Nano Climates

On with the insulated knee warmers at home; the air was decidedly brisk.

Off with the knee warmers 20 minutes later, stepping out of the car at the start.

Cruising along in the sunshine after the first climb, I considered peeling off my arm warmers.

Moments later, I passed through a pocket of chilled air. So it goes, in the Bay Area.

I was curious about today's climb to the end of the pavement on Mt. Madonna Road, with the usual trepidation of the unfamiliar. [It was fine.]

Had the group not been waiting, I would have ventured up the first section of dirt to the bright sunshine ahead.

Instead I descended, with care. A technical descent, this one, steep and curvy. I had taken special note of one short slick section on the way up. Evidence of road repair suggests a chronic wetness, there.

Returning along Redwood Retreat, my pace slowed as I approached a knot of cyclists stopped off the road. No one I recognized; one guy timidly signaled for my attention. “Where are we?” They were looking for Uvas Road. Hard to imagine that in their group of six or eight, no one had a GPS device at the ready. “Where does this road go?” I set them straight, and encouraged them to check out the rest of Redwood Retreat and Mt. Madonna first.

The rest of the gang now having caught and passed me, I sought an additional challenge. They were headed into town for lunch; I had other plans. Being in the neighborhood, why not check out another unfamiliar climb?

The back side was mostly rural, with a sweeping view of pasture and green hills topped with an impressive oak tree. Dropping down the front side, I passed a cautionary sign for trucks: 15% grade. [Uh oh.] I made my u-turn in the residential section at the bottom; the houses got bigger the higher I climbed. This presented a healthy challenge, though I'd wager it didn't touch 15%. [I'm not complaining, mind you.]

My route deviated further from the group, as I opted for scenic rolling hills instead of a long slog into the wind along a busy thoroughfare—with the bonus option of my own little picnic at the Uvas Reservoir, and clear views of the familiar summits of both Mt. Hamilton and Mt. Umunhum along the way.

Having seen very little wildlife, I was charmed by a pair of western bluebirds darting along a fence line on Bailey Avenue. They were bluer than blue: Azure? Cerulean? The color of lapis lazuli, and too fast for any chance of a photo.

By the end of the day, I had unzipped my vest to flap in the wind, shed the arm warmers, and slathered on the sunscreen. 62 miles, 3200 feet of climbing—farewell, January!