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Passed the ghost bike for mark pendleton :(

On the way to Port Costa

Okay, after several failed attempts to organize this ride, let’s give it a try: This Saturday, 10:30, Walnut Creek BART. About a 35-mile round trip, moderate hills, taking us to Martinez, Port Costa, and maybe the John Muir house. Some notes from Short Bike Rides San Francisco: “This mellow, mosey-along kind of ride offers highly scenic views of Mt. Diablo and the Easy Bay Hills as well as of the Carquinez Straits and the tiny and ancient hamlet of Port Costa. I don’t know which is the bigger treat: riding the eroded and unrepaired Carquinez Scenic Road, which is closed to cars, or shooting the bull with the locals at the Warehouse, an immense, historic bar [side note: has 200+ beers, and might have a BBQ running] in Port Costa right out of a country-music video. Then, of course, there’s the John Muir House to be visited, charming downtown Martinez to peruse, and the uncrowded multiuse paths of Contra Costa Country to check out.” And a few other excerpts: “You’ll find yourself climbing through a beautiful and very Spanish-looking old graveyard”, “postcard views of Carquinez Straits […] Forty percent of the land area of California drains its runoff water through these straits.”

A few people from our usual group joined a group of maybe 150 bicyclists at Dolores Park at 8:30AM on a gray and misty morning (the people in the Dolores Park Cafe were confused by the crush of business). It was amusing to see another bicyclist heading to the park through the deserted streets of the mission and think “I bet I know where he’s going”. The group headed out around 9:30 (some with stereo systems, musical instruments, and other bulky objects), and took a route from Bayshore -> Tunnel -> Sierra Point -> McDonnell -> the Bay Trail south of the airport -> 3rd Ave in San Mateo. We didn’t ride on the Bay Trail itself for much of the ride– we took the slightly more direct (and wider, easier to bike on with a crowd) surface streets. The ride was at a slow pace, with a few bikes with stereos, and some periodic waiting to regroup, and we reached Maker Faire a little before noon. After Maker Faire, around 6:45, I was feeling my oats and decided to bike back on my own, trying to beat the setting sun. I took the more scenic bay trail routes much of the way, with a few accidental detours. Here’s a rough map of the overall ride. My recently-purchased bike computer says I rode 53 miles total, including getting to the park in the morning.

Heading South on Tunnel Ave

About 150 bikers at 9am on a Saturday.

I’m planning on joining someone else’s organized ride this Saturday, in case you’re interested – the Rock The Bike group biking to Maker Faire. http://www.rockthebike.com/node/10277 from the web page: “the ride is about 19 miles over mostly flat terrain, and we will take a leisurely pace, cruising with great music on our party bikes.” Plus, there’s valet bike parking and you get into Maker Faire at a discount. To get back without doing that length of ride again, the Hillsdale Caltrain station is just a few miles away. If you’re interested, let me know (I’ll mass-RSVP to the organizers), and meet at Dolores Park at 8:30AM.

I’m not sure if I’ll organize a ride in the next two weeks, but I’m seriously thinking about doing this in three weeks: http://rockthebike.com/node/10277 (biking to the Maker Faire in San Mateo, about 19 miles / two leisurely hours from Dolores Park, with the Rock The Bike crew) Other upcoming ride ideas: * Port Costa Loop (see failed attempts below) * BART/Caltrain to Millbrae, then South on the Bay Trail for 15-30 miles, to Belmont / Redwood City / etc. Ultra-flat, mostly car-free paved paths, fresh marshy smells. * Iron Horse trails in the East Bay (also mostly car-free) * Bike camping in Marin * China Camp loops, from the Larkspur Ferry * “Planet of the Apes” / Lake Merced -> Montara Lighthouse, overnight

Four people came out today, two for the first part of the ride (from the ballpark South, through empty industrial back streets of Bayshore, then along the bay around Candlestick Park, and back to SF). Two of us continued South along Tunnel Ave and along the Brisbane Lagoon on Sierra Point Pkwy (a road that always feels like it’s about to force you onto the 101), along the Bay Trail, through the airport, and then back via the BART from Millbrae. See some photos below. Wildflowers were blooming along the path, and the sun was shining, though there was an intense headwind along much of the bay. Here’s a rough map, 20-25ish miles total depending on starting and ending points (I’m not sure I correctly traced all the Bay Trail, much of which was on paths).

Less scenic: McDonnell through the airport (there may be a better way)