Breezy Backroads

Knowing I would quickly be off the back today without a ride partner, I decided to head east instead of west: Calaveras.

Racers from SJBC encouraged me as I clawed my way up The Wall. They might have ignored me. Or patronized me. Instead, they cheered me on. What a great bunch!

Our groups converged near the dam. They were celebrating with a birthday boy (who turned 60), and approached me to take a group photo. Wait, they said; here comes one more person from our group—Holly. Holly? I know Holly!

They caught me again after the twisty descent toward Sunol, when the road flattens out. The birthday boy had the lead.

Our group crossed the tracks for a gentle climb through Kilkare Woods. The road is not well-traveled, and I came upon a long tree branch completely blocking one lane. I parked the bike, hauled the branch off the pavement, and picked up the larger pieces of debris. The end of the branch had a clean, well-weathered cut; it had been dead for some time, caught overhead after tree trimmers had completed their work. Today was the day when the wind would finally dislodge it, and I later heard that it narrowly missed a cyclist when it crashed down. (Yikes!)

Calaveras is a long, rolling road with no hard climbing (after The Wall). The base of the wall is a T intersection. A right turn would lead me to a wide suburban thoroughfare, back to the start. A left turn would take me back, too, after looping through some wild and rural land.

Decisions, decisions.

Did I mention that a left turn meant ... more climbing?

For the day, some 54 miles and 4,595 feet of climbing. Sheep and goats, horses and cattle, wild turkeys and hawks, one wounded, writhing gopher snake. And a chance encounter with a cycling friend.