire was going soft. Jerry and I stopped to pump it back up and since it held air OK we continued on only to discover that the rest of the group was patiently waiting for us at the Miller Creek school.

With some prodding from Jim, I went ahead and changed the tube. Got lots of help, too, from the others. I think they were tired of waiting for me :-( Anyhow, once repaired, we headed for La Coppa Coffee in Novato for a food break.

After that, our group slowly peeled away in bits and pieces. First Bruce split from us as we returned back via Indian Valley. Then the tandem split off, followed by Mark. Finally, Jerry left me at Stafford Lake where she was meeting Frank, who had spent the morning doing 18 holes of disk golf (wow!). Fortunately for me, Mark had suggested the 7 layer bar at the stop and it was still working as I made my way over the grades back to the Cheese Factory. The strong tailwind didn't hurt, either :-)

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Pt. Reyes Station Jan 17, 2009

2009-01-18T17:17:00.000-08:00

A really big group for us :-)

This was a completely impromptu ride. I got an email while at work from Pat, who has ridden with us in years past, asking if we had anything going on Saturday that she and Bob could join in on. Well, after some phone calls, we had a ride scheduled up.

Pat and Bob met up with me at 10 a.m. in Petaluma. And, by complete coincidence, we found Jerry and Frank there so they joined us, too. We rode out to the Cheese Factory where Bruce and Monica, Mark and Jim were waiting for us. From there it was down to Pt Reyes Station with the intent to stop at the Bovine but it was too crowded (unseasonably warm weather brought other cyclists - and too much car traffic - out in droves). Instead, we went over to the Busy Bee in Inverness Park for a coffee and pastry break before retracing out steps back.

Very nice ride. Great to see Pat and Bob again.

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Laguna School Jan 04, 2009

2009-01-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

Chilly group in front of Laguna School

Even with a late start, it was still freezing cold. Lots of frost in the shadows and even some ice in the puddles. I rode out from Petaluma to meet Bruce, Mark, the tandem duo Linda and Jim along with friends of theirs, Cat and Jimmy (fresh off a full triathlon in Arizona!!) at Laguna School on Chileno Valley Rd. From there we cycled a loop to the North and returned back to Petaluma via Spring Hill. I couldn't coax anyone to come into town for coffee so I bid the group adieu and headed back home to thaw out while they returned back to their starting points near the Cheese Factory.

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Pedaluma Round About - January 11

2009-01-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

Lincoln School meeting point

It was about 9:10 when Bruce, Jimmy and I met at San Marin High. There was a rumor that Jim and Linda were going to show up on their tandem. Ten minutes and a couple of phone calls later, that rumor was dispelled.

I told Rawls we'd meet him at 9:45 at the Hicks Valley School. It was now 9:20 and we were just leaving Novato. Can we make it? A lot of sweat and pain got us there at 9:50. Rawls was busy snapping photos and didn't seem to notice our tardiness. At least we weren't cold any more.

We took our time up and over Wilson Hill, and out Chileno Valley. By now, the weather was downright balmy. At the end of Chileno Valley, Jimmy decided to head back the way we came. Smart choice. After a fairly flat leg up Fallon-Two Rock Road, we turned on Middle Two Rock and the pain began. I don't remember this route being so hilly. It must be that it's early in the season. Plus, some of us (me, anyway) are still carrying around excess baggage from the holidays.

Arriving at Petaluma, Bruce and I were famished. We still had 18 miles and a big climb ahead of us. Rawls led us to the Tea Room Cafe for refreshments, then across to D street before bidding us adieu.

There we were, climbing D street in our winter gear, and it's 75 degrees! Who thought we'd have a problem staying cool in early January? We cruised into Novato - hot, tired, sore, and glad to be home. We ended up with 56 hard miles.

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Christmas Party - December 13, 2008

2008-12-14T10:39:00.000-08:00

The riders plus some 'planted' extras :-)

Very nice party, everyone. Thanks for coming out. Photos are of the ride.

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Tour of Novato December 7, 2008

2008-12-12T22:49:00.000-08:00

One of the 'unknown' roads Jim took us on.

It was Jim G. who guided Jim and Linda on their tandem and me on my single on an interesting trek through the 'wilds' of Novato. Wish I could say something as positive about the weather :-( It was a very damp day with heavy fog. Quite chilly, too. Only the hills (and there were some pretty good ones) keep the BTUs up until our break at Dr. Insomniac's Coffee and Tea shop.

Some of the highlights of Jim's route were gates across roads to challenge the tandem, views of the wetlands out toward the Petaluma River (rather murky with the fog), a good huff-n-puff for me going up Albatross and even a little off road cyclocross. And that was before the half-way stop :)

The hot drinks at Dr. Insomniac's were most welcome. So too were the warmer temperatures when we got going again (50°F - blazing!). Our route back traveled to the west side of Novato along Indian Valley Rd. J&L split off there to go back home while Jim and I continued to the end of Vineyard to take in the views before returning to the start at San Marin HS. There, I bid Jim good bye and then took a back roads drive to get home. That gave me the opportunity to snap a few more photos of pretty countryside we ride in.

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Petaluma Loop - November 23, 2008

2008-11-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

Jim's comment on the economy :-)

Except for one 'event', this was a short, sweet little ride. I rode out from Petaluma and met Jim coming from Novato. Weather was a little on the cool side but it was sunny and clear giving us nice views on the couple of climbs this ride featured. In Petaluma, we stopped at Larray's Corner Market and Deli, just down the street from my abode. There we had a cup of joe and Jim indulged in a muffin that was stuffed with blueberries. After basking in the sun for a bit, we set off to connect to D street where Jim would head back to Novato and I would ride a ways with him and then circle back. But on the way over Jim was so engrossed in conversation about the economy and the latest banking fiasco in progress that we had a bit of unplanned drama.

At the intersection with D Street, I was just ahead and had started the right turn to head West for Novato. Jim, on the other hand, was completely on autopilot and turned left as if he was heading for Walnut Park. Too late to realize the mistake, he just clipped my rear wheel. Somehow I managed not to go down, but not Jim. He did a slow motion crash. Fortunately we were still mostly on the side street and there were no cars. No damage to his bike or clothes, but he did bang up his elbow a little. After a time-out for a few minutes, he resumed the ride and got back to Novato OK, so that was good. But we both agreed we would have just as soon this had not happened at all. Kind of ironic, though, that the lousy economy could even crash our bikes.

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Mt. Veeder / Oakville Grade, November 16, 2008

2008-11-21T20:52:00.000-08:00

Yeah!

One word to describe this ride: stupendous! Brilliant sun. Mild temperatures. No wind. A perfect summer day...except it is the middle of November and we rode amid fabulous fall colors in the surrounding trees and vineyards. And speaking of riding, it was a perfect blend of hills to work the legs a little, outstanding views to reward the efforts, a great bakery stop and flatlands to finish up with. No complaints on this one!

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Sunday, November 9 - Tomales Loop

2008-11-11T08:03:00.000-08:00

Out on Spring Hill heading for Tomales.

Jim came with his classic Italian bike, Jerry with her beautiful Paramount. Rawls was on his familiar composite Specialized. I had a new toy on its maiden voyage, a Soma touring bike I just finished assembling. And Russ showed up on his - Honda Shadow? Yes, in full leathers. He rode to Petaluma just to see us off. Thanks, Russ.

Over Spring Hill, we ran into a stiff headwind. Should have asked Russ to motor-pace us to Tomales. It was sunny and warm. Recent rains started turning the hills green. We rode slow and took it in. Rawls and the others stopped at the line of shovels near Fallon for a photo-op. I plugged on ahead in an endorphene reverie. The others caught up, and we sailed into Tomales. Ah, the Tomales Bakery. What could be finer?

New pavement on Tomales road and that strong west wind made for a fast ride out of town. We cruised along at 20+ in still air, with only the hum of our tires, passing traffic, and our voices breaking the silence. We turned on Chileno Valley, and went back to a moderate touring pace, cruising with the wind.

Nice ride.

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Sunday, November 2 - Napa/Angwin Tour

2008-11-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

The preliminaries for this ride was like a meteorologists convention - everyone had consulted a different weather service (Weather Channel, online, Doppler Radar, and even the wet index finger in the air). The probabilities went from 40% chance of rain, then up to 50%, and back down again. Tandem Captain Jim opined that we would hit only one cell during the day; but that was quickly extinguished when the wiper blades on Jim G's Toyota van clicked away on the ride up to Yountville. It seems like a rainbow to the North chased us most of way to the start - not necessarily a good sign?

Despite all the prognostication, the J&L Tandem Express, Mark, Jim G and Bruce managed to dodge rain drops all morning and finish this 52 miler without getting wet. Mind you the pavement was quite wet in places where it had recently been raining, but our timing was perfect as we watched some of the storm cells gather in the hills but never to reach us in time (hmm...must have been that torrid pace we were keeping up!). Either that or it must have been the new Felt cycling machine that Bruce was riding. Easier on the body parts and faster on the hills - watch out for him on all future rides!

The day started out with a pleasant ride across the Napa Valley to the Silverado trail heading North. Then it was time to climb to Lake Hennessey and continuing to Pope Valley. Along the way, Jim G. had a flat - mind you, not just any flat. A sharp, recently fallen rock sliced both his tube and his tire. Jim - were you an Eagle Scout? He was certainly prepared - on goes his spare fold-up tire and new tube and Jim G. finally joined us just as we were backtracking from the Pope Valley store to find him. Did we tell you the Pope Valley store has been remodeled and has nice places to sit outside? Of course, no public bathrooms - but you can't have everything.

But the highlight of the day had to be the slow, steady climb up Ink Grade just North of Pope Valley. It was a cool day, so it was quite pleasant climbing this beast of a hill. The fall colors were nothing short of spectacular, and it almost made the work on this climb bearable. We all gathered at the top of the climb and gave each other mental high-fives for all making it to the top, which the GPS said was 1941 ft. above sea level. Did we tell you the downhill afterwards towards Deer Park had brand spanking new pavement with *no* potholes? It was a dream come true. After a short stop to wait for Jim G (who took a different route down), Tandem Captain Jim managed to dislodge two dental crowns and a connecting bridge while biting down on a margarita flavored Shot Block. After tucking the lost teeth in the pill box, we all moved on down to Silverado Trail for the jaunt South back to the Yountville cross road. It was a nice ride home as the J&L Tandem Express offered first class seating for those drafting into the light headwind.

Of course no trip to Yountville would be complete without a visit to the Bouchon Bakery. Good coffee and outstanding pastries finished off this ride in style with all sorts of tales of the hard day's ride.

Pictures from the ride (Tandem Jim is certainly no match for the shutterbug expertise of Rawls) can be found here. A JPG Google Earth rendering of our route can be found here (san rain clouds!). Last, but not least, the Google Maps version of our route as recorded by the venerable Garmin eTrex Vista HCx GPS can be found here.

Russian River/Chalk Hill - October 10, 2008

2008-10-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

This ride was way back on October 10. I just kept forgetting to write it up.

I've done this ride a few times, so I knew the general route. I decided to modify it a little, using the start of the Russian River Ramble to avoid downtown Windsor. See the modified route here.

Bruce, Linda, Jim and I met at Esposti Park. It was a cool and sunny at the start. Linda and Jim set a torrid pace on their tandem. Bruce was tired from running earlier in the week, and dropped back. I chugged away in the middle.

We made our usual stop at the Dry Creek General Store. The route said to take Lytton Springs to Alexander Valley. Jim suggested taking the Wine Country Century route over Canyon Road and back south via 128. This added a few miles, but what the heck, it was beautiful day.

We headed north on Dry Creek Rd. into a stiff wind we hadn't noticed on the other side of the river. Once we turned south, the wind was at our backs. Linda and Jim put it in the big ring, and Bruce and I hung on in their wake. We cruised in the low 20s all the way to Chalk Hill. L&J were the first to the top. Impressive, on a tandem!

Jim: "I only wish we had some pictures to remember the ride, but it's really hard to put into a camera how beautiful the day really was." Amen.

Here is the route from L&J's GPS.

Lucas Valley Loop - October 26, 2008

2008-10-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

The J&L tandem express, Mark and Jim enjoyed the first cool morning ride of the fall. The sun and clear sky were warming in the open, but it was a bit brisk in the Redwoods along Lucas Valley Road. Early is good for this ride as traffic was light except for a few cars apparently heading to the pumpkin patches. There was some sponsored ride in progress out Lucas Valley Road (we saw a rest stop with water bottles), but never did find out what that was all about. Get ready for frosty mornings next month!

Jim and Mark stopped for a great cup of java in Ignacio at Lacoppa Coffee and some good conversation about bike building. With a table in the warm fall sun, the stop and coffee were very refreshing.

Around the Bay in a Day (Australia) Sunday, October 19, 2008

2008-10-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

Ann on the ride.

After a summer of long training rides, many of them solo, it all finally culminated with the Around the Bay in a Day ride in Melbourne, AU with my daughter, Ann. It was quite an adventure, too. The rider count by the organizers was 15,000 cyclists! Some did a true loop crossing Port Phillip Bay on the ferry at Sorrento or Queenscliff (depending on the direction ridden). Others of us did an out-and-back - some on the west side and some on the east side (our route). The full loop sold out very quickly so we missed our chance to sign up for this, but for my money, I was just as happy not to have a long break (about 2 hours) in the middle of the ride waiting and riding on the ferry (I had already had that experience anyway on a previous visit). Anyhow, here I was going out at 5:30 a.m. from Ann's place in a Melbourne suburb about 10K from the official start with a borrowed bike fitted with a small battery powered light on the front and a red blinker on the back. It's dark, I'm on the left side of the road crossing parallel tram tracks, round-abouts and clueless where I am. What the heck am I doing???

On the way to the start we join up with Ann's other riding friends Mat (also her office mate), Cam and Andrew. From there it was down through central Melbourne to the official starting point at Alexandra Gardens on the Yarra River (glad it was early - few cars (mostly taxis) an no trams to deal with). And rather than deal with the chaos of all the cyclists going through the starting 'gate', we just continued on by the crowds and headed south on St. Kilda Rd. Weather was overcast with a moderate headwind but the temperatures were mild. Good for a long ride. A few K's down the road we made a potty stop at a service station and then we were off for good.

Well, so we thought. This day was to prove full of punctures. First up was Mat along the beach road at about 6:30 a.m. just as it was beginning to get light. That proved to be a mini-adventure in itself as Mat's replacement tube wouldn't hold air (bad patch) and he had to scrounge one off Cam. To make up for that, we had one further stop a little ways up the road at a bike shop (convenient!) to replace the tube. From there it was flat until Frankston where there was a short but steep hill. An official photographer was there to catch everyone grimacing as they struggled up this rude, early morning bump (I tried to smile :-).

Terrain from there was rolling with some longer, but moderate-grade climbs (about 300 ft or so up). All my riding before hand not withstanding, I was my usual pokey self going up these things. My daughter and her friends were something else. They set a quick pace on the flatter sections such that I had to work to keep up. Good thing there were so many cyclists I was usually in a draft. On the hills... I was just flat dropped. I could make up a little on the down grades but ultimately I would get separated from them for a bit of time thanks to the traffic lights along the way.

At the top of last hill on the route out, the group waited for me to catch back up and we headed off for the half-way point and lunch in Sorrento. As we were descending the grade of the hill, Ann's rear tire went flat with a very loud noise. So loud that both Mat and I each thought we had flatted! At the bottom we pulled over and found a pretty good size hole in Ann's tire - tire cord poking through. There had been some reports earlier of tacks on the road (yeah, they have bicycle unfriendly folks in Australia, too) and perhaps this was what she hit but we didn't find a tack, glass or other reason for the cut. To fix things we put an Aussie $5 bill in as a boot (plastic bills - work great!) then the replacement tube and, with Ann's tiny but powerful 'Pocket Rocket' pump, got her going again.

Next up, Melbourne lived up to it's "four-seasons-in-a-day" reputation as we rode into heavy fog that turned into real rain. Fortunately, it let up as we got into Sorrento, but we were pretty damp and chilly. Lunch for me was a not so exciting chicken salad sandwich and chocolate brownie. Ann's was a pumpkin sandwich (I'm glad I had the chicken). Compared to sponsored US rides, it is fair to say food support was meager. The rest stops just had water and concessions you could buy stuff at. You definitely needed to be self-sufficient. Ann had fixed things very nicely for us with home made raisin and oatmeal cookies (mmm, good!).

Back on the road for the return, the weather dried out and we had a small tailwind to push us along. Just before the hills, Ann pulled off for another potty stop and waved me on knowing full well she'd overhaul me without any problem. I was hoping to get up the one significant climb on the return before that, but it was not to be. Now it was my turn to puncture! In retrospect, if I was going to get a flat, this was the most opportune time because Ann was behind me and she had the only pump! Otherwise, I might still be out there :-0.

This stop triggered the next fix-a-flat adventure. The bike I had borrowed (a very nice, light Trek I might add) had aero rims. The tubes I had brought fit my bike and have medium length valve stems. Oops! The stem just barely poked through the rim. With a bunch of pushing and coaxing and a few words muttered under breath, we managed to get the pump on just enough to pump up the tire so I could continue on.

All my training came through on the ride back as I had good legs. The one hill everyone usually dreads (about 120K (75 mi) in) was not very bad - it's like Red Hill from Petaluma to the Cheese Factory but not as long and with no curves. The rest of the grades in the hill section on the way back were very gentle except for the downhill just before Frankston which is very steep. Unfortunately, we arrived to find some cyclists had crashed badly there (ambulances and a helicopter medivac) and were diverted around. We later heard the most seriously injured rider who had hit the guard rail was taken off the critical list and was recovering OK. With so many cyclists at various skill levels and straights, riding can get fairly dodgey at times. I saw a couple of crashes. One at a stop light were one rider didn't get out of his clips right and took down another next to him. The other was a cyclists going up a gentle climb who just fell over onto another rider. I didn't see any reason. Maybe he missed a shift and derailed. There were also many times where large (sometimes huge) groups of riders going very fast would pass slower riders, often very close. I had one such encounter where the guy passing me actually ran into me. Somehow we both managed to stay up (kind of balanced off of each other). I guess that was experience working, but I'd just as soon not do that again. Whew!

After the crash scene at Frankston, I did a non-stop ride back to Melbourne. The year before Ann had skipped the rest stops and I assumed she was doing the same this year so I figured I better not stop, either. That was wrong as it turned out and I ended up finishing ahead of the group instead of behind where my actual speed should have put me.

After a few minutes to get everyone gathered back together again at the finish we set out again for home. Oh my, more riding! This time Melbourne was much busier. But we made it, no worries. Total distance by my daughter's odometer was about 210K (130 mi) although from the advertised distance we should have done 230K. Good either way. Total time about 9 1/2 hours (about 8 hours on the bike factoring out all the stops). About 22k/hr average overall (26 with the stops removed). Good ride, mate!

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Strawberry/Seminary Loop - October 19, 2008

2008-10-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

The cloud cover cleared to sunshine as Russ and Jim departed from Mill Valley Middle School and headed for Seminary Drive. The ride out the Tiburon bike path from Blackey's pasture was pleasant since we were early enough to miss the crowds. After coffee and a snack in Tiburon, we returned via Paradise Drive, the bike path through Corte Madera and finally Camino Alto. This was the perfect fall ride. We cut out the hills on Belvedere and kept the distance down to about 22 miles. This was a good thing as neither rider was in prime condition.

Petaluma Out and Back, September 30, 2008 & Lucas Valley October 5, 2008

2008-10-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

Count Tigger! (You can tell fall is upon us :-)

Remember that old Doublemint gun ad? That's two! Two gums in one! Well, this is two rides in one write-up. Way after the fact as well.

The first is the Petaluma O&B done on Sep 30. The day before was the charity event, "A Taste of Petaluma", where one got to wander around town and sample good eats from a variety of restaurants, delis, bakeries, pizza places, and so on. Tasty fun. The next day was our ride - a taste of "Pedaluma". Only Jim and I did it though. I first thought that perhaps the riders from last week were still surly but later found out they used email instead of the blog (for shame!) to suggest an alternate ride. Oh well.

Our route went out I Street. Back to town on San Antonio. Then over Windsor to Chapman, Eucalyptus and Liberty where we decided to drop in unannounced on Jo Ann and Tim. They were very gracious to us as Jo Ann served up some fresh pear apples and cheese crackers while Jim and Tim discussed their various home fix-up projects (that's what retirees do :). From there it was out to Railroad and onto the backroads of Penngrove. Our return to Petaluma took us over Corona, Skillman and Magnolia. Great weather. Great scenery. Low traffic. Even got to experience three of Petaluma's dubious roundabouts. Good way to burn off the calories from the day before.

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The ride scheduled for the next weekend was the Konochti Challenge written up below. Jim and I had elected to skip this ride this year (no, we did not cause the rain!). In its place we went out on Sunday for a where-do-you-want-to-go-today ride. I was thinking a ride to the Busy Bee (sticky buns!) but when we met at the Cheese Factory, Jim suggested Lucas Valley. That worked for me as I wanted to get some extra miles in and this was a good way to do it. Unlike the rain the day before, this day was sunny and dry (Sorry Bruce and Mark). Jim was quite on form as he dropped me going up Lucas Valley in pursuit of a 'target' up the road (he caught him, too!). For something really different from our usual bakery stops, we went to Burger King (not bad :-). From there it was back to San Marin HS where Jim had started and I continued back to Petaluma. Nice ride.

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Konocti Challenge - October 4th, 2008

2008-10-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, the forecast said 60% chance of rain. By Friday evening, chances were down to 40%, with clearing predicted by noon. Bruce and I decide to risk it. So, 5AM Saturday, we're on our way to Lakeport. We arrive to overcast skies, but no rain.

Two blocks into the ride, Bruce announces "I have to go back." He was still wearing his baseball cap. He retrieves his helmet, and we're off again. The road is very wet. Also, there seems to be a frog migration in progress. Extra large frogs. I assume some made it across the road. Many didn't. We ride through wet frog guts.

Five miles in, my rear tire goes flat. (!%$*&%$#*) My seat bag and pump are missing, left back in the car. (Double !&^$%*!) A Kindly SAG Man stops to help. Bruce lends me a tube. I install it, and began pumping. At about 50lbs - WHOOSH. Won 't hold air. I take THAT tube out. The stem is separated from the tube. (Triple &%#$!S**&^!) Bruce has another spare tube. Finally, the tire's fixed, but we're out of tubes. Kindly SAG Man drives me back to pick up my stuff. Guess this is the day for forgetting. Multiple senior moments! We should've slept an extra hour.

Off again. Things are looking better. The suns starting to peek through. "Is that drizzle?" Just a little. First rest stop - no problem. Second rest stop. "Hey, the sun is out! Strip off the arm warmers and tights! It'll be nice from now on!" Should have known better.

Five miles later, on a long climb, the sky opens up. For more than an hour, we slog through the rain. The third rest stop has several tent-like shelters. Bless them. We wait for the worst of the rain to pass. It seems to get better, so we decide to go before we cool down. The rain gradually lets up, and we make good time back down to the lake. We decide to forgo the fourth rest stop, and push the last 10 miles to the finish. There's a strong headwind, but at least it's dry.

"Good thinking, bringing those towels along." We head for the bathroom and peal off our wet cloths. Of course, we forgot the towels in the car. At least we had dry cloths. And, we enjoyed the excellent barbecue - beef AND chicken! Bruce had a beer, I wanted a clear head for the drive back. The Starbucks in Cloverdale provided stimulants to get us home.

Hicks Valley - Marshall Loop 9-21-2008

2008-09-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

Surly riders - two of which probably got more surly later :-(

This ride started out routinely enough but sure didn't end that way. By mutual agreement, Bruce, Mark and I agreed to move the start time back an hour to 8 a.m. It was a little cooler and foggier doing that, but it also meant we would be able to get done earlier. That was especially good for me as I had an afternoon commitment and this took some of the pressure off getting back in time.

We met at the Cheese Factory as usual and then headed out to Marshall. The foggy weather stayed with us all the way to Hwy 1, but that was OK as the cool temperatures were pleasant for the climb up the Wall. The sun finally did break through on Hwy 1, giving us a fine fall day for the rest of the ride.

Your's truly, however, decided that more 'adventure' was needed and started having problems with my front derailleur. On the big chain ring, the derailleur cage was rubbing against the chain and no fiddling with the shift lever would fix it. After a few miles of noisy chain and falling off the back from the others, I finally pulled over to take a look-see. I thought I could adjust the limit screws and correct the issue. Of course, I didn't have a screwdriver but I naively thought I could do the job with my keys. Wrong! But while I was struggling away, up came some other cyclists, one of which had the needed screwdriver. I figured I was set and once the adjustment was made, I'd get going and reconnect to Mark and Bruce. Wrong, again! Twisting those screws around did nothing! Resigned to having rubbing high gears, I gave up, thanked the good Samaritans and headed on.

A few hundred yards down the road, the real cause of the problem made itself clear when I went to shift and the cable snapped. Luckily for me, when this happened the front derailleur went to the low (small) chain ring so I could keep going. The down side was I had no high gears - i.e., no top speed. I was now a slug on the flats as well as the hills!

Further, I was way behind Mark and Bruce and I still needed to get back home in reasonable time. I also wanted to get to a bike shop to fix the cable pronto, so I decided it was best to head straight back, hoping I wouldn't mess up Mark and Bruce too much in the process. Heck, I thought maybe Mark and Bruce would catch up with me as I limped back, but that didn't happen either.

Once back, I did get the cable fixed and keep my appointment. Unfortunately, I probably left Mark and Bruce in a bit of a quandary wondering what happened to me. (I did call Mark once I got back to let him know what had happened, but that is kind of small solace.) In retrospect, I am a bit embarrassed this happened. Turns out I had been having some occasional shift issues before but it never occurred to me that maybe the cable was slowly gong to pieces. Sorry guys.

Photos (opens in a new window)

Inverness Bakery - September 14, 2008

2008-09-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

Where we rode.

We (Bruce, Mark and me) buzzed on down to the Busy Bee in Inverness Park for pastries and coffee (why else ride??). I started from Petaluma and joined Bruce and Mark at our usual meeting point at the Cheese Factory. I wasn't so sure just how far I wanted to go this day, having put in a long ride the day before, but a little goading and the lure of a sticky bun could not be resisted.

It was only after I was stuffed with pastries that I remembered I was going to be doing the Olema, Nicasio and Red Hill climbs to get back. So much for an 'easy' day. But the others didn't push too hard and the pastries keep my legs fueled so the ride ended up OK and I wasn't too dead at the end.

Besides the food treats, the scenery was quite nice this day, too, as you can see from the pix.

Photos (opens in a new window)

Chileno Valley Sep 7, 2008

2008-09-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ready to go!

After nearly a week of triple digit heat, today cooled off to give is a very nice ride. Starting from Petaluma, I was actually in cool, heavy, wet fog. What a difference a day makes around here. I met the other riders (Bruce, Jim and Mark) on Hick's Valley Road and by that time we were back in the sun. I stripped off my arm and leg warmers figuring it was going to heat up.

Well, only for a bit. The sun stayed with us along Chileno Valley and the Fallon Rd. until we got to Hwy 1. There we were back into the overcast, cool weather. Coffee and a pastry at the bakery was welcome, but didn't do the trick to warm me back up. I put my leg warmers back on!

Of course, by the time we turned to go up the Marshall Petaluma Rd., we were back in the sun. No stopping to strip them off this time if I was going to avoid being dropped on the climb so I sweated my way to the top. Once there, Mark took pity and stopped for the rest of us to catch up and I got a chance to strip off the excess clothing again. No more fog this time. Even better, the temperatures stayed well below where they were the days before and a nice tailwind gave us a push back.

Photos (opens in a new window)

Apple Tour and Club Picnic, August 10, 2008

2008-08-31T13:15:00.000-07:00

The soon-to-be-ravenous riders

Summer is winding down and so it appears with some of our rides. But appearances are deceiving. Of late, a number of club rides have been usurped by centuries and other events and the training that goes along with these, so some of us have had to skip regular club rides. But not the annual Apple ride. This is one ride that everyone makes a special effort to attend. And for good reason. A great ride on the back roads and bike paths of Sebastopol, socializing at the scrumptious BBQ picnic and, la piece de resistance, fabulous fresh apple pie and home made ice cream.

This year was different. It was better! We had a bigger mix of people - the local folks, Eva and Ken came out from the East Bay and a couple of tandem buddies of Diane and Jess from SR cyclists. Our ride also crossed paths with another SR cyclists group at Kozlowski's. And yours truly added to the 'buzz' when I tried to ingest a bee or some other stinging insect returning on Watertrough. Got a fat lip for my trouble, too :-(

After the picnic but before dessert, apples were gathered from the trees and cider was made. We then filled ourselves up with the pie and ice cream. For my taste buds, Diane really outdid herself with the ice cream. It looked like plain vanilla, but it had a slug of honey in it. Wow was it good with the pie. Had to have seconds on that one! Ben & Jerry better watch out if she ever decides to package that up.

Photos (opens in a new window)

Mom's Apple Pie Ride, July 27, 2008

2008-07-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

Shark bike by the river...

Unlike last week, the sunscreen slather was definitely needed this day. It was nicely sunny yet not too hot. A perfect day.

I met everybody at Mom's parking lot for our start - everybody being Bruce, Dan, Don, and Mark . Our route was the reverse of what we did a few weeks earlier. West on Green Valley Road, Hwy 116 and then Mays Canyon before our first stop in Guerneville. Going this direction definitely had is 'ups' as well as downs, but overall felt less taxing than going the other direction. Some of the more interesting happenings included seeing the geodesic dome house at the base of the last Green Valley Rd. climb (going the other direction you are whizzing down the hill so fast, you would never know it was there) and having two deer fly across the road in front of us (glad there were no collisions!).

From Guerneville it was down to Monte Rio and back up the Bohemian Hwy like last week. This time is was all in the sun. Lots of traffic, too - we guess from the Bohemian Grove dudes camped out this time of year. Dan took a flyer here to demonstrate how to do the climb to Occidental. But he got little chance to rest there as we didn't take a break but instead continued to climb the grade out of town on Occidental Road.

Once over the top our efforts were rewarded with a tremendous downhill run on fairly smooth roads until the turn on Mill Station which led us back to our start through Graton. For our final treat of the day, after packing up the bikes, we returned to Graton for a nice lunch at Mexico Lindo. Muy bueno!

Photos (opens in a new window)
Interactive map from Bruce (opens in a new window)

Sonoma Coast from Occidental, July 20, 2008

2008-07-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Peace, bro!

Well, it is July, but it is also the Sonoma Coast, so it was foggy and very cool. I had slathered up with a ton of sunscreen expecting the sun to come out (probably to bake us on some climb) and to strip off the warmers. Ha! That didn't happen. Didn't see old sol until nearly back in Petaluma.
Anyway, after a coffee / pastry warm up before the ride we headed out shivering in the cool air. We usually go down to Monte Rio and circle south in a counterclockwise direction on this ride. Mark, however, decided it was too boring to keep doing the same thing each time, so he took charge and had us go clockwise. It was a nice change. First of all, we had a light tailwind which is very unusual going north up the coast. Second, the Bay Hill climb is a little easier in this direction (good for me :-). Independent of the direction, this ride also was the first time Bruce had cycled on Hwy 1 along the Pacific coast.

Mark pointed out all the bakeries along the way (five, I think). He couldn't get us to stop at any, though. No one wanted to end the ride heavier than they started! Bruce was also intrigued by the Pink Elephant in Monte Rio. There were a gazillion motorcycles parked out front and more streaming down the Bohemian Hwy towards it. Mark thought maybe we could link up with our two wheeled brethren and share a brew. No one went for that either.

Back at Occidental, Mark, Don and Bruce packed up and headed back to Novato. Yours truly indulged in a nice sandwich at the deli before heading back. Foggy when we stared. Foggy when we finished, but that was OK. Still a nice ride.

Photos (opens in a new window)
Interactive Map from Bruce (opens in a new window)

Bloomfield Loop, July 13, 2008

2008-07-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

Heading for the Chileno Valley 'summit' :-)

Great day for a ride! Bruce and Mark came out for a 'recovery' ride (80 mi the day before!) joining Don and me. It was good to see Don again as he has been off the bike for 6 months recovering from knee trouble (ouch!).

Our route took us out Chileno Valley, Tomales-Two Rock, Twin Bridge and Fallon until we turned on Gerike, our Western most point. We were tempted to go into Tomales since the bakery was so close (I could almost smell the croissants), but Bruce and Mark had done two bakeries the day before and successfuly dissuaded us from straying from the course. (Needed to work of an extra pound or two?)

Out on Gerike, everyone except me decided it was a good time for a bio-break (I sweat so much, there is nothing to 'break' for). I kept going fully expecting the get quickly overtaken, probably on the climb over to Bodega. Well those guys must have really had to go. Wasn't caught until the turn for Walker.

From there it was a pleasant, warm cruise back to Petaluma aided by a nice tailwind. Your's truly got a little grief for the ride posting that said 38 miles when in fact it was 41, but, hey, the map and route slip was correct. Whatever the distance, it was still a great ride.

Photos (opens in a new window)
Cool Map from Bruce (try the player!) (opens in a new window)

Rushing Russian River Ramble July, 6 2008

2008-07-06T21:44:00.001-07:00

Lots of beautiful scenery on this ride.

The hot weather returned as Bruce, Linda, Jim and I found out. After a little bike repair at the start - sticky break on Bruce's bike, we were off on our adventure. I say adventure 'cause yours truly was the only one who had done this before and even though I have done this ride many times, I was not entirely sure I remembered all the twists and turns.

The first half out to Guerneville was OK. Got everyone there, no problem. Pleasant temperatures and nice roads with little traffic. And I knew where to head to next from Guerneville - hard to forget the hills on this section. Green Valley was quite a struggle for me - still waiting for the 'training effect' from my other riding to kick in. And this was where the heat kicked in. Figures - in time for the climbs.

The next section was easy, too, since Mexico Lindo was the lunch stop (never forget where food is :-). It was the final leg back to the start at Esposti Park that was a bit fuzzy for me. Maybe it was the yummy enchilada I, but it all came back to me as we were riding. First the bike path to Occidental Road, then to Sanford, Willowside, Piner, Olivett, etc., etc. As I came up to each intersection, there was a little 'a ha' and the route was made. Next time it should be a piece of cake. Especially since Jim had a GPS and tracked the whole route. No need to depend on my lousy memory. Official map now :) [Jim kindly provided a Google map of the GPS route. Very cool. He also provided the elevation profile - I added it to the photos. He also made a .kml file which, if you have Google Earth, will let you 'fly' the route. If you want a copy, let me know.]

Photos (opens in a new window)

Jim's photos (opens in a new window)