After a few years of trying, I finally snagged the coveted Campsite #1 at Kirby Cove, and gathered a group of friends + kids for a Sunday afternoon ride there… the weather was perfect and clear, the company was good, and the vibe was relaxed. We could practically see the campsite from the bridge… And down we go along the gravel road… ...
A group of us took our bikes on the Amtrak Capitol Corridor up to Sacramento to drop by NAHBS (the North American Handmade Bicycle Show) and then ride the paved, car-free Jedidiah Smith trail from Sacramento toward Folsom. We had a ringer– a friend who lived in Sacramento and knew all the scenic roads, an amazing market to get a sandwich at to eat by the river (Corti Brothers), and good brewpubs. Thanks Jenn! ...
I had to travel to Munich for a few days for work, right before the summer solstice, a weekend when Swift Industries cheers people on to go bike camping anywhere (#swiftcampout). So why not? I packed a single small pannier with only essential camping gear and stuffed it and a bivy sack in my suitcase with my work clothes and laptop. When the work week wrapped up, I asked the hotel to hold my suitcase for a day, rented a basic city bike with a rack, and set out into the woods… ...
Morgan Territory Road definitely makes it into my top tier of best rides in the Bay Area. Miles of paved single-lane road twisting up through a forest and then swooping down through hilly countryside (which is actually green at this time of year!)… all with no cross roads and not much traffic: Five of us rode it Sunday via this 42-mile route from Pleasant Hill BART -> Clayton (a town with oddly Old-Western-themed street signs) -> Morgan Territory (quail, red-winged blackbirds, frogs, the trickling of streams, some wildflowers), with a break for lunch and to refill water near the top -> the suburbs of Livermore -> Dublin BART. ...
Through the woods, a 26-mile loop on a perfect, sunny, mid-60s day (scenic Pinehurst Rd in Oakland)
40-mile flat ride from Lake Merritt to Fremont, joining about 30 people I didn’t know on the Bike East Bay “Spring Ride Series”. A nice route, especially all the paved car-free paths along various wetlands (with many birds on a misty morning)– and nice for variety to be following without having to plan a route or look at my phone.
Fun 30-mile ride during Beer Week along many off-road paths and canals, MLK Jr Shoreline Park, the mosaic murals of Jingletown, and along the shoreline in Alameda… with a stop at Cleophus Quealy for tacos and good beer.
2017′s plan for “Year of Fire” (more one-night bike camping with bonfires) was a bust– for a variety of work and personal reasons I barely biked other than few-mile errand rides (including some hefty cargo bike trips), but the few fun ride like worknight-bike-camping on Mt Diablo with a friend and a week biking (supported) in Maine reminded me what I was missing. I even failed to organize a 5th annual SF Dumpling Tour or join Supermarket Street Sweep this year. ...
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