Tips, Trips, Trails and Travels

Climate Ride 2010 California ( 2.0 ) with Jim R & Friends

2010-11-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

What Worked, What Didn't Work For Me On The Climate Ride

2010-09-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

As I reflect on the California Climate Ride 2010, a 320 mile bike ride from Fortuna, near Eureka to Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, I decided to document what worked for me and what didn't work.

What Worked

Staying in Ferndale before the start meant I was rested.
The Climate Ride schedule for training rides was excellent - I didn't know if I could do a 60 mile and 70 mile ride on a weekend when I signed up, but the week before the Climate Ride I did the Folsom Gold Rush 100K and Tour De Tahoe 72 mile ride and felt fine.
Taking plenty of bedding - I was warm and cozy in my tent - it was 40 degrees F the first night.
LED lights for my tent - I took a camping flash light and replaced the bulb with an LED bulb. I also bought a tiny LED dome light for my tent from Fry's and with both of them, the tent was quite bright.
Getting my bike serviced before the ride - Menlo Velo did a superb job of replacing the front derailleur that broke 2 weeks before the ride, replacing the chain and putting a new cassette on the rear wheel.
Having time to go at one's own pace on the ride. Some rides hurry you along and you've no time for photos or meeting people at rest stops. This ride was one where you could go fast or slow.
Caeli's safety presentation at the start - masses of good advice.
Cytomax kept me going - I didn't need to use any of my electrolyte Zym tablets - the Climate Ride had plenty of Cytomax at rest stops to keep me going and avoid muscle cramps.
My LED flashing back light - the battery didn't run out - but in California sun, where you get bright light then dark shade it's a good idea to have a back light.
Having a Velcro cable tie to hold a tire in place when you put in a new inner tube. I read about this before the ride. Usually I'm quick at changing tires, but this makes it just a little bit quicker.
Thermos flask on my bike. The morning of the 3rd day I didn't have time for breakfast tea so I put it in a thermos and carried that and drank tea later on the cliffs. To stop the thermos rattling in my water cage I put it in an old sock.
Bike shop in Fort Bragg - after going through places without bike support - the bike shop in Fort Bragg was wonderfully stocked and I was able to buy a bike pump similar to my broken one.
Climate Ride bike mechanics - when my gears started jumping after day 3 and my bike needed lube - the bike mechanics were excellent and really knew their craft.

What Didn't Work

Cellphone coverage - 3 of the four campsites did not have AT&T cellphone coverage. I just about remembered how to use a payphone which I used at 2 campsites.
Solar panels - I thought I could charge my iPhone on solar panels - but (a) the velcro I'd stuck to my rack bag, as an addition to the elastic, to hold them in place came unstuck when damp. (b) the panels despite having an iPhone connector didn't work with the iPhone 4 (which wouldn't allow them to charge it) - one rider had a Solio three panel set up on his bike helmet.
iPhone battery - it tracked 90 miles of 100 mile ride, but it didn't have enough charge to complete the tracking using the Cyclemeter App. It was hard to find enough time and enough power points to charge it fully at campsites, although I did manage to get some juice each night. The last night I left it out all night on a power strip and as it was only a 40 mile ride, the iPhone did fine as both camera and ride tracker.
Camp fires - I wanted a camp fire each night - but really with such interesting lectures, there wasn't time and so I was really pleased when we had one on the last night.
Medium weight fleece - the first night I thought a long-sleeved T-shirt and a medium fleece might be enough, but when the temperature is heading for 40 degrees F, I wish I'd brought my heavy fleece. As it was I had a fleece blanket which I could wrap around me later that evening and on subsequent nights.
Swimming in the Eel River - it wasn't deep enough to swim in near Richardson Grove - but was a good place to paddle. I arrived too late to swim at Caspar Beach near Mendocino - another nice place to paddle though. I never had time to even go near the edge of the Russian River after my 100-mile day unfortunately.
My bike pump - amazingly just when I had a flat tire my bike pump decided to lose it's end - it had been OK the day before, but when I had a star thistle in my tire the 2nd day I had to get one of the SAG team Priuses to bring a pump for me.

Climate Ride Day 5 - Olema To Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

2010-09-25T23:28:00.000-07:00

My tent in Olema

We had very specific instructions from our excellent ride director, Blake Holiday, on how we must arrive at the Golden Gate Bridge north east viewpoint by 1:00 p.m. for our group photo, so I didn't set off until 9:30 a.m.

A short climb up the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard led us to a bike path after Taylorville. We had been warned that in some places the Cross Marin Trail was gravel and if we wanted we could go on the road. It was a peaceful, albeit slow, way to avoid the main road through the Samuel P Taylor State Park.

Ross Common Park

We took the San Geronimo Valley Road and in Woodacre, past a small organic market by the roadside. Back on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, it was downhill to Fairfax, then San Anselmo. I nearly missed the bike lane in Fairfax, a motorist at a traffic light told me bikers were on the service road at the side, and indeed, not being the last there were a few Climate Riders to my left.

Roz fills up with water

I arrived at our water stop at 11:30 a.m. in Ross at the Ross Common Park, complete with cookies, apples and of course, Clif Bars. Roz was filling up her water bottle about to leave - well ahead of me, but Team Roz was making it and we felt good. I enjoyed passing Kentfield and going downhill to Larkspur. A stop at a Larkspur post office to post cards to some sponsors, lacking time to write to everyone in my tent last night.

Can I make the Bridge in 26 min?

Through Corte Madera, along Meadowsweet Drive parallel to 101 and then we were at East Blithesdale Avenue - a route that takes you to Tiburon if you go east. We went west - I'd have preferred to go straight on Kipling Drive to avoid the traffic - but it was fine. Soon I joined the bike path on the old Mt Tamalpais railway right-of-way to Sausalito.

It was 12:30 pm when I looked at the time and realized I must dodge the tourists in Sausalito to make it to the Golden Gate Bridge on time. I'd been down the hill from the bridge to Sausalito a few times, but never up it and I wondered how long it would take. The hill was quite easy - just before 101 you can cut through a path to the viewpoint. Unfortunately the nicer route via the Coastguard Station was closed. I arrived at the bridge at 1:02 p.m and shortly after we were all ready for our group photo.

Back of Climate Ride shirts at the Golden Gate Bridge

We then carried our bikes to the west side of the bridge - for that's where bikes must go on weekends. We carefully set off in small groups across the bridge. At the far end was my husband John, he took pictures of many other riders, but in attempting to take his first iPhone video of me, he didn't start recording - hence there's no picture of me crossing the bridge. He did however, take a shot once I'd crossed.

It was through the Presidio to Arguello Boulevard and Lake Street. Then down 30th Avenue to the Golden Gate Park, and another surprise hill. It looked daunting at this late stage in the ride, but I was soon over it and cruising down into Golden Gate Park where a beer fest for bikers, the Tour de Fat, awaited us. It was sponsored by New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire beer. I don't normally like beer, but their lightest brew, Mothership Wit, was quite welcome. I'd done about 39 miles - a short ride.

I forgot to turn my iPhone off so it tracked another couple of miles in the car - so ignore the last two miles on the map below.

Started: Sep 25, 2010 9:29:05 AM

Ride Time: 3:38:03

Stopped Time: 3:38:23

Distance: 41.73 miles

Average: 11.48 miles/h

Fastest Speed: 28.44 miles/h

Climb: 1855 feet

Calories: 1687

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Climate Ride Day 4 - Duncan's Mills to Olema - 62 miles

2010-09-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Guerneville

At 8:30 a.m. I set off eastwards along the quiet Moscow Road to Monte Rio where we crossed the Russian River to get back on to River Road. It was the crush season and we were asked to watch out for big trucks carrying grapes. Only a couple passed me and they seemed empty. they were like the earth moving trucks we have at home - so no problem. Pickup trucks tend to drive closer to bikers. River Road had just been paved and the shoulder was gravelly and sloping. It was a route I'd rather not have taken. I was glad to take an unofficial break and stop at the pharmacy in Guerneville to buy postcards.

Moshin Vineyards

After that the road passes vineyards and after 12 miles we took a side road on the left called Sunset Avenue that soon crossed River Road and turned into Westside Road. After going up a hill I saw Roz in the middle of the road slowing down traffic. Ahead were fire engine and ambulance - in rural areas the fire engine often gets to the scene of an accident before the ambulance. The road was cracked and potholed and in the shade these obstacles were hidden. A Climate Rider had hit a pothole and required 24 stitches. To the credit of the doctor, the next day it didn't look much worse than a bad shave and the accident victim was back biking into San Francisco.

Wohler Road Bridge

Between miles 14 and 15 we were at our morning water stop at Moshin Vineyards. It is a gravity fed winery. The winery kindly donated 10% of proceeds from Climate Riders to the ride - a much appreciated partnership. Purchased wines could be stashed in a Prius support vehicle for later retrieval. Several riders enjoyed the wine for dinner that night.

After the winery we crossed the Russian River on a rusty old bridge at Wohler Road and started to head back towards the ocean on the other side of the river. We crossed Mark West Creek - another tributary of the Russian River.

Traditional Medicinals

We were back on River Road heading westwards to Rio Dell, when suddenly a sign directed us left up a steep hill - a surprise. One third of the way up, even though I was climbing well I was defeated. I decided in the heat of the morning to push the bike and take a rest. For the first time on the ride my quads were burning. Stopping at the pharmacy, the accident, the winery (where I only drank the ride's Brita filtered water) and the rusty bridge meant I wasn't warmed up. The hill was short and before long I was heading along the very straight Gravenstein highway. Soon we turned off on to quiet roads and in another couple of miles I was passing the herb tea company, Traditional Medicinals.

Drake and his dog in a VW van

The receptionist, Sarah said there was no visitor center, but I could look around the grounds. She gave me information about the company and I found they made green tea when she offered me a cup, which I gladly accepted. While the tea was being prepared I walked among the sages, lavenders and herbs in the demonstration garden fed by sewage.
Among the plants were sculptures by local artist Patrick Amiot. The first of these artistic creations that I saw was of the company chairman, Drake Sadler, who happened to be in the lobby when I arrived, with his dog in a VW hippy van. When Drake co-founded the company this is how he sold his teas - driving himself to health food stores. Now Drake told me that the company can be thought of as a pharmaceutical company.

Smooth Move Outhouse

Sarah told me that the Smooth Move product line is a best-seller and Patrick had a sculpture of an outhouse to reflect this. I really enjoyed my rest, strolling around the gardens, and felt energized by the green tea. Thank you - Traditional Medicinals. Our lunch rest stop at Ragle Ranch Regional Park was another five miles away and the vineyard, horse country scenery was really pleasant. It was on the edge of Sebastopol. I caught up with Roz at lunch who was just about to set off.

After lunch we had the worst road of our ride. It was the Sebastopol-Bodega Bay road and there were loads of pickup trucks speeding by and no shoulder, plus there was another short hill to climb. I'd eaten too much good food at lunch to be in shape to feel like climbing the hill and it was hot, so along with other Climate Riders, I took a break and watched the traffic whiz by. The Bodega Highway seemed unusually busy, but maybe it was because contractors and farm people had been into Sebastopol for lunch. For 6 miles we biked along this dreadful road. I am glad to see that federal stimulus money will improve the surface of this road. One of the bad things about it was, just when you thought there was a shoulder to bike on, it would vanish and you needed to take the lane, but there was so much traffic that I constantly had to move in to the side to let people pass. I was pleased to turn off on the Freestone-Valley Ford Road, and managed to climb the hill at the end.

SAG wagon at Valley Ford

Before long I was at Valley Ford, where there was a SAG wagon giving out water. I gladly took some and pedaled on Middle Road, a really good route for the 7 miles to Tomales. There I stopped at our afternoon rest stop at the bakery. I rested for half an hour in an Adirondack chair chatting to locals and telling them about the Climate Ride. Buying a large mug of tea, a slice of fruit pie and an oatcake with nuts gave me real energy for the first time all day.

Tomales Bay

I was just about to pedal off to Olema, when the bakery owner received a call saying someone had left their backpack behind and would I bring it to camp. So backpack on back, I set off. I was so pleased to see the sea again, the air was so refreshing. The road along Tomales Bay had new smooth tarmac, with little traffic and I was finally awake. The late afternoon light glistened on the water and illuminated water craft in the little marinas. I stopped at Tony's Seafood and chatted to a couple enjoying their Friday evening glass of white wine with oysters. My one regret of the ride - not stopping for oysters, as I had time to make it to camp.
I was a little surprised we took the main road into Point Reyes Station and didn't turn off earlier to take the back streets. I stopped there to look at shops, then it was a quick sprint to Olema Ranch RV Resort and Campground. When you go past on Route 1, the large Laundromat sign always makes the place look scruffy, but inside it's a totally different place - very pleasant, flat camping and shady spots for RVs.

Olema Ranch - a flat camp site

Jenn Fox,the president of the San Francisco Bike Coalition, which had several Climate Riders, biked out from San Francisco to tell us about her work at Climate Works Foundation. A rider from Fresno's sustainability committee told us that they managed to get the town to put bike lanes on all new roads.

Once again my iPhone failed to track the entire ride. I hadn't given it much time to charge - so at Olema I left it out all night to make sure it could track the ride to San Francisco the next day.

The ride was about 62 miles and it tracked the first 51.49 miles. I arrived in camp around 5:30 p.m., taking 9 hours to get there, with plenty of breaks. Tracked stats are:

Started: Sep 24, 2010 8:30:48 AM

Ride Time: 4:25:38

Stopped Time: 3:23:43

Distance: 51.49 miles

Average: 11.63 miles/h

Fastest Speed: 20.43 miles/h

Climb: 1843 feet

Calories: 1900 - so I deserved the pie in Tomales!

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Climate Ride Day 3 - 100+ Miles Mendocino to Duncan's Mills

2010-09-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Roz Savage and Bike

Breakfast was from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. and I was up at 5:00 a.m. to pack my tent before light. Ready at 7:00 a.m. I watched the Climate Ride mechanics put pedals on Roz Savage's Specialized bike, as she was using cleats for the first time. I decided not to use cleats as everyone I know who's tested them falls off when they learn to use them, besides I like to walk around when I take rest stops. I did have hard-soled biking shoes though.

So Team Roz left Caspar Beach Campground at 7:25 a.m. excited at the prospect of biking 100 miles. Roz had said the night before that she didn't think of herself as an extreme athlete and she told me that in the New York to Washington DC Climate Ride she'd been a slow biker. So leaving the campsite going uphill, when she stopped her bike and walked, without falling over I had time to take a few pictures of Caspar Beach as the sun was rising and then bike to the top of the hill.

Leaving Caspar Beach at Dawn

Roz was waiting at the top, but then she pedaled fast. I just about kept up with her to the start of the Mendocino Headlands, where I told her go to at her own pace. She was off. In the distance, I estimated she was going at least 20% faster than me. Well, they say cleats can give you a 30% advantage. I realized that if I was to pedal so hard, I would never make 100 miles. I knew my limitations.

Admiring Roz's courage at using cleats for the first time on a 100-mile ride, and contemplating her swift pedaling in the Mendocino Headlands, I was crossing the river far below me at Albion before I was really awake.

View from Elk looking south

In fact, I had skipped breakfast tea and put it in a thermos to carry on my bike. My Climate Ride water bottle was under the elastic on my rear bike bag. In the haste to depart, I had forgotten to tighten the elastic and tmy water bottle flew off going downhill. So I stopped to look for it, patches of poison oak and blackberries on either side of the road. I found the water bottle cap across the other side of the road, along with 3 empty plastic bottles just dumped in the hedgerow - a plastic pollution problem. I went back to my bike, leaning on a crash barrier. On the other side of the barrier, in some blackberries I found my water bottle.

View from Elk looking north

On to Elk, where I stopped around 9:30 a.m. on the cliffs to enjoy my tea and a Clif bar. A couple of bikers passed me, but it was quiet and peaceful looking down at the waves. The road continued up and down. In a car one doesn't notice how many small streams cause the coastal road to be curved and hilly. Coming out of one of these curves, half an hour after Elk, I found Climate Ride co-founder Geraldine Carter who was encouraging us along. I wasn't the fastest rider, but I wasn't the last. I felt strong, determined to complete the full 100 miles.

With Climate Ride Co-founder Geraldine Carter

I saw an ambulance coming along. Our first casualty, hurt his arm after falling off down a hill. He arrived in camp with arm immobilized, uncertain as to whether it was broken.

The next official rest stop was at Manchester at S&B Market, an ACE hardware store. I saw the arrows to the water stop, but as I'd had my tea and still had water on my bike I didn't want to stop. However, less than 4 miles down the road at Point Arena I stopped at 11:40 a.m. a the Pirate's Cove restaurant where I saw some motor bikers speaking German who had passed me.

The Pirate's Cove, Point Arena

This was not one of the recommended delis or coffee shops on our detailed route sheet, but it looked friendly and I thought the service would be quick. After energy drinks and sweet iced tea from the Climate Ride, I decided on an unsweetened iced tea. I had plenty of Clif Bars and didn't need food. The waitress came with Mexican corn chips and salsa, but I told her to take them back - she was happy to give me them even if I wasn't ordering any other food. It was clean, friendly, offering "Authentic Mexican and American cuisine" but the best bit was I found a plug to charge up my iPhone which had not received a full charge the night before.

Before long I was enjoying the downhill through the village of Point Arena and heading through the tree-lined road with glimpses of bays. At Gualala it was "Lunch on Your Own". So I headed for the pharmacy thinking I'd be able to grab a Gatorade and energy bar. However, it was the old-fashioned kind of pharmacy that has a large drug counter and the locals were queuing up for medications. The lady at the front desk, who looked ready to serve vanished behind the pharmacy counter as I went in. So service was slow, there was no Gatorade and I grabbed a couple of chocolate bars and a Cadbury's sicky egg, as we used to call them at school. I was anxious to make Stewart's Point store at the south end of the Sea Ranch development before 2:30 p.m., our cut-off time. I made it just after 2:00 p.m. and enjoyed the water and Cytomax stop, after being totally out of water since Gualala on my bike. If I'd really wanted water I could have stopped at a state park, but I was really "in the zone" pedaling happily away. A couple of bananas and I was on my way to the 3:30 p.m. cut-off at Fort Ross. On the way, Roz's "sherpa" Jay Ho warned me that if I didn't get to Fort Ross soon, I'd get picked up. So I pedaled harder and by 3:20 p.m. was leaving Fort Ross after filling up with more Brita filtered water.

Hill climbs on the way to Jenner

Now I could relax. Before the ride, the one part I'd really been concerned about was Route 1 before Jenner, because there are no crash barriers on the cliff side at some points and I thought I might get forced to the edge by a crazy driver.

As it was on a Thursday afternoon there was little traffic and every single driver was courteous, waiting for me where I had to "take the lane". In many cases, there were passing places. The road is quite deceptive. Just when you think you've done the last uphill, you find another stretch. At my second photo/drink stop on the road, Jay Ho turned up and kindly took my photo, with the mouth of the Russian River in the background.

Almost at Jenner, the mouth of the Russian River

When I hit the junction with Meyers Grade Road (a good alternative to Route 1 on a foggy day) I knew that the Dramamine Road downhill was all that was between me and the Russian River. It was a great downhill and I cooled off in the shade. At last I was turning off Route 1 and off to Duncan's Mills.

Duncan's Mills proved to be an attractive little town and I took some photos. I was slightly mystified by pink Climate Ride arrows telling me to continue along River Road, as I could see signposts off to the right to Casini Ranch campground, our destination.

Duncan's Mills

It was even more confusing when just past Duncan's Mills I saw some Climate Riders biking in the opposite direction and asking me which way to go. I said I was following the arrows (in the back of my mind I did think "What if these are Friday's arrows and I'm missing the campsite?"). However, my trusty cyclometer registered less than 100 miles and I could only assume we were doing extra mileage to get in a 100-mile day. According to Google Maps, it's 4.2 miles from Duncan's Mills to Monte Rio, although it seemed more like 3. At Monte Rio, I entered Bartlett's General Store to look for postcards of the Dramamine Road, but there were none.

Casini Family Ranch Campground in Duncan's Mills

The arrows directed me back towards the ocean along Moscow Road, the other end of which I'd passed in Duncan's Mills. With some relief, I realized I hadn't taken the wrong turning, the pink arrows continued to appear. The road surface was a bit cracked, but it was quiet. After a mile I did wonder if I'd missed the campground as it looked as if I might hit River Road again before long. However, just before getting to Duncan's Mills the pink signs pointed into the Casini Ranch campground. I arrived to a great cheer from other Climate Riders and felt that this was one of the happiest days of my life. I took my bike to the mechanic as my gears had started to slip with all the ups and downs, pitched the tent and walked across a children's playground to the showers. It was a flat, spacious campground. I was hungry, so didn't have time to take a walk by the river. I was also anxious to charge up my iPhone which had given up tracking my ride at 90 miles, because it was running out of power. It had taken me about 11 hours in elapsed time, arriving at 6:25 p.m., with about eight and a half hours in the saddle.

Note to Apple: Please develop an iPhone with removable batteries or get your iBike made for long distance riders so I can charge with a dynamo as I go along. There was so much I wanted to do with my iPhone, look at the stars, find high tide times, identify birds, take more pictures, look for geocaches, record plant sightings, blog in my tent, say goodnight to my husband but with low power and lack of AT&T signal, even Casini Ranch lacked good cellphone coverage. The most useful thing I could do for family and friends wanting to see my progress was send a picture to Facebook or the Climate Ride Live Blog in places where there was coverage. This used little power and was a quick way to keep folk informed.

Photographer Chris Jordan, biking with his poetic wife Virginia, on a tandem showed pictures of Midway Island and baby albatrosses, dead from the Pacific plastic garbage patch, Message from the Gyre. Virginia had written a poem about their trip there that she recited.

Another lecture on sustainable communities, was given by Dan Garofalo who is Sustainability Coordinator for the University of Pennsylvania and a Climate Rider. The message he gave on upgrading buildings, recycling and social marketing in communities was valuable for my work on the Portola Valley Sustainability Committee.

The ride was 104.5 miles and it took me 11 hours with 8 hours 30 minutes of cycling time. According to Google Maps the distance for a biker past the 90 mile mark which I passed at 4:50 p.m. was 14.5 miles with a time of 1 hour 23 minutes. Statistics from Cyclemeter on the iPhone for the first 90 miles are:
Ride Time: 7:22:08
Stopped Time: 2:21:20
Distance: 90.46 miles
Average: 12.28 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 27.50 miles/h
Climb: 3676 feet
Calories: 3777

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Climate Ride Day 2 - Richardson Grove to Caspar Beach, Mendocino

2010-09-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

I woke up hungry well-rested and headed for breakfast. We made sandwiches and packed them in a brown paper bag that would be transported to our lunch stop. As the Climate Ride was sponsored by Clif Bar, I packed a couple of Clif Bars and Clif Shot Bloks for energy over the hill to the sea. I then packed up my tent - bad idea to do it AFTER instead of BEFORE breakfast - as it took ages. We were meant to start between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. it was 8:58 a.m. when I started to wheel my bike down the gravel drive of the campground.

Leaving camp at Richardson Grove

A final restroom visit, more air in the tires (the rear one seemed a little soft), photograph taking and setting my iPhone and gPhone to record my ride, meant I left the campsite at 9:11 a.m.. Very soon the colorfully decorated Glacier Guides minibus passed me and told me that the Sweep rider was half a mile ahead and he would be waiting for me. After less than a mile I was off Route 101 on to the quiet side road Route 271.

At mile 4, I was about to enter 101 again, when I thought I'd better check my back tire and found it very soft - time to change the inner tube. I quickly found a star-thistle in my tire, then the Sweep came biking towards me on the opposite side of the road and asked if I was OK. I discovered the end had come off my Topeak Bicycle Pump. So the Sweep called for a Prius to come by. Very quickly one arrived with a brand new floor pump. I inflated the tire and was on my way.

Old police car at the Peg House

The first rest stop was at the Peg House. I'd noticed the old police car parked outside on our way north. The Sweep and I filled up on water. A Prius came and told me that the next rider was an hour ahead and did I want a ride. "No!", I said and set off for the Leggett Hill. Knowing it was not as long as Page Mill Road or as steep as Old La Honda Road, I enjoyed the climb.

At the top of the hill, there was a water break where I was asked if I wanted to call Congress. With Anna Eshoo, our representative, well-versed in climate matters I felt it more important to keep pedaling and catch up with other riders.

The descent was long and curving, as shown by Conrad Wade III's video below.

I finally overtook a rider

At the bottom of the hill I caught up with another Climate Rider. Then there was a short uphill, another downhill and the sea came into view. Along the route were a few long distance bikers, complete with panniers and camping gear.

Relieved that my sandwich was still waiting for me at Westport-Union Landing State Beach, I enjoyed lunch at a picnic table, complete with tablecloth and seagulls waiting to devour my lunch. A few remaining riders were filling water bottles and getting bike tuneups, one having broken his gears on the hill. I was glad that mine had broken two weeks prior to the ride and I had a new front derailleur.

Lunch at Westport-Union Landing

The ride along route 1 was sunny and in about 11 miles I was leaving it for MacKerricher State Park. A quick stop at Lake Cleone for good restrooms and I was on the potholed, pebbley bike path to the Fort Bragg trestle. I've wanted to go over the trestle for years and now I had my chance. It was an appropriate choice of route for a ride that supported Rails-to-Trails. The bike path north of the trestle is rough, better for mountain bikes than road bikes, but it's very pretty alongside the rocks and ocean.

Fort Bragg Old Railway Trestle

The trestle has been restored and has a good surface. South of the trestle the bike path turns into a road and is smoother. I took out my iPhone to look for a bike shop. It directed me to an empty bungalow on Route 1 that said For Rent. So I went along Route 1 and found the Fort Bragg Cyclery at 221 N Main Street. I found a replacement bike pump like my broken one, the only difference being that the new one had a stronger, metal end, instead of the plastic part that I had lost. I went back up the main street and turned to the railway depot near where I had left the signposted route to follow the Climate Ride pink signs. They ended up back behind the Fort Bragg Cyclery - I could just have walked through the back door of the bike store building!

PR and Blogging At Camp

Back to Route 1, it wasn't far to Caspar Beach. On arrival I looked for a tent pitch. We had some wooded areas, but no flat ones were left. So on a slight slope, near a stream I pitched the tent. Then I went to paddle in the sea at Caspar Beach. I wished I'd arrived earlier so that I could have had a dip, as one person was snorkeling there and several were taking evening walks on the beach. As the sun was setting, I quickly had a shower in the Climate Ride shower trailer and then joined folk for dinner.

Our youngest rider, at 12 years old, gave a talk on his sustainable school in North Carolina where children are encouraged to bring clothes to a swap-meet and recycle.

Roz Savage, ocean rower and leader of Team Roz, me being the other member had arrived and inspired us with tales of her Pacific voyage. One stroke at a time, she'll row the Indian Ocean from Fremantle, with intended destination Dar Es Salaam. Then she wants to do the North Atlantic from New York to London, the wrong side of the country methought until she told me that she wants to go up the Thames during the 2012 Olympic Games. Phil Duffy, of Climate Central, spoke about the memes that climate deniers use to attack climate scientists and how to refute them.

Cyclemeter on my iPhone produced the following map of the ride, you can see where I went back and forth in Fort Bragg to find that the rest stop was at the back of the Fort Bragg Cyclery that I'd just visited from the front door.

View Larger Map

The Android phone stopped just before MacKerricher State Park - but it gives the general elevation of the Leggett Hill in gray. Also it seems I didn't go much faster downhill than on the level.

From Richardson Grove to Just before Fort Bragg

Climate Ride Day 1 - Fortuna to Richardson Grove

2010-09-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Setting Off

I thought I could blog at the campsite each night, but power was limited and we had the most interesting lectures. So I blogged at home after the ride.

Starting from the River Lodge Conference Center in Fortuna we approached 101. It had wide shoulders and after almost 4 miles we turned off on to Metropolitan Road, a quiet side road, for a couple of miles and all I could think of as I passed the smelly farms was the Yorkshire saying "Where there's muck there's money!".

Metropolitan Road near Fortuna

Soon we were back on 101 and then into Rio Del on 283, across the Eel River twice and we were at our first rest stop - Scotia museum. Scotia was a Pacific Lumber company town. The company went bankrupt and it's assets are now owned by the Humboldt Redwood Company. In the museum a former Pacific Lumber attorney told me that the town was all one lot and a newspaper article from 2006 stated that people wanted to buy their own homes.

Table of lumber yields for different sized trees

The town has formed The Town of Scotia LLC and has submitted a plan to Humboldt County for a subdivision application. Residents are still waiting to own their homes, as it has taken time to divide up the lots. Inside the museum was a curious calculator that looked like a page from a log table book engraved on a wooden cylinder. It showed the amount of lumber you'd get from a tree based on its height and girth. There were many old photographs, news clippings and a manual telephone switchboard.

Small me, big tree

After filling up with water and Cytomax I was back on the road passing the lumber mill.

The next stop was a viewpoint on 101, just before the Avenue of the Giants where I chatted to a couple who were amazed that I was biking to San Francisco. Along the Avenue of the Giants the trees seem huge on a bike. We went passed the Founders Grove, then shortly after turned down a track to the right to the Women's Grove. This delightful place by the Eel River had flush toilets, a large fireplace and picnic tables. The fireplace says "For lo in the forest there comes contentment peace and the sweet companionship of nature". I felt very peaceful and content having lunch in the forest.

Myers Flat Saloon

Tea Party Poster

Ships' lamps

The forest continued after lunch and we kept passing the Eel River. At the town of Myers Flat was a magnificent chain saw carving of a hunter. I stopped to take a picture and a bar owner came out, he told me he had some ships' lamps inside and that he had sailed the ocean on cargo boats. I told him that I was biking with the first woman to sail alone across the Pacific Ocean, Roz Savage. He said "Tell her to be sure she takes a Bible with her". In the window he had a party for the Tea Party movement.

The Avenue of the Giants continued through Miranda where I took a quick water break. Back to Route 101, recreational vehicles and logging trucks, some with logs, some without, would pass occasionally. Most of the road had wide shoulders and little traffic.

Signature Coffee Afternoon Water Break in Redway

We exited for an afternoon food and water break at Signature Coffee in Redway, a coffee shop that roasted coffee. Before long we were in Garberville. Back on 101, a good downhill led to Benbow, then a turn off on to a side road, Benbow Drive, which was rough with a rock slide. Back to 101, it becomes narrow through the Richardson Grove State Park. We passed some painted chainsaw carvings at the Legend of Bigfoot Souvenir Shop. Then just south of the state park, our destination for the night Richardson Grove RV Park Redwood Family Camp, a camp operated by the Assemblies of God. This provided a useful church for our evening lectures.

I pitched my tent, then crossed the road to dip my feet in the river - it was too shallow to swim.

Peter Lehman in the Camp Chapel

Dinner was from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. we listened in the chapel to our first lecture, Professor Peter Lehman, director of the Schatz Energy Research Center at Humboldt State University. His research interests include renewable energy systems, especially hydrogen, solar thermal, and photovoltaic technologies. He had brought a hydrogen fuel cell powered Toyota and told us that the first private car powered by hydrogen fuel cells to get a roadworthy license in the US was from Humboldt State.

Our next speaker was tweeter and blogger Alex Bea, representing a beneficiary of the Climate Ride, 1Sky. He spoke about the organizations clean air initiatives, appropriate as the previous speaker had brought his non-polluting vehicle.

Our final speaker was Keegan Eisenstadt from ClearSky Climate Solutions in Montana. He explained how carbon offsets could pay for overseas projects in reafforestation and methane capture.

I tested two bike ride tracking programs - Endomondo and Cyclemeter on the ride.
My free Endomondo Android app, which told me whenever it was pausing, that also works on the iPhone, said:

Distance:		64.08 mi
Duration:		5h:40m:42s
Avg Speed:		11.3 mph
Max Speed:		39.5 mph (strange as it doesn't show this on the graph)
Calories:		2004 kcal
Altitude:		-135 ft / 594 ft

Speed in green, altitude in grey

Endomondo showed my maximum speed was over 39 mph - not true. GPS doesn't work very well under dense redwood trees.

My paid Cyclemeter iPhone app, which told me my average speed every 10 miles, said:

Route: Fortuna To Richardson Grove

Activity: Cycle

Started: Sep 21, 2010 9:03:26 AM

Ride Time: 5:01:25

Stopped Time: 2:37:59

Distance: 64.62 miles

Average: 12.86 miles/h

Fastest Speed: 25.98 miles/h

Climb: 2239 feet

Calories: 2792

View Larger Map

The Night Before The Climate Ride

2010-09-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

Geraldine Carter, Climate Ride co-founder, greeted John and me at the check-in desk at the River Lodge Conference Center (more like a community hall than a city's idea of a conference center) in Fortuna. Having seen Geraldine's emails and her Facebook persona, it was great to meet her in person.

Then Caeli Quinn, the other co-founder of the Climate Ride welcomed us and told us how to get to dinner. Snacks awaited us and we picked up a bicycle bell and a NALGENE BPA-Free Water Bottle, inSpring Green, with vouchers and info inside. We then trekked off to the nearby Eel River Brewing Company for a barbecue dinner outside - thankfully they had heat lamps as the mist rolled in. It was wonderful to finally meet Climate Riders and an opportunity for John to see some of the team.

A little 14 mile trip to Centerville from Ferndale

2010-09-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

This morning my husband John and I decided to ride to the coast. It said 5 miles to Centerville cross, which is in memory of a shipwreck. We set off and there were old farms and new, restored properties as we made our way to the ocean.

The surf was terrific and the beach huge. We went up a hill past the cross, that seemed inaccessible and stopped at a car park where we looked down on a small beach with masses of driftwood. We'd climbed about 300 feet. We turned back, stopping at the long beach and I had my Andy Goldsworthy moment when I lined up about 10 empty crab shells on a piece of seaweed and photographed them.

We meandered back past the fairgrounds, a flower garden and horse properties before biking down the charming main street of Ferndale.
My software - Cyclemeter for the iPhone - didn't take into account the fact we stopped at the bluff and the beach - so the average speed is way slower than it actually was! Well I'm testing out the apps and next time I'll set it to detect stops.

Started: Sep 20, 2010 12:44:54 PM
Ride Time: 2:15:44
Stopped Time: 0:00 (note I hadn't set Cyclemeter to differentiate between stopping and moving times, hence the slow mph).
Distance: 14.14 miles
Average: 6.25 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 19.43 miles/h
Climb: 346 feet
Calories: 614

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Prairie Creek Redwoods and Roosevelt Elk

2010-09-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

As it was raining on Saturday September 19th we waited until afternoon before taking a walk under the big trees at Prairie Creek Redwoods. There's a visitor center with stuffed animals and birds and information about the coastal redwood trees.

We decided to take the Ossagon Trail to the sea. It's about 1.5 miles through redwood trees and sitka spruce. There's a bridge across a stream, but then we had to wade or take a big jump to cross it lower down. We didn't see any mountain bikes and seldom saw any tracks, even though it's a mountain bike trail. Had one taken a mountain bike, the Coastal Trail was quite overgrown in places and could have been tricky. On the trail were hundreds of tiny frogs. I tried to take movies of them, but every time the camera pointed to them they froze.

At the visitor center a ranger had warned us that there was a large Roosevelt Elk, characterized by white rumps, further south denting cars. We saw a large male elk defending his harem and cars reversed quickly out of the parking lot when he came towards them.

On the way back we had great views of Agate Beach from Patrick's Point State Park. There's a long cliff walk down to the beach, but we only had time for a shorter hike at Patrick's Point where we had great sea views.

More pictures...

Getting to the Start of Climate Ride

2010-09-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

John drove me to the start of the Climate Ride. My alternatives were Climate Ride bus or Amtrak bus (the train goes further inland), but I wanted a good rest and time to see the Eureka area before biking. We set off the Saturday before the ride for Ferndale, a pretty Victorian village near Fortuna and away from the main 101 highway.

I had offset the carbon dioxide emissions from our travel with Native Energy. It cost $14 to offset our trip to Ferndale and my trip to Lake Tahoe the week before.

Our first stop was the foggy Golden Gate Bridge north east viewpoint - typical summer weather and a dreadful view for tourists.

Then on to Hopland where we visited the Solar Living Institute (as the Climate Ride bus would stop there on Monday). This is a training ground for careers in solar energy and had a hippie feel to it. There's a great shop for sustainable and green gifts. We wandered around the grounds looking at solar cookers, stationary bikes that generate electricity, a solar-powered merry-go-round and various dwellings. The solar cooker was indeed hot when we put our hands near the focus of the reflector.

Redwood Suites

As we neared Fortuna, the starting point of the Climate Ride it started to rain. We stayed at the Redwood Suites, managed by the Victorian Inn in Ferndale. The Coffee Creek room had full bath, plenty of plugs for charging phones and laptop, a comfortable bed, refrigerator, microwave and little round tables, both inside and out.

Tour de Tahoe - 72 miles

2010-09-12T23:55:00.000-07:00

Climbing to Emerald Bay Viewpoint

I camped on Nevada Beach - one of my favorite places on the shores of Lake Tahoe as it has extensive sands and is quiet at the end of the season.

My start time for the huge Tour de Tahoe was between 7:00 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. and at 7:12 a.m. I was checking in. I had to take my goody bag back to the car, so about 7:30 a.m. I was off past the casinos and going along the south shore. My first stop was Pope Beach for restrooms, but more importantly to warm my hands.

I had full-fingered summer biking gloves and with mesh backs my hands were freezing. So I waved them in the sun near the beach to warm. Then the ascent up to the Emerald Bay viewpoint was slow and steady, not particularly difficult compared with the Peninsula hills.

Great snacks

I took pictures at the first viewpoint and at the second we had a rest stop, well-stocked with energy foods and fruits, as well as potatoes. I left my wind-jacket and leg warmers in a bag for the support staff to take back to the end of the ride. Going down to Homewood was quite cool. There I asked the technician to check my gears as they were skipping after I'd put the back wheel back in a different place after my flat tire on the Folsom ride the day before. He slackened the cables, which almost stopped them skipping, but I knew that really the wheel had to go back to the same place - I fixed it when I arrived home - but after Menlo Velo had done such wonderful maintenance it was annoying going round Tahoe when the gear cables were slacker than necessary.

Last rest stop

Kings Beach brought great food - ham sandwiches - a good rest stop and good conversation. Then it was along through Incline Village. This ride has plenty of support staff and at each stop sign a person with a flag encouraged bikers to stop - Honor the Stop. The route to where route 50 comes in from Carson City was quiet, with two rest stops, so even though it's uphill it wasn't too difficult.

The Nevada road surfaces are smoother than those in CA, so it was easy to go downhill to the tunnel where bikers press a button to ensure that a road sign illuminates warning drivers of bikers ahead. Then a few ups and downs to Zephyr Cove, with plenty of SAG support folk picking up those who wanted to get back quickly. I arrived back at the Horizon Casino around 4:30 p.m., where there were cheerers to greet one's arrival and waiting photographers with pictures of the Emerald Bay ascent.

This was a very well organized and supported ride.

Gold Rush 100K - Folsom to North Auburn - great scenery - flat tyre

2010-09-11T23:37:00.000-07:00

Friday night, I'd done my work and at 7:30 p.m. decided I was free to do the Folsom Gold Rush Metric Century Ride. So I booked the Lake Natoma Inn, the ride rate being less than Priceline's fixed price offer, loaded my bike on the car, and at 8:45 p.m. set off. Estimated time of arrival in Folsom was 11:30 p.m. and at 11:32 p.m. I pulled into the hotel car park.

Saturday morning, after having a pot of tea delivered to my room and eating some granola bars procured at Safeway on the way to Folsom, I headed out to the Lions Park to register for the ride. At 8:08 a.m. I was on my way.

My bike was in terrific shape - new front derailleur, new read cassette (cogs), new chain and headset tightened - a wonderful service job from Menlo Velo. After checking in at the Lions Park I had a wonderful ride past the huge Folsom dam. Then we went along a trail to the west of the lake and past picnic tables. I grabbed some water from a drinking fountain, having only brought along one bottle. We went past a beautiful residential neighborhood, it could have been Los Altos Hills, except it was less hilly. Then to the first rest stop.

Lunch in North Auburn

The route meandered along back lanes. We were within 3 miles of Lincoln. We went past llamas, horses, goats and cows and took some small hills up to north Auburn where we had an excellent break.

Then back along some of the route we had just come, but soon we turned further east and crossed Route 80 up to the town of Newcastle. It had a long shed. It looked like an attractive stopping place on the way to Lake Tahoe as an alternative to the larger and much busier Auburn.

Downhill towards Folsom Lake we eventually hit the Auburn-Folsom road that was narrowed by road works. The route took us back to the trail that leads to Sacramento from Folsom dam. We went on the trail a short way then back to the Cyclebration. I was just in time to see the end of the cyclocross races. A meal of pasta, fruits and energy foods was waiting. The bike fest was in full swing with band, vendors booths and people on all kinds of bikes. I bought some leg warmers from the Pearl Izumi booth, enjoyed my meal then headed off for tomorrow's Tour de Tahoe ride.

A big thank you to another Anonymous Donor

2010-09-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU

ANONYMOUS DONOR

This morning's surprise - another donation for my Climate Ride. Thank you very much anonymous donor - I really appreciate it! I will think of you as I bike Lake Tahoe in the Tour de Tahoe this weekend, especially when going up to Emerald Bay viewpoint early in the morning - I am scheduled to start between 7:00 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. and I have to check in at 6:30 a.m.

Hot Labor Day 31 miles in the Coyote Valley

2010-09-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

Coyote Creek Trail
near the Eucalyptus picnic area

With my bike at Menlo Velo for new front derailleur, new chain, new rear cogs and a general overhaul and checkup before the Climate Ride, I decided to test out biking in really hot weather. So I headed with my hybrid 1993 Yokota Ahwahnee Cross bike. I took it to near the Santa Teresa County Park in San Jose. Up Bernal Road, I found a path into the park. It was a single track, bumpy path - too much for my bike which has fairly smooth tires - not the original ones. So I pushed the bike along the trail and headed for the cool of the golf course for water.

Then I went across 101 on Bernal Road and found the Coyote Creek Trail by the Holiday Inn Silicon Valley. I took it south towards Morgan Hill through the Coyote Valley. All kinds of bikers - children learning to ride, experienced long distance cyclists and teenagers - were out for a ride. The Coyote Creek Trail, which I had encountered on Saturday near Dixon Landing Road rubbish dump comes and goes through San Jose, but here it continues for a long stretch.

I passed fishing ponds and a model plane aerodrome - the Santa Clara County Model Aircraft Skypark. A couple of planes were doing loop-the-loops and it was fun to look at them as they dipped down on the runway.

Santa Clara Model Aircraft Airport. Source: sccmas.org

I found some shady picnic tables under some eucalyptus trees. Along the path was another rest area under oak trees. The Coyote Valley Ranch seemed a good place to hold a company picnic. Eventually the path ended in a residential neighborhood. I took Cochrane Road up to the Anderson Lake dam. The car park attendant doubted I could climb the hill up to the dam - but it was no problem on my hybrid bike and I was glad of fresh water in the sweltering heat.

After a rest by the lake I headed back along Cochrane Road to Monterey Street, the Old Monterey Highway, on which I headed back north. At Tilton Avenue I took a left turn and then a right on to Hale Avenue. I passed a huge mushroom farm, as well as a farm selling fresh corn. There was a head wind and it was hot. At Bailey Avenue the road turns into Santa Teresa Boulevard with a good bike lane. I biked down there for a while, then turned on San Ignacio Avenue back to my car. I'd done just over 31 miles in just over 3 hours.

58 miles round the South Bay via Dumbarton Bridge and Light Rail - front gear breaks

2010-09-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

I set off down Alpine Road around 1:00 pm for the Stanford Mall with no definite plans as to where I was going. My goal was to do a 60 mile ride and as it was a hot day I thought a ride near the Bay might be fun. I crossed El Camino at the end of Sand Hill Road and followed the Palo Alto side of the creek to Middlefield Road, cutting off a bend on Palo Alto Avenue using Poe Street. I then took Woodland Avenue and Marmona Drive to Gilbert Avenue where I planned to turn left and then hit Willow Road. At the Gilbert Avenue, Willow Road junction a sign for bikers pointed the way to the Ringwood Avenue Bike Bridge across 101. I took that to East Menlo Park.

View Larger Map
Ivy Drive is a quiet street that passes Belle Haven school. Here the street is passable by bikes, but not cars. I took a left turn on a street parallel to Willow Road and then right on Hamilton Avenue led me to the fast food plazas on Willow Road. A block further down Willow Road I hit the Bay Trail and headed for the Dumbarton Bridge. Unfortunately iTunes 10 reset my iPhone and I lost all my pictures and video from this ride. The scenes from the bridge were beautiful - hills surrounding the bay and sea birds flying around. The trail is really convenient and with little traffic on a holiday weekend, the bridge was a great place to enjoy the sea breezes.

View Larger Map

I headed to the Don Edwards Nature Preserve, and noted that the trail to the bike bridge over the Dumbarton Bridge Toll Plaza was paved. So across the bridge I went to the Coyote Hills Regional Park. I took the rough Quarry Trail and looked down into the quarry below. Then went around to have a view of the Bay, pushing my bike along the rough trail. I chatted with a hiker and then took off on my bike, on the rough track, not an ideal surface for road bikes. I had a quiet rest stop at the group picnic tables and then aimed for the 11 mile paved trail to Niles. There were many white pelicans in both the lagoons and the Bay, as well as egrets and cormorants.

Alameda Trail with Mission Boulevard Bridge. Source: baytrail.org

The Alameda Creek Trail to Niles goes on either side of a drainage channel - the north side is a rough trail and the south side is a paved trail. As there was construction work on the south side, a chain link fence blocked the trail and I took the unpaved trail for a short distance before deciding that it was easier and faster to bike on the road. I then went back to the paved trail which passed some scenic lakes with geese, white pelicans, ducks, seagulls and cormorants. I passed Mission Boulevard and took an energy break in a small park.

I then turned back along the trail and took Mission Boulevard south, passing the Fremont Mission. I headed along Paseo Padre Parkway to avoid the Mission Boulevard/680 intersection and went down South Grimmer Boulevard to Warm Springs Boulevard. Warm Springs was indicated on my Santa Clara Valley bike map as being a good route for bikers so I took it to Dixon Landing Road - the road leading to a huge garbage dump. Just before the dump is a bike trail - it had too many leaves on it to be useful, so I took McCarthy Boulevard parallel to the Coyote Creek Trail. I joined the trail just before 237 and took it through a field. The trail was in bad condition with star thistles growing out of it and many weeds. It comes out on Zanker Road, which I took over 237. I then realized it was about 5:30 p.m. and I'd have a hard time biking back to Ladera for dinner at 6:30 p.m..

Fremont Mission

So I headed for the light rail, following my bike map route along Holger Way to Headquarters Drive. I crossed North First Street and went along Vista Montana to Tasman Drive. As I was going over the San Tomas Aquino Creek I noticed that the pedaling seemed harder than usual. My front gear lever was in the lowest gear, but the chain was on the highest gear. I tugged on the gear cable to make sure it wouldn't come loose and pedaled over the creek to the Tasman light rail station. No sooner had I looked around the station a train came and bike commuter helped me put my bike on the rack. You tip it up - my water bottle which had an open top spilled water - and then hook the front wheel on a hook. See how to take your bike on the Valley Transportation Authority's light rail network.

Bike rack on light rail. Source: VTA

For me it was the first time I'd taken the light rail and it was a very pleasant journey to Mountain View. I asked John if he could pick me up, but he said I could pedal fast and he would order dinner with 3 friends at the Red Lotus. In a high gear, it was easy to go fast along California Street, then to the Miller Avenue/Wilkie Way bike bridge over Barron Creek into Palo Alto. I took Park Boulevard behind Fry's then right on California Avenue, left on Park Boulevard, with a quick drink of water at Peers Park then across El Camino Real to the Stanford Campus. Stuck in high gear I sprinted across the campus and up Alpine Road, half an hour late for dinner - but still plenty of my choice order - green chicken curry - waiting for me.

I spent 4 hours 28 minutes 55 seconds biking and did 58.75 miles, not quite the 60 I'd hoped for, but close. Indeed, my total mileage for the week, was over 120 miles plus my daily coffee shop 5.7 mile rides - so I'd achieved the 90-140 mile target set by the Climate Ride.

Half Moon Bay For Dinner

2010-09-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

Bottom of Old La Honda Rd

At 3:45 p.m. on Friday I met a friend at the bottom of Old La Road for a trip to Half Moon Bay. Steadily up the hill I climbed using Endomondo on an Android phone to track my ride. It lost the GPS a couple of times under the redwood trees, but kept on tracking with no problems. I like the way that the app talks to you when it pauses. I'd never biked down the west side of Old La Honda Road before, it is scenic and twisty with a few cracks in the road. It starts in redwoods then goes to open grasslands and oaks before hitting the Woodside-La Honda Road, route 84 at an awkward junction.

Driscolls Ranch Statue on 84

A large earth carrying truck rattled by us on 84, but after La Honda the road was quiet with a few motor bikes. We took a rest stop at the San Gregorio Store. Then took the old stage coach road to Route 1 and cruised into the lively town of Half Moon Bay. Restaurants were buzzing on a Friday night and we had great pizza, fine Italian food and Italian breads at It's Italia - a great place for a night out near the beach.

The ride was 30.58 miles and took 3 hours 1 minute. Endomondo claims the ride burned 956 Calories - so I didn't feel guilty about enjoying the Italian bread.

Two little 18 mile local rides - including Valparaiso

2010-08-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

Palm Drive, Stanford Source: Stanford University Web Site

On Monday I took a trip to the Page Mill YMCA via Arastradero Road and the Gunn High School bike path. I returned via the Stanford campus to avoid being on roads where drivers are blinded with the setting sun. I then crossed the bike bridge near the Stanford Mall to Menlo Park, to retrieve some sunglasses I'd left at the Imperial College barbecue in the Napa Valley, but the friends who had kindly picked them up for me were out. So I came home via Alpine Road.

On Tuesday, I set out for Menlo Park again to retrieve my sunglasses. I also did some shopping at Safeway and then decided I wanted a climbing challenge. So I took Valparaiso up into Sharon Heights which gets very steep. Many years ago I'd tried this hill and had to push my bike - but this time I made it. I then meandered around Sharon Heights passing the goldfish pond in Sharon Park and taking in a few hills. Finally I exited on to Sand Hill Road and climbed up past the Horse Park then Portola Road home - another good 18 mile ride.

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51 miles - Wine Country via Vallejo Ferry and Caltrain - Oak Tree Falls

2010-08-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday I decided to achieve my training goal of 40 miles by biking to an Imperial College Alumni barbecue in St Helena. So at 6:40 a.m. I set off for Menlo Park Caltrain Station. Down Alpine, avoiding traffic lights on the Alpine Bike Trail, to Sand Hill Road then across El Camino to the bike path and bridge that connects the Palo Alto and Menlo Park parts of Alma. I arrived there at 7:12 a.m. and waited for the train.
On weekends the train stops at every station and on arriving at San Francisco I was totally blown down Townsend Street by a strong wind. The instinct is to keep on Townsend to the edge of the Bay, but at 2nd street a bike sign indicated a right turn then a left on King Street so that one ends up on the right hand side of the Embarcadero in a bike lane.

As the Embarcadero curved around the tail wind changed to a strong cross wind with London plane tree leaves swirling as high as my face, then there was a headwind. The aim was to get the Vallejo Baylink Ferry from the Ferry Building at 10:00 a.m., so I had time to ride along the Embarcadero to Pier 41, where I could have embarked at 9:35 p.m. I returned to the Ferry Building, to eat a good breakfast, carrot and ginger juice with kale salad, from a raw food bar. Inside I found a fresh scone. A vendor's umbrella nearly took off - causing a mad frenzy as vendors held on to their awnings in the wind.

The scenes from the ferry ride on a fast catamaran were wonderful - views of San Francisco's city, Alcatraz, oil refineries, Mount Tamalpais, under the Richmond Bridge. My bike was outside at the back - I should have taken the mirror and bike computer off as both were covered in salt water at the end. I enjoyed a cup of coffee sitting outside on the deck above my bike, where I also was sprayed. Several fellow travelers were taking the ferry for the first time and I highly recommend the one hour ride. At Vallejo, I bought a handmade glass bead necklace from one of the craft vendors on the promenade.'

Still windy, I vaguely followed Google Maps, delaying my entrance on to Route 29 so that I could go on quiet side streets - some pretty scruffy - some with elegant old houses.

Vallejo Ferry Terminal

On Route 29, there are many entrances and exits from streets and strip malls. There's plenty of glass on the shoulder and debris as you enter American Canyon. A sign saying "The Start of Your Napa Valley Experience" made me laugh because motorists were starting to experience the long traffic jams that are part of the Napa Valley Experience in holiday season.

I was pleased when I came to the fork for Downtown Napa or Rte 29. I took the wrong turning for about 25 yards then walked back with my bike and took ages to cross the road with its continuous stream of traffic to get back on Route 121 the Downtown Napa road.

Skyline Wilderness Park

At the hospital I remembered that if I turned right I would get to the Skyline Wilderness Park complete with picnic tables and restrooms. We had hiked there last year as part of my goal to do the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It felt good to stop at a picnic table for water, trail mix and an energy bar.

I took out my iPhone and Google Maps told me I could take 4th Avenue as a quieter alternative to 121. It was really pleasant going through rolling hills to Coombsville Road, then 1st Avenue, then Hagen Road which led to the Silverado Trail.

Stags' Leap Winery Entrance

The ride up the Silverado Trail was good, despite a steady stream of traffic and a strong crosswind. A couple of tourist buses gave a good slipstream,. which I hadn't felt in a long time, and I had a shady rest at the Stags' Leap Winery (you have to be over 21 to read this link). My iPhone told me there was 11 miles to go to my St Helena destination.

Encouraged with renewed energy I pedaled on until I saw Zinfandel Lane, my turn off, ahead. A large oak tree had just fallen across two lanes of the Silverado Trail. A tour bus that had overtaken me did a U-turn. Cars had been getting through on the sloping verge, but an SUV with trailer was nearly tipping so the route was blocked. A policeman had just stopped and was asking motorists if they had a chain saw. A truck driver emerged with an axe.

I was able to pass on my bike and go with traffic coming from the north down Zinfandel Lane. In the opposite direction a fire truck was coming to chop the tree. It was a short trip up 29 to the Imperial College Alumni Barbecue - all in all 51.1 miles in 4 hours 6 minutes - my 40 mile and 60 mile ride goal for the week had been exceeded. I was happy.

64 miles - Pescadero, San Gregorio, Back up 84

2010-08-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

I had to do a 40 and 60 mile ride this week and by Friday had done neither, so decided to set off up Page Mill Road. It was windy and I managed to get past Gate 3 where I had stopped before, but shortly after needed a water break. Then rest stop at the Monte Bello Preserve parking lot.

Loma Mar Store

Shortly after passing Alpine Road a dead branch blocked the lane. It occurred to me that I could wimp out and turn right on the Skyline Drive and do a short ride, but it didn't seem too windy so across I went down Old Alpine Road. Another chance to turn back was at the bottom of Old Alpine Road, where there's a connecting road to La Honda, but at this stage I had to persist with my 60-mile goal. The hill up past Sam McDonald County Park was so much easier than when I'd done it a few months ago - so the training is paying off. A peaceful, pleasant ride took me through redwoods to Loma Mar. I bought some Kirkland (Costco) trail mix and a banana at the general store. Tip: there are no restrooms there, but plenty at the San Mateo County Memorial Park that I had just passed.

Pescadero General Store

It was 4:00 p.m. at Pescadero and I bought a drink at the General Store. It's plain looks betray its friendly ambience and it has a pleasant outside picnic area. Norm's Market - Archangeli's Country Bakery - has excellent artichoke bread and also caters to bikers with a picnic area behind the store. No time for artichoke soup at Duarte's.

I pedaled along the Stage Coach Road, past the cemetery covered in pink flowers and up the first hill. I'd only biked here once before and didn't realize that I had a second hill to go up before getting to the San Gregorio Store. Thinking about my sponsors spurred me on. Also seeing the sunlight shimmering on the sea gave me energy. I reached route 84 at 5:00 p.m. - clearly time to turn home.

At the Driscoll Ranches I love the horse statue so stopped there to fill myself with Gatorade to get me up the hill. Apple Jacks Inn was teaming with a lively crowd, but I had no time to stop in La Honda. Going up route 84 on a Friday night when there can be drunks and pickup trucks I took care to make myself visible on the many blind corners. I was soon up and over 84, it gets flatter nearer the top, and down to Portola Road. At the Portola Road/84 junction is a really tight turn that requires good braking and turning skills - especially when there is traffic on Portola Road waiting to enter 84, as there was on Friday night.

Music was in the air as I passed the Family Farm. At 7:00 p.m. I noticed at the Valley Presbyterian Church our weekly vegetable box (which included apples for the first time this week) from Blue House Farm had not been picked up, so emailed John to pick up our food as unlike my student days when I'd happily have balanced a big box on my bike, I was in no mood to do it.

At the Town Center, Portola Valley was having musical entertainment from the Windy Hill band. So I stopped and chatted at the town picnic7:15 p.m., encouraged by a sponsor saying I'd probably climbed 5000 ft, then pushed on the extra 2 miles home. I'd achieved the 60-mile goal - by doing 64.39 miles in 6 hours 44 minutes and 55 seconds.

Western Wheelers Ice Cream Ride then up Woodside Hills - 32 miles

2010-08-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday started with an 8:00 a.m. service at Christ Church Portola Valley and Woodside - 4 congregants arrived on horseback - such is rural life. The church office roof showed new solar panels. Knowing I'd be too late for the start of an official 10:00 a.m. ride to Western Wheelers Annual Ice Cream Social in Shoup Park, Los Altos, I created my own ride.

Down Alpine Road, to the Konditorei to see if John was having coffee. John wasn't there - then I remembered he'd gone off to the annual Hot Chips conference at Stanford. So I turned round and headed along Arastradero Road through Los Altos Hills to Shoup Park, arriving 30 minutes early. So I took a look round Main Street Los Altos, where there was a Corvette car rally. I dashed to the ice cream ride at noon - had a small scoop of frozen yogurt with fruit toppings then headed for a birthday luncheon in Woodside Hills.

I made good time along Foothill Expressway. After crossing Woodside Rd (84) on the Alameda de Las Pulgas, I took Fernside Street then climbed into Woodside Hills up Woodside Drive, eventually turning off for lunch. It was then I found my iPhone - original model - would no longer work - the top half of the screen lost its touch sensitivity. After lunch I went up Woodside Road to Portola Valley - the total trip was about 32 miles.

In the next two days I discovered that to get a functional iPhone:

the Apple Store could not sell me an iPhone because my account was labeled a small business account
the AT&T reseller across the road could do nothing
the AT&T stores from San Francisco to Palo Alto had sold out of iPhone 4s
it took 2 hours (including time on hold and switching between operators) to get two phone accounts moved from business to consumer
then I could go back to the Apple Store and get an iPhone 4, but they had no cases
then I could go to the AT&T store, where they had a vast selection of iPhone 4 cases
I had to call 611 to reset my voicemail password, via a text message from AT&T

Tour de Menlo - 100K - 4th attempt to do it right!

2010-08-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday 21st August was the Annual Tour de Menlo, a fundraiser for the Menlo Park Rotary Club. The first two years I did this ride it had 5 big hills:

Year 1 - set off just before cut-off time at 8:57 a.m. and biked up on hybrid bike Jefferson, Farm Hill to top of Cañada College, pushed bike up 3 hills, cut the ride short to get back by 5 pm, did 5th hill Melendy Drive, San Carlos two weeks later
Year 2 - again on hybrid bike managed to bike up 4 of the 5 hills to top of Cañada College, Crestview Drive, Bunker Hill Drive and Parrott Drive. If you want a beautiful view of the Crystal Springs Reservoir Dam then Parrott Drive is a worthy climb. Biking over 280 on the Ralston Avenue bike bridge my pedals were sticking, but on Cañada Road they froze and refused to go further. So I scooted my bike along and called for help.
Year 3 - the route had changed to be less hilly and similar to this year's 2010 route, but I was too late back to get ice cream at the end and one of the last to have lunch.

So this year I was all ready for an 8:00 a.m. start. A friend with colleague from India was joining me, but I had a few spare minutes. So I decided to give my tires an extra pump of air. Bad idea. The end of the Presta valve broke in two on my Kenda inner tube (manufacturer's website says it has a removable Presta core) and flew in the air. Then the end of my Blackburn floor pump rolled away. So I was forced to change inner tube and pump up with my excellent on-bike Topeak pump.

Edgewood Road coming down to Cañada Road

We set off up from Menlo-Atherton School with its new Performing Arts Center. Up Edgewood Road I pulled ahead and enjoyed the downhill on to Cañada Road.

When we reached 92 I gave my jacket to the visitor from Mumbai because there was a chilly fog. After going down Bunker Hill Road we hit the first rest stop on Polhemus Road. We were told that we would have to bike hard to meet the 1:00 p.m. cut off time for lunch.

Removed jacket at 92, revealing flag shirt

Heading for Woodside, I chased my friend down Cañada Road to Roberts Market, going faster than usual. We waited for her Indian guest but he was not there so we agreed that to make it for lunch I would have to go on ahead. Cutting off a corner by going on Mountain Home Road, instead of Whiskey Hill Road and Sand Hill Road, I dashed to the rest stop. On the way I remembered my car keys were in my loaned bike jacket. So I called my husband asking him to bring a 2nd set of car keys and inner tube (he brought 2) to the next rest stop at Portola Valley Fire Station on Portola Road. There I overtook a few people.

I sped through Los Altos Hills, taking the Foothill College bike path round the car park, which I missed on my 3rd Tour de Menlo. At 1:00 p.m. I was passing Loyola Corners on Foothill Expressway. As I reached the Picchetti Winery, lunch was being cleared away - by the skin of my teeth I managed to get my salad, chicken, sausage and water. The only steep hill of the climb is the half-mile start of Monte Bello Road up to the winery. If you want a view of the San Francisco Bay, then drive up Monte Bello Road. It took ages to bike to the top on my hybrid bike, years ago, when I went on the rough trail at the end over Black Mountain to Page Mill Road.

Sprinting back along Foothill Expressway I met a group of Western Wheelers riders who'd been to Saratoga. Then it was a flat ride down Valparaiso to the start, where there were about 5 cars left in the car park - so I wasn't last. I thought I'd look for the end of my bike pump again, and found it in the road, so a good end to a 100K ride.

Big Thank You Anonymous Donor

2010-08-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

Last night I invited some more people to sponsor my ride.

This morning an email informed me that I'd received a donation from an Anonymous Donor.

Thank you so much Anonymous Donor - and thank you to all my named donors who have helped me raise $1300 to date.

Tire change day

2010-08-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted faster tires so I today I remoeved my Schwalbe Marathon 700c x 25 tires and put on some Bontrager (from Trek) Race Lite Hardcase smoother and narrower 700c x 23 tires. Both tires claim to resist punctures. In 2 1/2 years, I've only had one flat tire with my Marathons and they were so thick I rode the back tire flat across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito.

I pumped my new tires, which claim they can be pumped to 120 psi, to over 100 psi, instead of 80 psi, the pressure of the older tires. Hopefully, I won't be the last back to Menlo-Atherton School at the end of the Tour de Menlo 100K next Saturday.

Friday 53 miles - Bay shore and San Andreas Fault

2010-08-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Perusing the Santa Clara County Bikeways Map I was thinking how to go to Alviso, when the phone rang. Then a second caller wanted me to go and play the piano in 75 minutes time in Redwood City at Gordon Manor with Spirit Care Ministry. I headed for Redwood City with music on my bike's carrier - down Alpine Road, along the Alameda to Stockbridge, crossing 84 and taking back streets, Nimitz Avenue, Valota Road and Palm Avenue to Gordon Street.

Bagel Street Cafe

I left Gordon Manor, via more back streets to Whipple Avenue then along Industrial Boulevard to Holly Street. Had a late lunch at the Bagel Street Cafe, in Redwood Shores shopping center. I headed towards the Bay, being greeted by some children who refueled me with lemonade and a brownie. The bike lanes and bike paths in Redwood Shores are flat and generally quiet.

San Mateo bike trail - foggy San Francisco

The Bay Area Trail, with a 15 mph speed limit, takes you under route 92 and out towards the airport past many parks and rest areas. There were plenty of kite surfers in the Bay - be careful you don't get your ear clipped with a kite string - I once heard of an accident like this that happened to a biker. I recommend doing the Bay Trail, which is paved, mid-week as at the weekends it is crowded with children, strollers, scooters, roller bladers, walkers as well as bikes.

British Airways heading for SFO

After Coyote Point Beach, I went towards the airport for about half a mile before turning back past the Peninsula Humane Society to test out the recently finished road improvements at the Peninsula Avenue bridge across 101. It had a bike lane and pedestrian sidewalk. The bike lane then disappeared and I took a road to the left that had a bike sign on it, but was busy with parked cars, and a steady stream of traffic passing me.

Bagpiper at end of Sawyer Camp Trail

I headed west across the Caltrain tracks and up West Bellevue Avenue, another road with a bike sign. Burlingame and San Mateo need improved bikeways. Choosing roads that went uphill and generally south or west I found Black Mountain Road, a gentle climb up to 280.

At the end of the Sawyer Camp Trail I was warned by a biker that it would be foggy. Indeed it was a little foggy, like a Scottish loch, complete with a bagpiper. A quick trip along Canada Road took me home. Total biking time 4 hours 39 minutes.

I am testing various bike route tracking apps. From Gordon Manor, I used Endomondo - a free app that creates a Google Map. Here's a picture of the map. I haven't managed to work out how to import a live map yet.

Quick 20 miles through Los Altos Hills

2010-08-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

My second ride from the Alpine Inn with the South Bay Bicycling Group went at a challenging pace for me - from home it was 20.21 miles in 100 minutes - 12 mph average with some short hills. Now Arastradero Road is a breeze and we headed off from there to Purissima, Robleda, Elena, up Moody a little way, then the crucial turn is on Tepa Way. It leads uphill to Summit Wood Road, La Loma Drive, Prospect Avenue and then Stonebrook Drive past a quarry lake surrounded by large, modern homes. Stonebrook Drive leads to a couple of gates through which bikes can pass to Magdalena. Took 35 minutes from the Alpine Inn to reach Magdalena.

Down Magdalena, under 280 takes you to Summerhill Avenue - a straight road that I discovered a couple of weeks ago. Instead of going uphill to Altamont, as on my previous ride, I discovered how to get to University, parallel to Foothill Expressway. The trick is to take Quinnhill Road and Quinnhill Avenue - over a steep little hill.

Then it's a fast ride along University to Edith, Fremont and back to Arastradero. Took the Arastradero bike path between Deer Creek Road and Purissima - noting the fake tree that's a wireless antenna near the drinking fountain opposite the junction with Purissima and Arastradero. The group ate at Amigo's Grill. My husband joined us and sat opposite someone he'd hired at Bell Labs, 28 years ago!

Sawyer Camp Trail - The Bridge Is Still Open

2010-08-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

With a head wind I set off at 4:55 pm on Sunday afternoon for Cañada Road in Woodside, one of the best biking roads around as it's straight, quiet, reasonably flat and has good bike lanes. Fog on the Skyline Drive looked dense, so following the San Andreas Fault seemed a good idea. Progress was good - 38 minutes to Edgewood Road, under an hour to Highway 92. The California Highway Patrol were parked behind a bush on Cañada Road near the water temple and on the exit ramp from 280 to west 92. A good thing too - many times I've been overtaken by speeding joy riders on Cañada Road.

At the Highway 92/Cañada Road junction there's a button for bikers to press. Since there was a car ahead I didn't think I needed to press it - but the light changes so fast there wasn't time to make it across 92 in time and I had to wait for a fast car that didn't even slow going west on 92. Lesson learned: press the button for the traffic light even if there's a car in front of you.

The weather was miserable - a damp Scotch mist swirled around and I could have been looking at a Scottish loch. As Caltrans had posted a roadside notice (no notice on their website of current projects yet) saying that the bridge across the reservoir dam on highway 35 would be closed in August until 2013 I was eager to see if I could cross it. Indeed, the bridge was open. So even though I knew it would probably mean biking home with lights I decided to bike the length of the Sawyer Camp Trail - coasting when necessary to keep to the speed limit of 15 mph.

San Andreas Reservoir - note fog

I climbed the San Andreas reservoir dam quickly - clearly my training is paying off! I was surprised to see a lady driving a Volvo station wagon (estate car) very slowly along the trail - warning watch out for vehicles. She crossed the dam and then went up a road on the west side of the San Andreas reservoir - so clearly not a trespasser. The road, Pilarcitos Road, leads to Portola Road. At the trail end, I took a Gatorade break, then stopped at the restroom coming back near the Laurel Tree half way along the trail as it's usually very clean.

The trail was quiet going back, although I encountered 6 deer as the sun started to set. There were many fewer strollers, roller bladers, joggers, hikers and bikers, that crowd the first mile of the trail, when I returned than on my outbound journey.

Crystal Springs Reservoir
From Sawyer Camp Trail

Plenty of traffic was returning from Half Moon Bay on 92, but a wide bike lane - albeit cracked - and traffic lights made the return to Cañada Road quite pleasant. Also, unlike weekdays, there are no garbage trucks traveling to and from the Ox Mountain landfill near Half Moon Bay. So it was a quick pedal back, switching on lights and having another Gatorade stop in Woodside on Mountain Home Road, near Larry Ellison's Japanese estate. Not a single car passed me on Mountain Home Road, but I had to look out for more frightened bambis. Deer were abundant on Portola Road. A wind had left eucalyptus debris near Springdown Equestrian center. It took me 3 hours 25 minutes 11 seconds to do 42.83 miles on a windy day - an average of over 12.5 mph - while not fast by biking standards, it was my fastest speed for the route. Finally, I'm biking at the speed I did in college on an old sit-up and beg bike!

Friday - late afternoon ride up Page Mill Road

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

I've come down Page Mill Road several times, but never been all the way to the top. So on Friday afternoon I decided that would be my challenge. After my 5 mile morning coffee ride I needed to do another 25 miles to meet my 30-mile goal for the day.

Energized by receiving a late birthday present of a bike shirt featuring an off-center Union Jack, I donned it and jumped on my bike. The route to Page Mill Road from Portola Valley via Arastradero Road is not my favorite. It would be a good idea to make a paved bike trail through the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve. On late Friday afternoon, the road was very quiet - so I didn't have to Share The Road with many cars.

Page Mill is a roller coaster uphill with some flat and even downhill spots. The first milestone is arriving at the junction with Altamont Road, a climb from Los Altos Hills. I was soon there. Then you pass the entrance to Palo Alto Foothills Park - you have to show you are a Palo Alto resident to gain admission. Then the road gets steeper.

Star Thistle

At Gate 3 of the Foothills Park it was time to stop for water. I seriously considered turning round as I knew what the road looked like higher up and there was no element of surprise in discovering a new route. However, up I went, past Gate 4, past Gate 5 watching the distance markers. Finally a sign said Los Trancos Open Space Preserve and I knew I'd soon be at the car park for the Earthquake Walk - one of the best places to take tourists who want to see evidence of the 1906 earthquake. There's even some downhill just before the car park, across the road from another car park for Monte Bello Preserve, the start of an easy hike up Black Mountain. It's now Star Thistle season - they are alongside many roads and there were plenty at the entrance to the Monte Bello Preserve car park - so watch out - they can easily give you flat tires (punctures). Another water break at the car park and I was energized to go all the way to the Skyline Drive.

Bay view from Page Mill Road

On my left I passed our road - Alpine Road - now a rough track, that hits a landslide. With a mountain bike and a little single track through the woods I would have been able to take a short cut home. Arriving at the Skyline Drive I hadn't quite done 12.5 miles to get me my 25 mile round trip. At this junction, is the car park for Russian Ridge Preserve. I headed south on Skyline for the Horseshoe Lake car park - there's quite a downhill to the car park. It's a peaceful place for a break, with the evening light on Black Mountain and luckily no fog. On a hot day take 2 bottles of water if you are going to do this trip as the car parks I passed don't have water fountains.

The return trip was uneventful with good views of the San Francisco Bay - the pull up Skyline Drive to the junction with Page Mill seemed easy compared with coming up. A brand new Tesla overtook me on the way down - it was a quiet ride down with very few cars in either direction. I accomplished my goal - just over 25 miles round trip.

Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge

2010-08-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Almost the top of Mount Charlie Road

The Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge on July 31st had two options - 100K or 100 mile rides. I chose the former which promised 6470ft. of climbing. The morning started off foggy at Scotts Valley High School and we climbed 2065ft - 1240 ft up Mount Charlie Road - to the junction of Bear Creek Road and Skyline Boulevard for the first water stop. It was beautiful to look over the fog. There was one little steep part on Riva Ridge Road where I had to push the bike, apart from that I managed to keep going uphill.

Past David Bruce and Bylington wineries I cruised. Downhill to Boulder Creek was bouncy, as the road is a bit cracked, but soon I was there for the much needed food. The last strawberry, a peanut butter sandwich, a delicious lemon cookie and some trail mix filled me up for the trip on West Park Avenue, a quiet alternative to Highway 236. Then came Jamison Creek Road - complete with timers to log one's time up the 3.2 mile road with 1505 ft of climbing. I did it in just under 1 hour - no cleats, 3 short stops to push the bike, 1 drink of water. It was worse than Old La Honda Road, or even Mount Charlie Road. I was quite a way up when my heart was beating - it might have been a good idea to include a Heart Rate Monitor. I was glad to refill my water bottle and drink a sports drink at the top.

It was then a short ride to the California Department of Forestry Training Center on the Empire Grade. Getting there my bike seemed really slow - but between the water stop and lunch I climbed 357 ft. It's amazing how a road can look flat after you've been going steeply uphill. I even asked the lunch time mechanic to check the back wheel which I was sure must have a flat tire - but it looked OK to him and it looked OK to me - so my legs must have been tired. Lunch of cheese and tomato sandwiches - all the meat had gone - samples of NUUM electrolyte drinks made me feel energetic once more.

Morning view from Bear Creek Road

A good downhill took me to Pine Flat Road - a really quiet detour and alternative to the Empire Grade that comes out past the old Bonny Doon, now the tasting room for Beaurgard Vineyards. After a rest free-wheeling down Bonny Doon Road, I turned left to Smith Grade where there was another water stop. Shortly after that a cocktail party was taking place on either side of the road, next to a parked recreational vehicle. The partygoers were cheering and encouraging riders. The road then dipped down into a redwood forest, leaving behind the vineyards, oaks and horse properties. It had a fiendish little hill out to the Empire Grade once again.

Smith Grade

I was really pleased to see a path that said UCSC (University of California Santa Cruz) Upper Campus, while still way above the sea, but at least I knew we'd soon be at the ocean's edge. Another water break at the Natural Bridges park and then a beautiful cruise along the West Cliff Drive. I took a rest, enjoying the sea air and found that most of the tourists were at the southern end. It was relatively quiet for a summer, sunny day, with plenty of parking spaces.

At the Dream Inn, there's a trestle across the road along which runs the bike path. It empties out on to a sidewalk that ends with a little gap into a bike lane. The ride organizers had a traffic guide to help direct bikers on to the trestle - it's easily missed - but helps you avoid the traffic coming to and from the pier.

Santa Cruz shoreline from W Cliff Drive

The ride through Santa Cruz was busy and a group of us biked along Branciforte Drive to Glen Canyon Road - an alternative route to Scotts Valley from Santa Cruz if Route 17 is blocked with traffic. Glen Canyon Road climbed over 500 feet, but having done almost 60 miles, it was no hardship. The ride organizers are to be commended on their excellent signage, food and organization. This is a challenging ride that takes very quiet back roads with outstanding scenery.

31 Mile Round Trip to Belmont City Hall

2010-07-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

Made record time going to Belmont City Hall - 22 min. 30 sec. from home to Woodside cross roads (used to be glad if I was under 30 minutes) and 38 min. to Edgewood Rd at Cañada Rd (used to take 45 minutes) plus I had a good headwind.

Belmont City Hall

I took the Bike Bridge just south of 92 over 280 and went down Ralston Avenue. Ralston, known as Mount Neverest, to Tour de Peninsula bikers is a steep, busy hill. The top half has no bike lane and the tarmac road is edged with concrete - I never like the crack between the two. In some places the road surface is concrete - not good for traction going downhill. At the Alameda de las Pulgas a bike lane is added to Ralston. Just before you get to the Twin Pines complex where the Belmont Town Hall is located the bike path fizzles out and on your right is a steep, slightly rough, unmarked bike path. I went down it and it led to a park, then the Town Hall - a useful short cut. It took 1 hour 20 minutes and about 17 miles to get to the City Hall from Portola Valley. The bike racks, which are not easily seen, are to the left of the City Hall entrance.

After a meeting in the Town Hall, I spied a little bridge to the south of the car park which I took on the way home. I climbed a few streets then had a nice downhill on to Cedar Street - marked with a large bike sign - it's a Share the Road street - quiet, fast and pleasant to bike. It's a great alternative to El Camino (a route sometimes favored by Google Maps Bike Directions option).

I then headed for the Alameda, just north of the junction with Edgewood Road. After crossing Jefferson on the Alameda it goes up a hill. At the top of the hill I turned right on McGarvey - so I could go on Fernside - my new alternative to the Alameda that I discovered last Saturday. From McGarvey I saw a long grassy swathe - the top of the Hetch Hetchy water pipe that brings us water from the Sierra Nevada.

Back to the Alameda there's a terrific new yogurt shop - the Mix - that has real Straus Family Creamery Yogurt that is frozen. I had the Tart flavor, topped with my favorite gummy bears and kiwi fruit. The selection of toppings is one of the best around and the store uses organic, natural yogurt. Headed up Alpine Road - the trip was 31.1 miles in 2 hours 43 minutes - helping me towards my training goal of two 30 mile rides for the week.

A quick whip round Woodside - an alternative to Canada Road

2010-07-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

Went with South Bay Biking on their regular Tuesday evening ride that conveniently started at the Alpine Inn, Portola Valley. The original plan was to split into two groups with one group going to Huddart Park and doing hills and the other group going out on Cañada Road. I joined the latter group, but had difficulty keeping up going down Portola Road, even though I was pedaling hard and many others seemed to be coasting.

At the Portola Road junction with Sand Hill Road, our leader Danielle decided that with a strong headwind we would be better off doing a figure of eight route around Woodside's back streets. So up Mountain Home Road, round via Whiskey Hill Road, Manzanita to Mountain Home again and back to the center of Woodside we went. Then up 84 to one of my favorite bike roads, straight, quiet and horsey - Tripp Road. At the Woodside Store we took a short trip down Kings Mountain Road, then Manuella, Albion, Olive Hill Lane, Cañada Road and we were back once more in the center of Woodside.
A brisk ride along Mountain Home Road, as it started to get dusky and we put on lights, then Portola Road and home. Bikers met at Amigo's Grill in Ladera for Mexican food - the tortilla soup is great after a good ride. The trip was just over 20 miles and took 93 minutes - average 13 mph, and I normally am about 11 mph on this route. Speed improved when I removed my windproof biking jacket - a bit like the one shown below.

Diverse Bike Paths Around Los Gatos and San Jose

2010-07-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon I set off from Vasona and Los Gatos Creek County Park in Los Gatos. Driving from Blossom Hill Road into the entrance, I did a quick U turn when I saw the parking fee was $6. I parked nearby and biked into the park. Families were riding the miniature train and carousel. The lake, Vasona Reservoir, was humming with watercraft - kayaks, pedalos, sailboats and more, but no swimming allowed. It's a place to rent bikes too.

Heading off on the trail towards San Jose, I managed to avoid children learning to ride their bikes, Razor scooters and rollerblades. I don't recommend Los Gatos Creek Trail on a Sunday afternoon, it's packed and dodging pedestrians, strollers and bikes requires full attention. There was a guy trikking back and forth across the path on his 3-Wheeled Carving Scooter. After going under San Tomas Expressway, it became less busy, but there were still plenty of pedestrians and bikers, just fewer small children, except at the parks.

I used the Santa Clara Valley Bikeways Map to find Willow Street, a flat neighborhood street that could have been in Palo Alto. Turning left on Bird Avenue, over 280 and right on Auzerais, I followed signs for the Guadalupe River Park Bike Trail, ending up outside the Children's Discovery Museum. An event prevented me from getting on the trail, so I went to San Carlos Street, crossed the river and went south on the Guadalupe River Park Trail, where a few people were taking an afternoon stroll. Downtown San Jose seemed very quiet on a Sunday afternoon. The bike path is in discontinuous segments, so it ended abruptly and I went down Palm Street to Willow. The most beautiful music was coming out of the Sacred Heart Church, which has striking Spanish architecture. I could have been in Mexico.

A quick right on Willow then an awkward crossing to the Highway 87 Bike Trail that goes parallel to the noisy Guadalupe Parkway. Apart from 3 youths at the start of the trail, it was devoid of people. Broken bottles, so many they couldn't be avoided were strewn across the trail. I'd better inspect my tires for glass tomorrow. I passed several walls of graffiti, especially where the trail dipped under the Almaden Expressway. For once I might not have minded seeing a family with some tiny bikes or a stroller, but this was a rough area. I don't recommend this trail. At least I could travel relatively quickly and soon reached the trail end where it spills out into a road. Looking around for the bike lane, there was one on the far side of an access road to the Guadalupe Parkway which led to Curtner Avenue and I headed west on a good bike lane.

I had a rest stop, ate some Jelly Belly Sport Beans and refilled my water bottle at Lincoln Glen Neighborhood Park. The bike route was clearly marked with a left turn at Leigh Avenue, where I resisted going to Starbucks. The road was quiet and faster than the bike trails - a really pleasant part of the ride. A right on Los Gatos - Almaden Road takes you to Cherry Blossom Road, which has tiny roundabouts. Families were taking evening strolls. I was back in the land of children riding bikes with training wheels and Razor scooters.

Blossom Hill Road took me straight down the hill to Vasona Park. As it was much quieter than when I set off I thought I'd cycle round the lake. I started down the west side, but it ends at a fishing area and the paved trail turns into a walking trail. Above me a large V of Canada geese shimmered, with gaggles of them in the park. The round trip was about 20 miles and took just under two hours.

A new way up Farm Hill Boulevard, Redwood City, CA

2010-07-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

Down Alpine Road to Alameda de las Pulgas I went on a lovely Saturday morning. After crossing Woodside Road, the Alameda bends right and straight ahead is Fernside Street. It goes straight through a pleasant neighborhood until a T-junction with hills in each direction.

I turned left up McGarvey Avenue. It was steep but came out on Farm Hill Boulevard and saved me some time going up and down on the Alameda to Jefferson. It cuts off a corner. Then it was the ups, and finally a down, to Cañada College entrance. Exit Farm Hill Boulevard before it ends in the 280 freeway, where bikes are not allowed. The road up to Cañada College leads to a nicely paved car park ($2 to park when the college is open), a wonderful viewpoint. This is a great place for a water break and a place where tourists can enjoy a view of the San Francisco Bay.

From the north side of the college, follow the cracked perimeter road downhill. At the bottom, turn right to land on Cañada Road, one of the best biking roads around. I took it out to the Pulgas Water Temple. A quiet, peaceful rest stop with water fountain and chemical toilets, it closes promptly at 4 pm. The main gate for cars, was only opened after I arrived around noon for a wedding. Met a biker who'd just bought a 30 year old Schwinn bike on eBay en route from San Jose to San Francisco, complete with paniers. Another cyclist had come up from Redwood City. It's a good meeting place for bikers, when open. After an energy bar and water I headed home. The light breeze was favorable, slightly against me on the downhill into Woodside, but an easy 26.2 mile trip in 2 hrs 12 min..

Skyline Mists and Hilly Twists - Old La Honda and Los Altos Hills

2010-07-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning I set off in sunny weather with a slight breeze, and looked up at Windy Hill enshrouded in mist. Up Old La Honda Road I went into the damp air. Every single driver, whether in a Sneaky Prius or a Noisy Truck, was courteous and shared the road - thank you! Drips fell, soaking my gloves, from misted redwood trees and the road was wet near the top.

Glad to get to the top I drank some water and looked at my cyclometer - 44 min. 30 sec. - not fast enough. Disappointed that I hadn't made the 43 sec. Western Wheelers C group rider time, I turned left along the Skyline Drive and continued climbing.

I saw the sign at the northern Windy Hill car park, but no hill in sight. Patches of wet road and swirling mists that swept down to greet me. At the Clouds Rest road sign, the clouds appropriately rested and I had clear views from the Russian Ridge car park. It was very quiet, with very few vehicles on the road.

There's a huge car park for Horseshoe Lake just past Page Mill Road and I took a rest stop there. As I left there the nearby Christmas Tree Farm was promoting it's greenness. I like the variety of Christmas trees in California from Douglas Firs to Monterey Pines.

It was a deceptive ride, the Skyline Drive looks flat, but it's a long slog to Saratoga Gap. According to Daft Logic's Google Maps Altitude Calculator - the top of Old La Honda Road, Page Mill at Skyline, and Saratoga Route 9 at Skyline are at 1680, 2001 and 2552 feet, respectively - so I went up nearly 900 feet on the Skyline Drive with a strong side wind.

Descending Route 9 carefully, I missed the road out of Stevens Canyon. About half way down I pulled off the road, putting my bike across the slope - much like one does when stopped on skis. I quickly attempted to dismount, but with my left foot on the downhill side standing on tiptoes and my right foot hitting the bag on my bike rack as I swung my leg over, the bike fell on top of me. Before starting the ride, I remembered mother's advice "always wear long sleeved shirts on a horse or bike". I was wearing a light, Nike sports shirt that, apart from being white which is not a good color in the mist, is an excellent biking top - unfortunately I can't find one like it (with a zip-pocket in the back) online. My left arm, while slightly grazed was protected from being cut, unlike my unprotected knee which had a couple of minor bleeding spots. Lesson learned: when getting off your bike on a hill, make sure the upper foot is on the side from which you dismount.

Feeling a little shaken and foolish I drank half a bottle of Gatorade - thinking of the cafe at the bottom of the hill. Despite having a first aid kit with me, I decided to leave my minor grazes alone. I also decided I didn't need more calories from the coffee shop after the Gatorade, so turned off at the Mountain Winery to head for Mount Eden Road. I have done this road in the opposite direction but never from Saratoga Gap to Stevens Creek Reservoir. I pedaled steadily uphill, with sore knee, up to Garrod Farms. One of the few places where you can rent a horse for a ride overlooking Silicon Valley. It's a great place to take equestrian-loving tourists.

I've biked past Stevens Creek Reservoir on weekends, but never on weekdays. There was a queue of heavy trucks leaving the quarry. I watched two leave right in front of me then pedaled furiously before another truck and trailer came. After the dam I turned left to one of my favorite rest stops. Not a soul was there - and there was a new picnic table for my energy bar. There are also clean flush toilets. On coming out, I found that the main area has a pay booth and indeed there were cars in an adjacent car park. So my rest place, was a sideshow to the main park.

I then straight along Foothill Expressway to the old-fashioned coffee shop at Loyola Corners. I enjoyed looking at pictures of a railway line from Palo Alto's California Street station to Los Gatos, replaced in part by Foothill Expressway in the 1960s. Deciding that Foothill was a boring way home, I took back streets to Magadalena, then turned on Summerhill Avenue, a straight route, and good alternative to Foothill, to El Monte. Not wanting to lose height I headed for the Foothill College bike path, only to find the far end of it under construction and blocked. Across the car park I went to Elena Road. I twisted and turned to Natoma Road, also undergoing road works. Yet more climbing. This was not the shortest route, but I didn't feel like going on Altamont. Well at the end of Natoma - I hit Altamont, having avoided the worst of it, but having taken many little hills.

Before long I was at Page Mill Road and a good downhill to Arastradero then back up Alpine to home. In all 47 miles in 5 hrs 10 min.. So far this was my hardest training ride - fog, dripping trees, grazes, hills. Goal: improve Old La Honda Road time.

Easy Napa Valley Ride

2010-07-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

The Silverado Trail is great for biking if you are visiting the Napa Valley. So on Sunday, I did a short ride with my husband along the trail. We started at the Napa Valley College near Pope Street and the Silverado Trail in St Helena. Heading south on the Silverado Trail, we then turned left on the road to Lake Berryessa, Sage Canyon Road. The picture shows the view from nearby Joseph Phelps Vineyard where, the day before our ride, we had tasted wine.

Sage Canyon Road is a shady, gentle uphill to Lake Hennessey. You pass the dam and after a couple of curves come to a car park with boat launch and restrooms. We saw Western Grebes swimming on the lake. A couple of kayaks were landing and a couple of fishing boats were going out. You cannot swim in the lake as it is a water supply. There's a footpath on the south side of the lake - the hard surface rapidly deteriorates and the sign on the (wrong side of the) gate says No Biking.

So we returned to the Napa Valley College. Carry water with you, as the Napa Valley can be very hot in the summer, this is a short, cooler ride, 13.8 miles in 1hr 3min.

We found the North San Francisco Bay and Wine Country Bicycle Touring Map useful for exploring other popular bike route by car for future trips.

We drove to Angwin, to check out the Howell Mountain Road - verdict it's steep but not impossible. There is a short bike trail on the right of the hill down to Angwin, one of the few in the Napa Valley. On the way home we drove from from Route 29 in the Napa Valley via the Oakville Grade Road, which turns into Dry Creek Road, then Trinity Road down to Highway 12 in the Sonoma Valley. Although Trinity Road is marked as a bike route on our map the surface looks dreadful and it is narrow and twisty - the only merit is that it is downhill!

Derailleur Lesson At Performance Bicycle

2010-07-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

After my Golden Gate Bridge trip my bike was ready for a good cleaning. I took off the back wheel to clean it thoroughly and as it was a bit gritty and sandy I opened up the hub and regreased the ball bearings, putting them back with a magnetic screwdriver. The problem with even a thin screwdriver is that it can touch more than one ball and they keep getting dragged around on the screwdriver. Subsequently I bought The Big Blue Book of Repair which says use a magnetized needle - so next time I'll magnetize a meat skewer. I then had to redo the gears as they had started jumping coming back on the ride - not badly - but they were no longer smooth.

So I redid the gears and took the bike to Echo Lane. They required a little more tweaking, so I put the bike back on my repair stand and made final adjustments. I went back to Echo Lane and then coming up Alpine Road, right outside my house I tried to go into higher and higher gears. So obsessed was I with the gears that the bike stopped and for only the 4th time in my life I fell off outside the bike lane into the road. Luckily no cars were coming and the next car stopped as I picked myself up, with only a couple of light bruises on my forearm and hip. Good job I had my helmet on for even a very short ride. Good job too that I had a long sleeved shirt on. The only problem was my Blackburn Bike Mirror (and here the brand is important) was broken. I've tried many bike mirrors and have 3 different styles of Blackburn mirrors - one pushes into the end of the handlebars, another has velcro for drop handlebars (as on a road bike) and the third has velcro for straight handlebars (as on a mountain bike) - and all work well - they are big and clear.

The next day I was in Performance Bicycle buying a new mirror. On the noticeboard it said they were having a workshop on Derailleur Gears at 6 pm on Thursday. Most Thursday nights they have a basic bike maintenance workshop, but as luck would have it the next one was on gears.

So Thursday around 5 pm I set off for the bike shop. Somewhat foolishly I decided to test my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires by going through the Arastradero Preserve. The ride started off OK on a flat, packed-earth path complete with jumpy rabbits and squirrels. Then the fire road started off well too. However, track maintenance was underway and new gravel on a hill is not good for a road bike - so I pushed it downhill and was glad to be back on Arastradero Road (moral: get a mountain bike).

I took the bike path towards Los Altos and went through the back streets to El Camino Real. I arrived about 15 minutes early so wandered around some streets west of El Camino. I found a little bike shortcut (latitude, longitude: 37.393, -122.102) on Marich Way.

At the seminar, bike mechanic Ryan was ready to roll. He picked my bike as the model. I hadn't expected this but was delighted to think that he would give me a lesson on my bike with my gears.

The first thing Ryan said was make sure the quick release on the back wheel is between the stays on the bike - as in the picture. This is so that if it gets knocked it won't be likely to spring open with catastrophic results. I had heard of quick release's coming open so this 1-minute into the workshop I had a great safety tip.

Ryan explained the role of each spring in the derailleurs. Then showed the three of us in the class how to fix them. First my cables were slack - so my solution was to adjust the fine adjustment screws. The trouble was they were nearly at their end. So Ryan turned them back to loosen the cable then unscrewed the cable at the gear end to release it. It could then be tightened. Another tip was given on how to line up the back cogs with the chain so that the chain is squarely on the cog and not in between cogs. We then looked at the adjusting screws that stop the cable jumping off. What I didn't know is that on the back wheel derailleur the screws are marked H and L for high and low. The crank derailleur has similar screws, but they are unmarked.

The front gears were similarly adjusted. I knew my cage was way over towards the frame as I didn't want the chain to come flying off the big wheel. Ryan said it was too far over, which I had identified as an issue but didn't know quite how to fix it, and adjusted the cable to bring it back. Again the cable had to be tightened (but not too tight) with the screw and washer at the gear end. Once the cable had appropriate tension it was easy to whirr the crank around and adjust the screws to keep the chain on the cogs.

I always get off my bike if the chain comes off. However, another biker and Ryan said that if you are on the biggest wheel, with gear at 3, at the front by shifting to 1 it will come back on. Similarly if the chain has come off the smallest front wheel, 1 on my bike, then moving the gear shifter to 3 will bring it back on. I'm not sure I want to try this. So far Ryan's adjustment seems fine, so with any luck the chain won't fall off. My bike came from Performance Bicycle with free routine maintenance - so I could have gone any time to have the gears adjusted - but it was really good of Ryan to help me out with his terrific workshop. The only bike lesson I've ever had was from grandpa when I was nine and he showed me how to fix a flat tire. I've learned to maintain bikes by doing and from books. So it was a real treat to get a free lesson from a pro.

The trip home took me on a bike bridge between Mountain View and Palo Alto. It's between Miller Avenue and Wilkie Way (37.408802, -122.117919). Then on to Park behind Fry's Electronics, past Peers Park to El Camino Real. Across El Camino Real I headed to the Cantor Arts Museum, where I heard the end of a Stanford Summer Science lecture on "How Drugs Are Developed and Why They Are So Expensive" by Daria Mochly-Rosen, Senior Associate Dean for Research and George D. Smith Professor in Translational Medicine, School of Medicine. It was then a quick trip up Alpine Road to complete a 21 mile ride.

Saturday's 90 mile Golden Gate Bridge trip

2010-07-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday I set off in cool weather at 8:25 am for the Golden Gate Bridge. I had arranged to meet leader Gary from the South Bay Cycling Group behind Roberts Market in Woodside. I waited for a few minutes and just as I was going round the back of the store to look for them they appeared at the front - so I chased them round the store.

Seven of us started out up Canada Road. I was a little behind at the first Stop sign, but pedaled hard to try to keep up. Gary on hybrid bike was just ahead.

Then they all took off downhill to Edgewood Road. Pedal as I might, I couldn't catch up even though I was going at 29 mph - the fastest I've ever gone on my bike. I arrived at Edgewood Road in 43 minutes cycling time - not my fastest time, but anything under 45 minutes is OK for me. We went across the Crystal Springs Dam bridge on 35. It will be closed in August until 2013. I took the short cut into the Sawyer Camp Trail and looked at the other bikers who were still on 35 through the chain link gates. A discussion as to whether to take the trail (with a 15 mph speed limit and a Bike 4 Breath rest stop) or the road ensued. One person took off on the road and the rest of us took the trail. I stopped at the 3-mile restroom - one of the quieter places to stop. Unfortunately when the restroom was rebuilt the water fountain near the historic, Jepson Laurel tree was removed. So I biked ahead, easily climbing the dam (my least favorite part of the trail), to the trail end where I refilled my water bottle at the water fountain.

I caught up with Gary and we biked around the other side of 280 then back to the west side of 280 to the San Andreas trail. I've always thought it silly that bikes cannot go on the 0.7 mile of connecting trail - allegedly because it has a gravel surface and it looks to have been paved recently.

At the end of the San Andreas trail we caught up with the other bikers and headed on to 35 then left at the Sneath Lane traffic light. I was caught at the traffic light as the others streamed ahead and Gary kindly waited. He had a hybrid bike covered in shiny blue tape with blue-walled tires. He told me he liked the bike for its features, but didn't like its cream color so colored it blue. We all went up Sneath Lane and cut through to Moreland Drive. The fast bikers disappeared down a hill, missing a turn that Gary wanted to take. So Gary and I kept on going more or less parallel to 35 on pleasant quiet roads. At Sharp Park Road we went back on to 35 for a short distance then took a left turn and ended up on a short cut path that took us past a park to Manor Road. We wove through friendly neighborhoods. With a cool breeze and damp misty skies we donned biking jackets.

After crossing Hickey Boulevard, a welcome downhill on Gateway Drive took us under Route 1 and before long we were at the Zoo entrance. Then we could take the bike path on the east of the Great Highway along the beach. Before long the Cliff House was in sight (see picture). I don't like the hill up to the Cliff House as there's no bike lane. It looks worse than it is and going up on the sidewalk it was easy.

After passing the Sutro baths, Gary wondered if I'd prefer the cliff trail and 60 steps or the road to the Palace of the Legion of Honor. I preferred the road - although it was busy with tourists and a bus. Outside the Legion of Honor Gary was waiting. We proceeded past the elegant Seaside houses and then hit many Avon Breast Cancer Walkers dressed in pink. Some had feathery pink headgear, others pink makeup and various shades of pink T-shirts. Cones marked the bike lane which was filled with walkers. Gary said he'd bike on ahead to meet the others. Just as I was going up outside the cones and changing gears a helper for the Avon walk made me jump out of my skin when he said he'd push me up the hill - needless to say I lost my rhythm and stopped suddenly so decided to push the bike up.

Soon I was at the Golden Gate Bridge and avoiding the walkers I made it to the west side bike path. On weekends, bikes, and bikes only, go on the west side of the bridge. As I was biking along a man dressed only in shorts was standing looking over the side. Was he a jogger or someone wanting to jump? A policewoman on a bike overtook me and questioned him. At the far end - no Gary.

A replay of last year's Golden Gate Bike crossing with niece Melissa and her friend Rachel ensued. Last summer, I biked ahead towards the Coastguard station and they were the lost souls at the top. Now I was the lost soul, feeling exceedingly happy that I'd made it across the bridge. Like them, I decided to wait and take a few photos. My cyclometer read 47.04 miles in 4 hours 6 minutes (time actually biking).

After a few minutes Gary emerged from the east side of the bridge where he had been looking for the others. No sign of them. We chatted. So we started off back. About half way across the bridge I noticed Gary was not behind me - so I stopped and waited. My legs were frozen and the afternoon wind had started up - it was about 1:30 pm. Then Gary appeared and said he'd just met the others crossing in the opposite direction.

I decided to buy some salty peanuts and fruit salad along with a cup of hot green tea at the cafe after crossing the bridge. We waited for the others. Soon they were back, but they weren't stopping for long. So I tightly shut my water bottle, shoved it on my rack, and put the hot tea in the water cage. Off we went. Once again I was left behind at the light and followed a group of 4 bikers when it turned green - assuming Gary was just ahead of them. When we reached 4th Avenue I realized we were far from the Cliff House, supposedly our route. I asked the bikers if they were heading to Palo Alto and they said no. So I was on my own. Turning right on California Street I saw a big hill, so I turned left, and right, and left - more pink walkers - and then on to Fulton Street. Later I found out our group had also gone down Fulton and had omitted the Cliff House hill.

Just before the Zoo the Great Highway is closed in the uphill direction. So I waited there for about 10 minutes and had icy green tea. My tea had completely cooled as the fog and wind persisted. I asked some bikers if the road was open for bikes, they said they went up every day. So up I went, past Fort Funston and kept on Route 35. Then I saw a lone cyclist with a flat tire. Turned out it was one of our group who didn't have a pump. So I lent her mine and told her that if she caught up with the others to tell them I was fine and coming back alone along the trail (not wanting to bike on 280, which is what happens when 35 ends). I saw her way ahead on 35 later, but decided that as I was taking the trail I wouldn't try to catch up.

Google Maps tells me it is 22.7 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge to the north end of the Sawyer Camp Trail. I needed this information because my simple, 15-year old bike Cyclometer (which I might change before long) reset (itself) at the start of the trail. It also reset the time on the way out at Roberts. I guess I must have inadvertently knocked it.

I biked down the hill to the San Andreas Lake Dam - the San Andreas Lake was calm. According to my iPhone camera it had taken an elapsed time of 2 hours and 41 minutes, including at 10 minute wait at the end of the Great Highway, from the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge, so say 2 hrs 30 min. biking time as I refilled my water bottle once again at the north end of the Sawyer Camp Trail. I had beautiful evening views of the reservoirs. It was a truly relaxing ride and the trail was much quieter than in the morning. I was back in the sun and out of the wind.

At the other end of the Sawyer Camp Trail I took a picture of the old bridge that is going to be closed. A couple of Blueberry/Pomegranate GU Chomps energized me. I also enjoyed Lemon Lime ZYM tablets in my water bottle. I then pedaled home, with my first hard sprint of the day from just past Edgewood Road up to the top of Canada Road, then a cruise down into Woodside. My cyclometer said 21.48 miles, 1 hour 52 minutes. By going back on Google Maps, that must be the time from the north end of the Sawyer Camp Trail.

So total time on bike is estimated at 8 hours 28 minutes for a distance of 91.2 miles - my longest ride ever. I arrived home happy, slept well. I felt great the next day.

Sports Basement - a store for stocking up on sporting clothes

2010-07-09T01:02:00.000-07:00

Today it was time for a shopping trip. So seeing I was in San Francisco I went to Crissy Field to Sports Basement. It sells clothes, bikes, sports equipment, maps and more - often at discount prices.

From the Sports Basement car park you can see the Golden Gate Bridge. Today it was enshrouded in fog. So if you are planning a trip to San Francisco in the summer (or planning to bike the coast) bring layered clothing.

Encouraged by Team Roz leader who rowed across the Pacific on Larabars, I bought some to fortify me on my practice bike rides. I also bought electrolyte tablets to put in my water bottle when I have a long ride.

Sports Basement also rents bikes - starting from $20 a day, less than the $32 charge from the more popular Blazing Saddles. I purchased a Bicycle Rack to replace my seat-post attached rack. The old rack quick release screw banged into my thigh. Also my bike doesn't have lugs on the back struts for a rack holder, but it does have holes near the wheel axle to attach a rack. So I either had to lose weight or change my rack.

Near the store entrance, as I left the store I noticed a box where you can donate used wrappers from energy bars. They are given to an organization that uses the wrappers to make products like wallets.

Grizzly Peak via Caltrain and BART

2010-07-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a couple of appointments in Berkeley so decided to take my bike. I parked at Menlo Park station and after crossing the tracks had 2 minutes to buy my ticket (plus 3 dollars for parking) for the 10:14 a.m. train. Mid-morning the Caltrain trains are infrequent and slow.

I stood on the platform looking at a car with a luggage sign on it - but that was not the bike car. A somewhat stern conductor (is that what they are called in the US?) said "Don't you know the bike car is always at the north end of the train when it's heading to San Francisco?". I sprinted along the platform with bike and jumped on the train. I secured the bike with a bungee cord. Several other bikes were labeled with their destination, so that those heading for the same place could be parked in the same place. The labels were of two kinds - those stuck on the frame and those like luggage labels - message to self: next time I go with my bike on the train, clearly mark a luggage label with the destination.

At Millbrae, I put old BART ticket in the machine plus $20 and a new ticket was issued. With ticket in one hand I put it in the entrance gate and swung the bike over my head to get it through - not easy when you need a hand to grab the ticket as it comes out of the machine. Someone shouted to me "No bikes in the front car". So I went towards the back of the train and leaned my bike in the area reserved for wheelchairs.

The BART took me to downtown Berkeley. There I followed a guy with a bike. He walked it through the gate designed for the disabled - so I followed.

After my UC Berkeley appointment I set up off Euclid Avenue in my quest to get up Grizzly Peak. It has a couple of short steep parts and then steadily climbs. Happily I saw Grizzly Peak Boulevard and turned right. When you hit it you are nowhere near the top, so I climbed as mist swirled on the hilltops. Finally I passed the trailhead for Grizzly Peak - but no view - it was foggy with a damp breeze. It took me about an hour to get up there as I steadily pedaled with the cyclometer showing just over 5 mph for much of the ride. I was carrying quite a load, including shoes.

I came down past the Lawrence Hall of Science and UC Berkeley Botanic Gardens - thankfully I didn't climb up this steeper ascent to Grizzly Peak. Soon I was on Shattuck Avenue and thought should I go to the downtown or Ashby BART station. I headed in the downtown direction. As I entered the turnstyle area a friendly BART employee directed me to the disabled gate. They are colored a slightly lighter orange and are wider than the regular gates.

So it was easy to get on the train. I did wonder if I would have to get off at Embarcardero station as it says you have to do this for the evening rush hour and I was passing there about 5:30 p.m.. He said it as OK to go to Millbrae and there was another bike on the train. So I tucked my bike into a corner at the end of a car and enjoyed the ride. It's worth noting the rules for bikes on BART.

At Millbrae a baby bullet train came. So I had the choice of going to Palo Alto and biking to Menlo Park for my car, or waiting for a slow train. I took the bullet and enjoyed talking to a biker who was watching over his bike in the bike car - which this time I found at the north end of the train.

At Palo Alto station I discovered a new bike path. It connects the station to the traffic lights at El Camino and Alma, running along the edge of some playing fields. Very convenient as I could then join the monthly Cambridge Alumni gathering at the Stanford Park Hotel before biking back to Menlo Park Station.

Don't throw your newspaper into the bike lane

2010-07-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

I set off at a leisurely pace for the Redwood City July 4th parade via Woodside. July 4th is Independence Day. From the corner of Alpine Road and Portola Road in Portola Valley it took me about 40 minutes to get to the junction of Edgewood Road and Cañada Road, better than my old time of 45 minutes.

On the way I stopped to adjust my seatpost-attached quick release bike rack. I really don't like it as the mounting screw hits your legs if you have a narrow saddle. I took a short break at Edgewood Park - clean restrooms and good drinking fountains - but no bikes on the service road leading up to them - so locked bike on rack near park entrance.

I then hurried downhill to Redwood City. Shortly after leaving the park a man threw a fat Sunday newspaper into the bike lane about 1 second ahead of me. I screamed, glanced in my mirror, hit the brakes and managed to avoid the newspaper. The thrower laughed "Ho, ho". I shouted back "It's not funny. I could have fallen off my bike". Thankfully playing dodge the panda head on my Wii Fit Plus helped me avoid the projectile. So if you are tempted to reject your Sunday paper in favor of an Apple iPad don't throw it into the bike lane!

As I crossed the tracks on Brewster into Redwood City, I heard a soloist starting the Star Spangled Banner, the USA's national anthem. I headed for Standish Street where the Bike San Mateo County paraders were assembled. After about a fifteen minute wait we were off, banner at the front, trailer with the Redwood City arch at the rear.

Two unicyles, one ridden by Uncle Sam, both decorated in red, white and blue were favorites of the announcers who were located at various points along the route. Another favorite was "Parcel Man" a guy whose bike was loaded front and back with boxes. Another lady had a custom built touring bike complete with front and back bike racks, and two large panniers that she reckoned had done over 35,000 miles. She was thwarted on a trip to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan because the prospect of 400 miles on gravel was tricky and she took the bus home. All of a sudden a 320-mile climate ride doesn't sound so long! The standard commentary, that blared out from speakers as we passed, stated that bikes were not only for fun, but also for commuting. Then one commentator added "It looks dangerous, I hope my little girl doesn't do that!". Even the tiniest children on bikes managed to enjoy the parade, and we all had good fun.

The route home was uneventful and hot (lesson to self: take a midday break on a hot all day ride). The only potential hazard in the bike lane was a biker who ignored the stop sign as he came down to the Alameda de Las Pulgas in Menlo Park. He did however, glance at the bike lane before whizzing into it. Support Honor the Stop by wearing one of their wristbands.

Round trip was 28.6 miles, including some of the time going around Redwood City - mileage under 3 m.p.h. is not recorded on my cyclometer - and the parade was going about 1 m.p.h. on average.

Cross-training day

2010-07-02T00:28:00.000-07:00

Today my green bike had a rest and I took out my hybrid bike for a quick ride with John to the Konditorei coffee shop (5.7 miles there and back) in the Ladera Shopping Center. It has free WiFi and is biker friendly. You can chain your bike to the post outside and the Alpine Road shoulder is a popular bike lane, part of "The Loop" as the Stanford, Alpine, Portola Road, Sand Hill, Junipero Serra route is called locally.

For cross-training I went to Page Mill YMCA for my 2nd Pilates class of the week. The Thursday class is taught by Kathy Klein and included some hip flexor and hamstring (back of thigh) stretching, essential for bikers. The hip flexor stretch is a runner's lunge with the back knee raised above the foot on a roller. Raising the back knee by putting the roller just below the knee gives a better stretch.

I decided to stay for Zumba, because teacher Sehin Belew, who usually teaches Friday at 5:30 p.m., was substituting this Thursday and is great fun. Whow! Sehin's bio says she was Miss Ethiopia and a professional model for 10 years. Vivacious in vivid pink, she certainly made the class look easy. It was my 3rd Zumba class and my 2nd one from Sehin - so for me it's a real mental and physical challenge to put my feet and arms in the right place. No wonder Sehin looks so good - she wrote the book Fabulous for Less.

Sehin says she is trying to have her own TV show on Oprah's channel. Vote for her before July 3rd. She's not the first person to ask me. Former Balanchine ballerina Stephanie Herman asked me to vote for her audition video for a talk show. I've been to a couple of Stephanie's classes on Muscle Ballet, which is like vertical Pilates, at the Pacific Athletic Club. She has a VHS fitness video, Muscle Ballet, or a more recent DVD, Dance With Me Ballet Workout.

Old La Honda Road

2010-06-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

Old La Honda Road is a winding narrow road through redwood trees that starts on Portola Road in Woodside and ends on the Skyline Drive. I had been thinking of attempting it for a while when a friend from Obopay suggested we do it together. Great idea - thanks!

I hadn't ever done it on my current road bike - a 2007 Schwinn Le Tour GSX - although I'd done it on my vintage 10-speed Ross Professional road bike and my Yokota Ahwahnee Cross hybrid bike. The low gears did well on the hill and it took me 45 min. 30 sec. to ascend steadily, better than I did about 15 years ago when it took me an hour.

Western Wheelers has a rating system for their rides and level C riders typically do Old La Honda in 34-43 minutes. An F level rider does it in less than 22 minutes - about twice my pace.

A careful descent took 14 minutes. I'd never come down Old La Honda before, preferring the 6-mile downhill on Page Mill Road, because I feared the steep drop off into the redwoods. However, if you go carefully you can usually time your ride - by looking and listening for cars fore and aft - so that you have the entire road width to yourself and can avoid the edge.

It's a good fitness ride for a long summer evening, especially when it's clear of fog at the top.

30.6 flat miles - Los Altos-Atherton-Shoreline-Los Altos

2010-06-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

This flat ride with Western Wheelers introduced me to McKenzie Park, our starting point, in Los Altos. We headed off via Foothill Expressway and the bike path down the side of Gunn High School, Palo Alto to the Stanford Campus.

I discovered a new shortcut for bikes that connects the end of Frenchmans Road with Junipero Serra Boulevard. We headed along Alameda de las Pulgas to Stockbridge Avenue, Atherton then back through Menlo Park to Burgess Park - a good place for a rest stop.

Weaving behind the Four Seasons and nearby office towers we took the bridge from Woodland Avenue to Newell and proceeded to the Embarcadero bike bridge over 101. A quick ride along the Old Bayshore Road to the Shoreline bike trail took us to Michaels at Shoreline.

I considered ordering their Pacific sandwich since I'm on Roz Savage's Climate Ride team and she's just become the first woman to row across the Pacific. However the Stuffed Papaya salad looked more appetizing - I recommend it. We then took the Stevens Creek Bike Trail back towards Los Altos.

28.5 Miles from Portola Valley to Harbor Blvd, Belmont

2010-06-23T23:07:00.001-07:00

A mundane commute to a meeting - or practice for my Climate Ride.

Google Maps gives a poor bike route from Portola Valley to Harbor Boulevard, Belmont. I took Alpine Road to Alameda de Las Pulgas. Keep on the Alameda almost to Brittan Avenue and turn right at Howard. San Carlos has its bike routes well marked. When you get to Cedar, turn left. A right turn on Arroyo Avenue will take you to El Camino.

There I discovered a tunnel under the railway for bikes and pedestrians. If you turn slightly right and left on Old County Road you will be on Commercial Street. This gives you a straight ride to Industrial which has good bike lanes. A good headwind greeted me on Industrial as I went past PG&E's yard on the right after Holly Street.

Returning I took advantage of the wind to blow me on Industrial to Redwood City. If you go along Middlefield you can take Main and then turn left on Shasta Street that takes you under Woodside Road to Target. From there I went along El Camino. You have to take advantage of traffic breaks until luckily I discovered the shoulder in Atherton (slightly overgrown with bushes in places) - this is only recommended for experienced bikers. A much better way out of Redwood City is up Brewster to the Alameda, but I needed to hurry and take advantage of the flat road. Then straightforward up Valparaiso, cut across to Santa Cruz to the Alameda back up Alpine Road.

Total time for this 2 hours 25 minutes and 28.5 miles.

I Signed Up For The Climate Ride Through Northern CA

2010-06-21T15:41:00.001-07:00

I hope to bike for 5 days - 320 miles from Eureka in Northern California to the Golden Gate Bridge - my longest ride ever.

I invite you to contribute by sponsoring my ride or helping me raise money. Contact me by using the form on my website.

I'm on Roz Savage's team (www.rozsavage.com) - she's rowed both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The ride is in aid of green causes - Rails to Trails (bike paths on old railway rights of way), 1Sky (getting government to implement green policies) and Green America (numerous green initiatives including fair trade and living green).

My current volunteer interest is in helping citizens save energy through grants and community programs. For example, see CoolPV.com, a website I do for our town, Portola Valley.

The picture is of Eureka where the ride starts.

Bay Area Brain Tumor Walk:

2010-04-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

Bay Area Brain Tumor Walk: I'm going to walk 5K with Bob Fritz in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

Come with me on Saturday May 1st - if you can't come sponsor me using the above link.

Horizon now flies San Jose To Mammoth Lakes

2009-12-27T21:07:00.000-08:00

Starting December 2009, Horizon, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, flies its 70-seater turbo-prop Bombardier planes to Mammoth Lakes from San Jose. The plane is in the air for less than an hour. Door to door time from hotel to home was 3.5 hours - including getting our car from the long term parking lot at San Jose Airport. For some reason, Travelocity does not show Horizon or Mammoth Lakes in its database.

We went in 2009. You can book on the Alaska/Horizon website. The fare was $202 per person, including taxes. Checked baggage was extra - one checked bag cost $15, a 2nd was $25.

The week leading up to Christmas is an ideal time to ski Mammoth Mountain before the crowds come. The snow was falling and powdery when we arrived. The next three days were cloudless with clear blue skies. The snow remained light - although a little heavier than at some really powdery places like Big White. It was warm on Christmas day - so warm one lift operator had short sleeves - but the snow held up really well.

I'm an intermediate skier and found plenty of terrain. The resort splits its ratings of intermediate slopes into Blue Square and Blue Diamond runs. The Blue Diamond runs were not difficult in the excellent snow conditions. There are plenty of scary slopes, but I stuck to blue and easy black diamond runs and had no fears! There's a wonderful gully near St Anton run

The restaurants are fine - not outstanding as in Park City - but good. Dublin's Irish Pub in the town center is authentic and I had a terrific (in size and taste) red pepper soup. The potato skins were really fresh. Perry's Italian Cafe had hearty pasta - so I could fill up on carbs ready for the next day's skiing. Petra's Bistro in the Alpenhof Lodge was most welcoming and I ate a wonderful duck leg. At Mogul Restaurant I was a little surprised that they didn't offer turkey on Christmas Day. I had a small chicken breast - but it was large - the large portions are huge. The salad bar was fresh and offered with an entree, or instead you could choose soup.

We stayed at the Cinnamon Bear and new managers made us most welcome. The breakfasts were terrific and set us up for good skiing. We particularly appreciated the complementary drinks and WiFi in the comfortable common lounge. The hot tub was welcome after skiing and operated from 4 pm to 10 pm - leaving plenty of time for a relaxing soak.

Trazzler Dazzles - Travel Tweets

2009-08-18T23:26:00.000-07:00

Do you want to know what people think about a particular travel destination? Go to Trazzler, the main site will give you ideas of places to go. It shows pictures of local destinations at the top of the screen, and longer trips at the bottom.

If you want to look at destinations by category go to Trazzler Buzz. Here you can look at museums and see what people think about the Louvre (Musée du Louvre, Paris). A graph shows frequency of tweets.

As a Brit I distinguish between Art Galleries (museums with paintings, drawings and photographs) and Museums (museums with other objects).

Twitter is a platform that is revolutionizing media. It's an efficient way to browse through masses of information. A recent study of 2000 tweets over 2 weeks (10 working days) taken at 30 minute intervals by Pear Analytics revealed that 40% of tweets are "pointless babble". Only 3.6% were considered news and 8.7% had pass along value. So a challenge for Trazzler is to sift the quality tweets from those that are poorly written or casual.

The site aims to pay some writers - either as contest winners or freelancers. You can find out what it takes to be a Trazzler Writer. Great advice for any writer: write about what you know, appeal to the senses, capture the moment, describe things to do and write smart. Trazzler is looking for folk with a creative perspective. So take a look and have good Trazzling!

Sacramento is worth a visit

2008-10-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

Took a two night trip to Sacramento. I first visited the Capitol. I most enjoyed the pictures of former governors. Reagan with his smile, Jerry Brown's abstract head and Gray Davis on his way out on the cliffs with his jacket over his arm.

Each Californian county has a display window showing its highlights. I was amazed how many were rural. Some of the areas where tourism is popular like Sonoma and Napa had fresh displays - others were in need of updating, including my county of San Mateo. The park next to the Capitol has various memorials, notably a Viet Nam memorial with sculptures of service people.

I rented a bike to take a ride along the American River Parkway. In Discovery Park, I followed other bikers and took the wrong turn. I ended up on Northgate and then found the trail again. I also found a big nail in my tire. Back to the road, I learned from my iPhone the good news that I was on a bus route back to downtown, the bad news there wouldn't be a bus for nearly half an hour. I managed to get back to the bike shop, City Bicycle Works, just before it closed at 7:00 pm. The rental bike was a fine hybrid - not new but well-serviced. They don't have many bikes but were able to replace my bike with a mountain bike.

Sacramento has plenty of bike lanes - but drivers do like to cross them right in front of you - not quite as courteous as on the Peninsula. However, many people bike on the wide sidewalks and pedestrians almost always step aside when they hear your chain whirring. Even though we had a car, biking was quick and enjoyable.

The old governor's house museum was under wraps - the outside was being restored and the front steps replaced. The Reagans had a new mansion built, but it was then sold as subsequent visitors didn't need it. Money is still in the state coffers to go towards a new mansion when the time is right - maybe now with falling house prices! The bathrooms were rather poor - even for the 1950s and 60s when the mansion was used. The kitchen was quite modest for a governor's home. The study had been turned into a family dining room because it had a very early air conditioning unit finished in wood. I can see why Nancy Reagan wanted a new home - not to mention that the area was run down and busy in her time. The midtown area is now gentrified with many good restaurants (except I saw a mouse run across the floor in one that had the front door open). The vegetables were very fresh at all the restaurants we visited.

Sutter's fort is worth visiting - it has rooms for weaving, farm work, studying and sleeping. Sutter was quite an entrepreneur as well as a stalwart with a fort that supported the community.

I enjoyed the Crocker Art Museum which is being expanded by Rudolph and Sletten. It has a large gallery with paintings absolutely covering the walls - studio style. There's a wide selection of European paintings. While I was there a Pop Art special exhibition was on show.

The Museum of California honors women, Hispanics and Hall of Famers. It was good to see Steve Jobs representing high tech, which really seems underrepresented.

Pendle Hill

2008-05-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

I climbed Pendle Hill from just north of Barley in Lancashire. The trail goes towards a farm then the climb starts.

Quick Beginner Jogging Trail - Toyon Trail - Portola Valley

2007-11-11T20:27:00.000-08:00

If you want a quick 30-minute jog in Portola Valley with only a slight hill then try the Toyon trail - it is marked in red on the Portola Valley Town Trail Map. This means its for people only - no horses, dogs or bikes.

It is reasonably soft on your feet and knees through woods. Avoid it during heavy rain and winds as it could be subject to mudslides or tree falls - but the day after light rain the sandy soil drains quite quickly so it should be fine.

Park at Alpine Road and Willowbrook in Portola Valley. Take Alpine Road exit west off 280, go 4 miles past 2 stop signs and park on your right just before Willowbrook. You can also bike there from Stanford and chain your bike to the fence a bit further along Alpine Road.

Here are directions for a quick 30-40 minute jog. Across the road from the parking lot is a trail - go up it and follow the Toyon Trail signs to your right. The gradient is gentle going up and then steeper on the return - but never very steep.

Jog up it gradually across a couple of bridges - one a plank with a rope to hang on to. Then you have two choices for turning left - take either depending on how much time you have. Take whichever left turn you like.

Come back on the Coal Mine Trail. There are good views from the water tower. It is not uncommon to see a coyote. Go downhill keeping left and then back on the Old Spanish trail. Turn left at the bottom of the trail and you are back to Alpine and Willowbrook car park.

In the spring look out for wildflowers, particularly Trilliums.

If you want a restroom - go down Willowbrook past the Sequoias and turn left on Portola Road, then left again into the Windy Hill car park. If you want coffee (or free WiFi access) go back down Alpine Road to Konditorei in the Ladera Shopping Center - its after the Chevron Station on your left just before you get to 280.

Driving 280 south in Los Altos Hills from 3 -6 pm

2007-11-07T12:03:00.000-08:00

If you are driving south on 280 in Los Altos Hills the traffic will slow down around Magdalena after 3pm during rush hour because the car pool lane starts there. Also there may be a rush of cars trying to enter the freeway there. Another problem is the right hand lane merges and disappears. Another bottleneck occurs where cars turn off to 85. Yet another obstacle is near Apple at De Anza Boulevard exit.
1. Allow time if you are going south during rush hour
2. If you are going straight to San Jose keep in the left lane
3. If you are turning off to 85 get into the right lane in plenty of time
4. Consider staggering your work hours and appointments so you don't hit the rush hour
5. Consider car pooling or ride sharing